Fennel, Celery and Lemon Salad

This is a super easy salad to make with simple ingredients.  It's cool, tangy and refreshing.
You need:
1 c. Fennel
1 c. Celery
1 Lemon
1 T. Olive Oil


Slice all ingredients paper thin. About a cup of each and one whole lemon leaving the peel on.
Combine in a bowl.
Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the top.
Enjoy!

Nutritional Information:
Calories:  46 per serving
Carbs:  5g per serving
Fennel
This food is very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.
Celery
This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.High in Sodium.

Lemon
This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium and Copper.Olive Oil
This food is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium.

No Pasta Lasagna

This is a great alternative to pasta-filled lasagne and it ups your veggie intake for the day.

You need:

Pasta substitute:
3 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick
2 orange peppers (or yellow or red)

Sauce:
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of tomato paste
fresh basil
fresh oregano
2 cloves garlic

Cheese layer:
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup cottage cheese (more fat, less carbs)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh spinach

Top:
2 tablespoons pesto (if you buy a jar, watch the labels - go with the lowest carbs)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Sauce:
Brown the hot italian sausage in a saucepan.  Put aside to cool a bit - just until you can handle them to cut them up.  Dice onion, mince garlic and cook in fat left from sausages until translucent.  Chop the sausages into small chunks and add to onion.  Add tomato sauce (I like the Italian "pulpa" variety) and tomato paste.  Chop basil and oregano.  Add to sauce.  Bring to an almost "boil" then turn down to low.  I highly recommend making this sauce ahead of time to give it time to meld the flavors.

Veggies:
Slice the zucchini in lengthwise strips.  Cut the peppers into large, flat pieces.  Put a little olive oil on them and put in the oven to roast VERY BRIEFLY.  They should still be quite crunchy when they come out of the oven.

Cheese layer:
Mix eggs, cottage cheese, parmesan and spinach together in a bowl.

Arrange ⅓ of the zucchini in a baking dish. Top with egg mixture, then half of the sausage mixture. Top with ⅓ of the zucchini and peppers and sausage mixture. Add the last of the zucchini to the top.  Cover with pesto.  Sprinkle on mozzarella.

Put in the oven for half an hour.  Take out and let stand for 15 minutes before eating.

Yum!

Serves 6.

Chipotle Fish "Tacos" with Lettuce Tortillas

These are messy but oh, so delicious.  No grains.  Good for you!

You need:

FISH:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white flaky fish fillet, like tilapia, snapper, or halibut

CHIPOTLE CREAM:
½ cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce (careful!  it's hot!)
8 large, firm lettuce leaves
1 ½ cups shredded green cabbage (use pre-shredded coleslaw if you're rushed)
1 or 2 chopped roma tomatoes
¼ of a colorful sweet pepper
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the fish fillets and let marinate for 20 minutes.

Put the yogurt into a strainer lined with a paper towel and place over a bowl to drain and thicken for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill or nonstick grill pan over a medium-high heat until cooked thorough, about 3 minutes per side.  Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the thickened yogurt, mayonnaise, and chipotle pepper (chopped).

Flake the fish with a fork. Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream. Top with fish, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes and cilantro.

Definitely have some napkins ready!  Pick up the lettuce leaf like a taco shell and enjoy!

Nutrition Information
Calories 266 per serving
Carbs 22 g per serving (reduce this by excluding tomatoes)


Red Snapper
Red Snapper is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin B12 and Selenium.  BUT - it's high in cholesterol.

Lettuce
Lettuce is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Folate, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes are low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. They are also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium and Manganese.  A large portion of calories in tomatoes come from sugars.

Red Pepper

This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin B6 and Folate.

Cilantro

This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Mayonnaise

This is low carb!

Wisdom of the Elders

Yep.  That's us.  We've officially passed the half way mark which means we've accumulated a fair bit of life experience.  We've lived through our own ups and downs.  We've had our own struggles and victories.  We've got some things to share!

I have a friend who posts about Grandmothers Groups from time to time.  So I thought I'd find out what they're about.  As it turns out, elders here are supporting African elders who are looking after the nation's children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS.  (Thank you, Stephen Lewis, for your amazing work.)

This is where I got to thinking about being an elder and what that might mean.  I don't feel like an elder.  My mom is still living.  She's a true elder.  But I also have a responsibility to help the younger set where I can.   Heading into the second half, I hope to help, role-model and inspire in my own small way.  I have a few things to share.

"Who'll be my role model, now that my role model is gone?"  (Paul Simon)

10 Minute Abs

Time is a big issue.  I work full time.  My family is dispersed, so seeing them takes time.  And I am committed to working out.  So any workout I can do at home in less than half an hour is great for me!

Here's an abdominal workout you can do in 10 minutes at home.

Basically, you set a timer to go off every 30 seconds.  Pick 20 exercises.  Switch when the timer goes.  Non stop.

Some suggestions for picking your 20 exercises:

http://exercise.about.com/cs/abs/l/bldynamicabs.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/muscle/id/13/muscle/abdominals

http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises.htm

Look After Your Fascia

My sister introduced me to MELT balls.  They come in various sizes and densities and are used as a self-treatment for chronic pain in feet and hands.  And I think they are making a difference for me!

MELT also produces a body roller to roll out your muscles.  It is softer than many foam rollers on the market - and it, too, makes a difference for me.

Anything that keeps me flexible and pain free is great in my books.  You can learn more about MELT and order their products here.

Look After Your Feet

I have chronic pain in my heel.  It's been with me for 20 years.  Usually it subsides for a while and I get on with exercise.  But this year it isn't going away.  I'm okay with not playing soccer or basketball any more.  Rowing is going well.  But my foot is getting in the way of hiking and even walking!

There are 26 bones in a foot.  And heel pain is common.  This article in Medical News Today is pretty informative.

Rest.  Ice.  Ibuprofen.  I guess that's what I'll keep doing....  Sigh.

Competition Is Good For You!

I've spent most of my life playing sports.  I love to play a game or race a race.  I love the challenge of pushing myself to the limit and, most of all, I love the feeling of winning.

Winning doesn't always mean coming first.  It sometimes means I make a personal gain or overcome a personal obstacle.  A game well played is definitely a win.

In April I had the luck to race with some friends at a rowing regatta in Victoria.  Dueling Over a Grand, lovingly known as the DOG, is a two boat race.  You race and, if you win, you move on.  There is a "back door" for crews who come second early in the regatta - you have to race more and beat more crews to make the final.

In March, my crew undertook a training camp to get in race shape.  We all work out individually and stay quite fit for a bunch of middle agers, so the training camp was more about relearning how to row together and to establish our race plan.  Racing is a pretty psychological pursuit.  All the fitness in the world means nothing if you can't control the "can't" in your head.  Our "coles notes training camp" was designed to help us with that.

The weekend of racing was super fun.  I have a love/hate relationship with racing - mostly about how prepared I am for the race.  I felt well prepared for the DOG this year.  I know I'm ready when we sit on the start line and I'm thinking "yeah, we've got this" instead of "crap, why am I here?"  Every time we locked into the start I was confident in our crew.

You're half way through your life journey.  It might be time to take up a sport that you can compete in.  It's an awesome feeling to push yourself and come up with your own kind of "win".

And while we're on the topic of "happy"....

Happiness

Oh my.  I am so glad I am on Facebook just for this!

Smile. Laugh. Dance.  Be happy!