Day 63: Salmon Cakes

This is my Mom's modified recipe.  She always adds sauteed onions and a bit of sweet water.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh salmon, finely cubed (or coarsely ground)
1 egg
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Fine bread crumbs (I made several w/out bread crumbs to reduce my carb intake; S. wanted his with crumbs -- they taste better that way)
salt/pepper

Mix salmon, egg, parsley, and salt/pepper.  Form small cakes.  Coat in bread crumbs (or not) and fry in a skillet, greased with non-stick olive oil flavor spray, until golden brown.  Bake in a preheated oven (400 F) until done (10-15 mins or so).

I also made our typical cucumber, tomato, and lettuce salad.  It was a tasty, quick, and fairly healthy lunch.

Day 58: Tuna Salad

Yesterday I was so exhausted that I did not have any energy left... so I fixed a simple tuna salad (canned tuna, tomatoes, parsley, cucumbers, a little bit of mayo) and ate it on lettuce leaves.  Didn't even have energy to blog... so posting today.

Day 51: Sauteed Tilapia

Sauteed Tilapia with Steamed Cauliflower and Lettuce-Tomato Salad

Season tilapia with salt/pepper and saute in lemon butter.  Serve with steamed cauliflower and lettuce-tomato salad.  Original recipe is here.

Tilapia 257.0 cal 7 oz
Cooked Cauliflower, fresh 14.0 cal 0.5 cup
Raw Lettuce, Romaine 8.0 cal 1 cup
Raw Tomatoes 16.0 cal 0.5 cup
Butter, Unsalted 34.0 cal 1 tsp
Kraft Light Done Right Italian 20.0 cal 1 tbsp
Salt, Table 0.0 cal 1 dash
Pepper, Black, Ground 0.3 cal 1 dash

Day 45: Jack Mackerel Soup

OK, this recipe may sound strange but it's actually very good.  Also, Jack (Pacific) Mackerel is packed with omega-3s.  Three ounces of most species of cooked mackerel provide 1.1 to 1.7 g of omega-3s (except King Mackerel which is high in mercury).

Jack Mackerel Soup
Break fish into bite-size chunks, pour into a small pot, and add water (I usually use 4 cups per large can).  Bring fish and water to boil.  Meanwhile, saute veggies (I used tomatoes and green peppers but would strongly recommend onions and potatoes) in butter.  Add to fish broth.  Add salt to taste.  Tonight, I also added 1 small wedge of Reduced Fat Laughing Cow Tomato Basil Cheese to make soup creamier.  It was yummy and filling!

Jack Mackerel, Canned 221.1 cal 5 oz
Cooked Tomatoes, fresh 22.0 cal 0.5 cup
Butter, Unsalted 17.0 cal 0.5 tsp
Cheese, Mini (Laughing Cow) ,`Reduced Mini` 36.4 cal 0.6 oz
Cooked Peppers, Green, fresh 19.0 cal 0.5 cup

Losing Weight Project: Day 29/Poached Cod with Sauteed Mushrooms and Lettuce-Tomato Salad

Exhausted today -- a long, long day...

Poached Cod with Sauteed Mushrooms and Lettuce-Tomato Salad

Combine water, lemon juice, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a large non-stick skillet. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cod, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer covered for 5-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.  While fish is cooking, saute mushrooms in olive oil (butter would taste better, of course).  Arrange fish on a plate and cover with mushrooms; sprinkle with fresh parsley.  Serve with lettuce-tomato salad.

Breakfast
Medifast Swiss Mocha 55 Shake 90.0 cal 1 Each

Mid-Morning
Medifast Cinnamon Roll Crunch Bar 110.0 cal 1 Each

Lunch
Medifast Peach Oatmeal 110.0 cal 1 Each (3 cookies)
Baking Powder (Calumet) 0.0 cal 0.25 tsp

Afternoon
Medifast Chicken & Wild Rice Soup 100.0 cal 1 Each

Dinner
Cod 208.2 cal 7 oz
Raw Lettuce, Romaine 8.0 cal 1 cup
Cooked Mushrooms, White, fresh 34.0 cal 0.5 cup
Kraft Light Done Right Italian 20.0 cal 1 tbsp
Raw Tomatoes 16.0 cal 0.5 cup
Oil, Olive (Salad or Cooking) 20.0 cal 0.5 tsp
Parsley, Raw 1.4 cal 1 tbsp
Kraft Light Done Right Italian 40.0 cal 2 tbsp

Evening
Medifast French Vanilla 55 Shake 90.0 cal 1 Each

Losing Weight Project: Day 22/Classic Romaine Crab Salad

It's Monday morning?!  Yikes!

I opened a package of crab meat for crab-stuffed pork chops and now have leftover crab meat to use.  This recipe was on the package.

Classic Romaine Crab Salad

The original recipe calls for these ingredients (4 servings) and I used the following:

• Lump crab meat, 12 oz -- I am using 7 oz, per Medifast
• Lemon juice, 2 1/2 tbsp -- 1 tbsp
• Olive oil, 2 tbsp -- 1 tsp
• Romaine lettuce, 8 cups -- 1 cup
• Red onions, 24 rings
• Carrot curls, 8 each
• Cherry tomatoes, 8 each -- 1 medium tomato
• I added parsley and parmesan

Toss crumbled crab meat, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Season with salt-peper to taste.  Chop romaine lettuce, tomato, and cucumber.  Arrange lettuce on a salad plate, top with tomatoes, crab meat mix, and cucumbers.  Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan.

Breakfast
Medifast Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal 100.0 cal 1 Each

Mid-Morning
Medifast Cinnamon Roll Crunch Bar 110.0 cal 1 Each
Coffee, Brewed, Prepared ,Prep W/Tap Water 4.7 cal 2 cup (8 fl oz)

Lunch
Crab 191.0 cal 7 oz
Raw Tomatoes 16.0 cal 0.5 cup
Raw Lettuce, Romaine 8.0 cal 1 cup
Raw Cucumber, no peel 7.0 cal 0.5 cup
Oil, Olive (Salad or Cooking) 40.0 cal 1 tsp
Lemon Juice, Canned Or Bottled 1.2 cal 1 tbsp
Salt, Table 0.0 cal 1 dash
Pepper, Black, Ground 0.3 cal 1 dash
Parmesan Cheese, Shredded 20.8 cal 1 tbsp
Parsley, Raw 1.4 cal 1 tbsp

Afternoon
Medifast Parmesan Cheese Puffs 110.0 cal 1 Each

Dinner
Medifast Maryland Crab Soup 110.0 cal 1 Each

Evening
Medifast Dutch Chocolate 70 Shake 110.0 cal 1 Each

Losing Weight Project: Day 17/Salmon, Tomato, Spinach, and Cucumber Salad

One of my friends at work made my day -- she asked if I lost some weight!!!  Yes, yes, yes!!!  It's a slow process but I am getting there.

I had another very busy day -- Fall faculty convocation, department meeting, and lots of paperwork.  Since I didn't have to be at work until 8:30 this morning, I planned to have pancakes.  Until my alarm went off and I decided to snooze a little longer... 

Even though breakfast was provided, I suspected I won't be able to eat anything until lunch, so I made cappuccino to drink later and ate my breakfast bar on the way to work.  Sure enough, there was nothing Medifast-friendly -- pastries and fruit.  Honestly, I haven't noticed that before.  It's one of the benefits of Medifast -- you start paying attention to what is being served and whether it's good for you.  Before, I would sample pastries and think nothing of it.  I could not eat fruit today but, once I lose this weight, I will get fruit and maybe one small pastry, instead of several.  I think I will suggest to the person in charge to serve healthier choices -- she is one of my friends and won't mind.

Well, I was prepared so I was able to sip my still warm cappuccino during the mid-morning break.  The meeting ended early so I was able to go home for lunch.  I made this very simple but tasty salad (yes, still had some salmon in my fridge):

Salmon, Tomato, Spinach, and Cucumber Salad with Thousand Island Dressing

Dice one small tomato and one small pickling cucumber (I don't like those long cucumbers because they don't taste like cucumbers).  Chop spinach.  Flake fish.  Mix veggies and fish with dressing (go easy on dressing!) in a large bowl.  That's it -- fast, healthy, and yummy.

Since I already mixed pancakes, I decided to enjoy them for snack tonight.  I wasn't able to flip pancakes, probably because the mixture was refrigerated since last night.  I ended up with pancake lumps rather than pancakes and was about to toss them, actually, when I decided to sample them anyway.  My sorry-looking creation did taste like pancakes and was actually pretty good so I enjoyed the snack.  Won't mix early again, though -- learned my lesson.

Breakfast
Medifast Chocolate Mint Crunch Bar 110.0 cal 1 Each

Mid-Morning
Medifast Cappuccino 100.0 cal 1 Each
Lunch
Salmon 257.8 cal 5 oz
Raw Tomatoes 16.0 cal 0.5 cup
Raw Cucumber, with peel 8.0 cal 0.5 cup
Raw Spinach 6.0 cal 1 cup
Kraft Light Thousand Island Dressing 30.0 cal 1 tbsp
Afternoon
Medifast Parmesan Cheese Puffs 110.0 cal 1 Each
Dinner
Medifast Maryland Crab Soup 110.0 cal 1 Each
Evening
Original Pancakes 90.0 cal 1 meal

Losing Weight Project: Day 16/Salmon, Mushrooms, and Asparagus Salad with Butter-Laughing Cow Cheese Sauce

Breakfast      
Medifast French Vanilla 55 Shake 90.0 cal 1 Each

I did not go to bed until 12:45 am last night (well, this morning) -- there was so much to do...  And then woke up at 6:45 am...  I am so not a morning person...  Got ready for work, blended my breakfast shake, and drove to pick up Boots from the vet.  Apparently, he had a very deep cut on his pad that became infected and, because of debris, did not heal properly.  The doctor had to open the cut and clean under anesthesia so poor Boots had to spend the night there.  He was so happy to see me this morning!  The vet prescribed a 10-day dose of antibiotic, to be squirted into his mouth once a day.  Hmmm... this will be interesting... wish S. was here -- he knows how to do this kind of stuff.  We will have to survive until the weekend.

So brought Boots home, made sure he was comfortable (fresh food/water, litter box filled with paper pellets so his wound won't get dirty again).  I decided to leave him in a bathroom because I was not sure if he would freak out and hide somewhere.  Then rushed to work.

Mid-Morning
Medifast Oatmeal Raisin Crunch Bar 110.0 cal 1 Each

We had a workshop until a few minutes after noon so I ate my snack bar during the break while everybody else was snacking on fresh fruit and M&M's.  A rather strange choice of snacks, in my opinion.  I am so determined to lose weight that I wasn't even tempted.  Now, if they had peanut M&M's...  just kidding! :)

Lunch          
Medifast Chicken Noodle Soup 100.0 cal 1 Each

Drove home to check on Boots.  Since he appeared to be calm, I opened the bathroom door and he didn't run anywhere, a sigh of relief...  Rushed back to work where several students were already waiting.  Helped them and then finally had time to cook and eat my soup.  Of course, was interrupted several times but oh well...  the other faculty member was out today so I was "holding the fort."  One of our secretaries commented on how yummy my soup was smelling while cooking in the microwave.  Yep, not bad at all, especially since it's filling and only has 100 calories.  The key is to keep it covered for at least five minutes after cooking, to let the noodles and chicken soften sufficiently.

Afternoon    
Medifast Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal 100.0 cal 1 Each

Every time I tried to cook my afternoon snack, I was interrupted... :(  Then it was after 6:00 pm and time to go home.  I didn't feel like cooking and eating oatmeal in the empty office so I went home.

Dinner
Salmon 257.8 cal 5 oz
Cooked Asparagus, fresh 20.0 cal 0.5 cup
Cooked Mushrooms, White, fresh 34.0 cal 0.5 cup
Raw Lettuce, Romaine 8.0 cal 1 cup
Butter, Unsalted 34.0 cal 1 tsp
Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Light 35 cal 1 wedge
Pepper, Black, Ground 0.3 cal 1 dash
Oregano (McCormick/Schilling) 2.4 cal 0.25 tsp
Coriander Seeds 1.3 cal 0.25 tsp
Parsley 1.4 cal 1 tbsp

Salmon, Mushrooms, and Asparagus Salad with Butter-Laughing Cow Cheese Sauce

I had one salmon fillet so I divided it into three portions and baked last night with oregano, black pepper, and coriander seeds.  Today, I reheated one portion and cut fish into bite-size chunks.  Steamed asparagus, cut into bite-size lengths as well.  Sprayed the skillet with butter-flavor non-stick spray and cooked mushrooms until golden brown.  Chopped lettuce.  Mixed fish, asparagus, mushrooms, and lettuce.  Finally, melted butter and cheese on very low and poured sauce on my salad.  Sprinkled with parsley.

Evening
Medifast Vanilla Pudding 100.0 cal 1 Each

Snacking on pudding as I am writing...  Since I missed my afternoon snacks but have to eat all five Medifast meals, I will test the cookie recipe tonight.  I don't like eating so late so will try not to skip meals again.

Vanilla Cookies
1 packet of MF vanilla shake (or shake of your choice)
1 packet of splenda
1 tsp of baking powder (more than most, but really helps "puff" them up)
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 ounces of water
Mix dry ingredients with a wisk, then add the water slowly. Don't pour in all the water at once, add it slowly at first and then add more as needed. You want to get a "dough" that is the consistency of paste.
Spoon the cookies by tablespoonful onto parchment paper covered baking sheet (or spray baking sheet with cooking spray).  Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Well, heading to my kitchen to test this recipe...  Will post an update later.

Update:  As with other Medifast concoctions, these cookies won't win any awards but they were pretty good.  I enjoyed my snack. :)