Roadside lunch: a healthy alternative to fast food

Aug. 2nd I left on a two-day road trip to visit family in Minnesota. I have always had a hard time staying away from junk food while on a road trip. In the past, road trips were excuses to eat whatever I wanted: candy, chocolate, soda, fast food, etc. My goal for this trip was to avoid the junk food and stick to my new found healthy habits. Admittedly, I've tried this before, but this time, I was prepared.

I packed a cooler with hummus, cucumbers, low-fat string cheese, diet sparkling drinks, and kept nuts and gum next to me in the car. I also planned on paying for gas at the pump so I could avoid tempting candy displays in the gas stations.


I'd love to say that these strategies worked perfectly, but that wasn't the case.
Five hours of driving, and I hit a wall. Antsy, bored, and sleepy, I wanted chocolate in the worst way.

I tried everything to keep those cravings at bay: I ate a fiber bar; I chewed gum; I sang with the radio; I calculated the hours I had left before needing gasoline...anything to keep me awake and entertained. Eventually, I just had to stop and pull into a rest area. I still had hours to go before I could stop for the night, so I walked around and then took a short cat nap. It took the edge off the cravings and my sleepiness.


The next stop I took for gas, I did buy a diet soda and some fruit candy. The package held "approximately 3 servings," and I ate half. It took another 2 days to finish the package, so I think I did pretty well. For dinner, I used a restaurant gift card a friend gave me. I ordered a delicious seafood dish and it gave me the energy to travel another 100 miles where I finally found a hotel room.

Although my eating wasn't perfect, I did have some success: I avoided fast food and chocolate.

What are your challenges when traveling? Do you tend to crave junk food when you're on the road? Share your experiences in the comments.

We've all heard about the health benefits of fish, but if you're like me, fish rarely is on the menu--I haven't known what to do with it....until now. On this wellness journey, it’s important to try new foods. With a little adventurous shopping and the Internet, fish can become a regular part of healthy living.

Last week I tried 3 new, easy fish recipes: fish tacos, grilled salmon, and fish cakes.

Fish week started by finding a nice piece of wild salmon. It was pink, fresh, and wild caught. It was also on sale--a rare find in Wyoming, so I jumped on the opportunity.

I also saw a new kind of fish I had never heard of before: swai. A quick Google search revealed that it is a type of catfish that has a mild flavor. It can pick up any seasoning you add to it. It was also fairly inexpensive for a large quantity.

FISH TACOS

I always thought I didn’t really like fish, except fried, especially my dad’s recipe. He made the best fillets from our fresh catch. Other than that, I had never been very adventurous with fish, except when it came to sushi, but that’s another blog.

It was my wedding week when I discovered fish tacos. My new sister-in-law grilled a large fillet and then flaked it with some seasoning. She served it with a variety of fresh vegetables and taco shells. I have to admit: I was wary, but after seeing my husband's delight (he is not a fish lover either), I had to try some. They were wonderful! The key is fresh fish--not always easy to find in Wyoming, but I thought I’d risk it with swai.

I don’t have a recipe for this, so I simply followed my instincts. The following is a close approximation to what I used for 2 people (4 tacos).

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 fillets of white fish (swai works wonderfully, but any white fish would work)
• chili powder
• 1 pinch paprika
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper
• 1 lime
• olive oil
• 1 avocado
• 1 tomato
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1-2 jalapeños
• mixed greens or shredded lettuce (most fish tacos are served with shredded cabbage, but I prefer mixed lettuce)
• soft taco-size tortillas (I prefer the whole wheat variety)
• *sour cream (optional)
• *shredded cheese (optional)

*You could also use low-fat or no-fat versions.

Preparation
Oil the grill grate and preheat grill. If you prefer, you can grill the vegetables for the tacos or serve them raw. I love the flavor of grilled veggies, so I grilled mine. Simply grill the jalapeños, red and green peppers on medium heat until they begin to char. Turn them as needed. (Start grilling the vegetables before the fish--they will take longer.) Once the vegetables have a nice char on all sides, remove them and allow to cool.

If needed, fillet & de-bone fish. Brush the fish with a thin layer of olive oil. Swai isn’t a particularly fatty fish, so if you do not oil it and the grill, it will stick. Liberally season the fish with the chili powder and garlic powder. Add paprika, salt & pepper to taste. The spice comes from the paprika, so keep it slight unless you want it spicy.

Grill the fish a few minutes on each side until it flakes. Do not overcook it, or it will be dry.

Flake the fish in a bowl. Mix in more spices as desired and add the juice of ½ lime. Slice the rest of the lime for garnish.

Peel & seed the grilled peppers (be careful--they can be hot!). Dice the peppers, tomatoes, and avocados. Chop the lettuce if desired.

Tacos are always a serve-yourself dish in my house. I align the ingredients in an assembly line and let my family serve themselves. This is the order I like the ingredients on my taco:

Fill the tortilla with fish mixture, cheese, grilled peppers, fresh tomatoes, avocado, a small dollop of sour cream, and then the lettuce. I keep a slice of lime on my plate and squeeze a few drops over the top.

If you like, add re-fried beans for a side dish or an additional taco topper.

I have also served this with a green chili sauce or salsa.

It's a great twist on taco night!

GRILLED SALMON

This is another dish I cooked from instinct. The amounts are approximate.


Ingredients

• 1 salmon fillet, de-boned
• oil spray
• Mrs. Dash lemon pepper
• Old Bay seasoning
  

Preparation
Lightly oil grill grate. Sprinkle fish with the seasoning. Grill 6-8 minutes per side or until fish flakes with a fork.

My husband doesn’t like grilled salmon, so I also grilled some chicken breasts using garlic powder w/ salt & pepper.

I served this meal along with polenta and grilled asparagus. When grilling asparagus, lightly cover the spears with olive oil before placing them on the grill & watch them carefully so they do not overcook.

Polenta can be found in the produce section of the grocery store. I simply follow the directions on the back. I have yet to try homemade polenta--it seems too complicated.

FISH CAKES

This is a Rachel Ray recipe for cod croquettes. Instead of cod, I used swai. It really is delicious!

Try it with leftover grilled salmon, too.

I hope these recipes help you experiment with fish. It's a tasty way of eating healthy!

Next week my challenge with be eating healthy while on the road and visiting family. Check back to see how I do! I'll try a daily blog then. Until then, keep fighting for good health!

I've been dieting on and off since I was 10. Despite the diets, or perhaps because of them, I yo-yoed my way through jr. & sr. high and college. Finally, after graduate school at 240 pounds, I gave up. I decided to just enjoy my life and my food and stop obsessing about my weight. I exercised. I ate vegetables. I maintained my weight. I decided I was relatively healthy. That would soon change.

Last year I was shocked with a breast cancer diagnosis. Chemotherapy was rough, and although I thought I’d lose weight, I discovered that most patients gain weight due to steroid-laced cancer-fighting medication. My weight topped out at 309. For the first time in my life, doctors didn’t tell me to lose weight. As my weight crept up, they responded: “if there’s any time in your life to eat what you want, this is it.” In fact, they discouraged me from dieting or worrying about my weight at all. Liberated, I ate what I wanted, although what I wanted diminished with every passing treatment.

One side effect of chemo was my loss of appetite for greasy foods and simple carbohydrates. My love for chocolate diminished and for the first time in my life, I actually craved fruits and vegetables.

Of course, I don’t recommend everyone go through chemo to change their appetite, but what cancer did for me was to teach me to listen to my body and to put my health first, and isn’t that the point? I now think about what I eat and what my body needs. I have finally taken control of my food, my health, and my life.

That doesn’t mean I can do this alone. I’ll need your help, so each week in this blog, I will discuss my quest for health and a healthy weight. So far, I’m down 16 pounds, but the greatest reward (and perhaps the hardest fight) is finding strength and courage to live a new life.