I Can Cook Seafood!!!!
*warning* This post is in reverse meal order so I don’t end the post making you feel like hurling due to my insane amounts of self-flattery.
Lobster, jumbo shrimp, cod, bring it on!! The one thing I thought I would definitely mess up, I think I did uh…MORE THAN OK! To save $$$ (I spent A ton anyways), I decided instead of taking the bf out for our 2 year, I’d make him a seafood feast at home. It took 3 hours to prepare, but it was worth seeing the look on his face tearing into his lobster and inhaling the ginger prawns. MUAAHAHAHHAHA
My Menu
Tropical Ginger-sesame grilled jumbo shrimp
Sauteed Garlic Wild Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
Korean-style Seared BBQ Cod
& Chipotle Mustard Baked Broccoli
Broiled garlic butter lobster
& Wild Rice in a Seafood Broth Reduction
I swear I cooked the lobster from scratch!! This was mine, the bf got his own!
Only $8 a piece from Hmart!!! (I LOVE Hmart!!)
For dessert we shared 2 from a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies & Mint Chip ice-cream!
TA-DA!!
***
Lots of Lunch does NOT equal Less Snacking
DANG IT! I’m testing out a “bigger meals” approach in order to cut down on snacking…but so far I think I’ve just stretched out my stomach.
A Sabra Pine nut hummus & cucumber sandwich (yuuum)
Leftover Zucchini Chili from last week
2x Chicken meatballs from the bf
Lots of baby carrots with more Sabra
and an Orange
I TOTALLY didn’t need this, but somehow wanted something to munch on right after lunch. Do you ever do this?
A pack of Kay’s Naturals Jalapeno Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks with 2 Tbs Sonny & Joe’s Just Hummus
(Reviews of each to come) Let’s just say Sonny & Joe’s makes a yummy, creamy hummus that tastes A LOT like Sabra and is just as smooth & rich. Kay’s pretzel sticks…unfortunately weren’t my favorite because of its overly stiff texture and strange aftertaste…probably due to the higher protein count.
Don’t worry, I stopped snacking after cleaning out all the figs and dates from my Tierra Farm California Mix. *sigh* Go me.
***
Backtrack to Breakfast, and you have…YUMMYYYYY
Irish Oat Bran ‘n PB2
I experimented with instant irish oat bran for the first time EVER this morning, and I really enjoyed it!!!
My combo is super simple:
- 1/2 cup instant irish oatbran (McCann’s)
- 1/2 pack 360 brand vanilla protein powder
- 1 cup hot water
I microwaved everything for 1 minute total at 30 second intervals so I could stir out the lumps.
- Topping is 2 tbs PB2 diluted with water to my favorite runny-but-still-sticky consistency
Taste: It has a earthy natural taste and is light in flavor, but not as fragrant as oatmeal. The PB2 gave this the punch of sweetness and indulgent flavoring to remove any blandness. I didn’t taste the vanilla protein powder, but maybe I was just too distracted by the delicious PB2.
Texture: Oat bran definitely reminds me of grits, so it is gritty (hehe) and mealy, but also very creamy. There were a few lumps I couldn’t get out, but it wasn’t too gross to swallow. The bran came out much thicker and goopier than oats, which later coagulated/got lumpy when it cooled!
Verdict: This is a very satisfying, tummy-happy breakfast. The creaminess of the mixture just makes you feel good! I’ll definitely try this again but with MORE PB2!!! I also won’t let it sit for too long and cool because I’m not a fan of goopy-ness.
***
On a side note, I’m thinking about embarking on a New “Challenge” inspired by of course, Jillian Michael’s. I don’t see this working though and would love to hear your thoughts!
- Eat every 4 hours
- No grazing!!
Why? It means 3 meals & 1 snack for me. This will ensure you’ll be feeling energized throughout the day, but won’t allow insulin to surge through your body 24-7. The bigger meals will be satisfying hopefully, and I’d like to see how this makes my body feel and to keep me in the habit of not “snacking” like 8 times a day.
How? Breakfast, lunch, dinner is a must. The snack will probably be in the afternoon around 4:30, because that’s when I get an energy slump and I also have a late dinner!
My goals may seem easy and intuitive, but as a HUGE “graze snacker”, making sure I fill up during the meals and NOT popping nuts or dried fruits during a lull will be really hard. Like, REALLY hard.
What were your toughest challenges? What did you learn from ’em?
Love lobster, its seriously my favorite summer time meal!
good post, i like the stuff you said about your new challenge. good luck to you! my challenge right now is finding creative ways to get all my nutrients after my tonsillectomy.. eh.. not easy! the seafood looked yum!
I love lobster!!! Your dishes look delicious!! I would so be in on a no grazing challenge.. that would be SO tough for me cause I eat mindlessly so much during the day!!
That oats breakfast sounds so delicious missy! I definitely need to try adding some protein powder into mine soon….and I think it’s great you are trying to mix up your eating plan to see what works for you, but don’t beat yourself if it doesn’t work as well as you hoped! Just keep trying, since we are all different and people all need different routines! Maybe try eatings 5-6 “smaller” meals? So then you can continuously be eating but you won’t feel overstuffed?
Have a good thursday!
you have me positively DROOLING over this post – seafood is one of my biggest loves!!
i’ve never really enjoyed grazing – i just like the tradition of sitting down for a good, proper meal. i hope you enjoy the challenge!
you’re such a chef on making all those dishes for bf… i can imagine his happy face!!!😀 I want to be your extra guest for that meal~~~ aajajajja……
about the challenge, I think if you’re busy during the day, that won’t be too hard. And the key is really bigger and complete meal to make snack unnecessary. Keep us updated about how you feel!🙂
That’s quite a lobster. Fun meal! But I think that broccoli almost looks like the best dish there.
I don’t need something to munch/crunch on after lunch. But I do “need” something sweet – like a few mini Dove chocolates.
I am SO impresed by your seafood feast. I could never attempt that! The lobster especially, but the shrimp look amazing.
I’ve been experiementing lately too and I really think 3 meals a day + a snack is really the best method for me personally. I think it’s different for everyone, and it even depends on the day, but I just can’t really “graze” all that well and not overeat!!! Good luck with your new challenge!
That seafood fest looks SO good! They should hire you at Bubba Shrimp Co🙂
I’m a TOTAL grazer too! SO annoying…especially in the morning I’m always popping extra things in my mouth. arggg
I am totally impressed by your seafood feast ‘coz I am way too afraid to try cooking any fish or shellfish.
Thanks for visiting my blog! Yes, I would agree that eating too much canned tuna isn’t good, but two times per week should be fine. I like to switch it up sometimes and do packaged or canned salmon, great for salmon patties!
O0o I have lots of that hummus in my fridge and can’t wait to review it soon! You’re making me anticipate it🙂
Way to go with the dinner!! That’s fantastic! Yes, I do get snacky sometimes – not hungry but I need to eat something. Annoying but I roll with it!
Good luck with your goals! You can do it!!
I find myself wanting to munch right after lunch quite a bit! I’ve got a snacking gene!😉
Those lettuce wraps look great!
When can I come over for a lobster dinner?😉
Yes! So many times, I feel that immediately after I finish lunch, I need something 5 minutes later. I really don’t, I really just need to give my body 10 min to digest my lunch and realize that I am completely full, so to combat this, I’ve learned to pop in a stick of gum right after I finish lunch. Works every time!
Mint Choc. Chip ice cream is definitely one of my favorite things on this earth. I try to keep some on hand frequently for those late night ice cream emergencies.
Good luck with your new eating challenge. I hope it works for you but if there is one thing I’ve learned over the years, its to listen entirely to your body. Sometimes you need 3 full meals a day with snacks and other days you just need a little less. It’s all relative, so be sure to do what works best for you!🙂
I can’t believe you made that seafood feast, amazing!! And that lunch looks fab too- i love chicken/turkey meatballs! Lots of luck to you with the eating challenge, I usually do three meals and two or three snacks, but schedules and life don’t always accommodate that, why is it so hard to just eat and be happy huh!?? 😀 have a great night girl
i echo caroline — i can’t believe you made all that!!!!! soo adventurous and ambitious, and it looks like you were ridiculously successful. i’m drooling over here!
i would never be able to last eating only every 4 hours. i must ingest something at least every 2!
WHOA, totally love it all, mmmmmm, and yummy sandwich! Love everything!
What a feast!! Your Broiled garlic butter lobster & Wild Rice in a Seafood Broth Reduction looks deliiiiiiiiiiicious!
I’ve never cooked a lobster before, so you’re definitely more seafood-savvy than I am! Everything looks delish, though.
I think my biggest challenge is making sure I don’t go too long between meals for the opposite affect. During the day, I don’t have much time for snacking or eating meals, so I can easily let my blood sugar get too low. Then, when I finally do eat, I’m much more hungry than I should be and can overeat or choose poor quick-snacks/dinners. If you eat foods low on the glycemic index, your insulin shouldn’t spike and drop so quickly, which will help keep you satisfied.
i love food too much to not graze. oops.
anyways! i live in champaign when im at
school. and when im home [like now!!!]
i live in the quad city area. along the iowa
border and such. are you familiar!? either
way. im sure ill be making a trip or two to
the chicagoland area this summer. i feel as
though we HAVE to have a meetup of sorts.
also. those chocolate chip cookies look !!!.
and yes. !!! can be used to describe food.
All your eats look so yummy, I love the ginger sesame shrimp! YUM!!
I think eating that way would be great! Personally I eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours which ends up being 5, 6 or 7 meals depending on the length of my day and how hungry I am. What an awesome job cooking all that seafood! It looks amazing. I am a seafood lover🙂. I really want to read jillians book. I want the circuit exercises she has in there. Think you could post a day of her circuit training or shoot me an email?
~Justine
You can come cook me a seafood feast any day!
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