Monday, August 29, 2011

Pizza and Patties

It's that time of year again, when the leaves barely start to change color and the kids and teachers return to their classrooms.  This means I must return to my day job as a speech language pathologist, so I apologize for my lack of entries the past couple of weeks!  Life has been extra busy and while I have still been cooking, my blogging has been lacking.

So I will catch you up!  My first dish is an oldy with a twist...homemade pizza with broccoli!  Here is another way to simply slip more veggies into your diet.  I encourage you to be experimental in all that you can put on top of pizza, because really, everything tastes better when it's on a pizza.


Since we're on the subject of pizza, here's a healthy little tip to use when eating out at a restaurant.  I am sure most of us have heard the rule of ordering a dish, splitting it in half, and taking the rest home.  That way you eat 1/2 of what they serve you (which is usually WAY too much).  Well, when you go out for pizza, it can be hard to split your meal in half when all you see is slice after slice disappearing before your eyes.  Before you know it, you've lost count of how many slices you've eaten and you feel positively stuffed.  If you need some motivation to prevent this, eat your two pieces (what I consider to be average), drink a tall glass of water, and then decide whether you are still hungry.  You most likely will not be (unless you did some pretty hard core calorie burning that day).  Now, take some pizza home and serve it up alongside a nice big salad with cottage cheese and fresh fruit for lunch the next day!

Who said take-out can't be healthy?

Speaking of pairing delicious foods with salads, why not do it more often?

   Salmon Patties with Green Salad, Fresh Bread, and smoky cheddar cheese

Which choice do you think is not only healthier, but more satisfying?  Eating three salmon patties alone, or eating one salmon patty amid a variety of other food groups?  If you picked the former, wow, you must really like salmon patties.  If you picked the latter, Mr. PT would say you are correct!  Variety can be a good thing, giving you lots of essential vitamins and minerals. Variety can also help you feel more satisfied throughout the meal and less likely to overeat.

So, wash up your favorite lettuce, sprinkle it with feta cheese and fresh tomatoes, tear off a hunk of some fresh bread from a local bakery, and treat yourself to a "favorite flavor" (for this dish, I paired my patty with a slice of apple-smoked cheddar cheese...yum).  Now, combine all that with a delicious salmon patty...you've got yourself quite the meal!

You will need:
-1 can salmon
-1-2 tbs fresh parsley
-2-3 tbs chopped red onion (more or less if desired)
-ground black pepper, to taste
-2 eggs, or 1 egg and 1 egg white
-1-1/2 cup bread crumbs
-other spices you like (I added paprika, thyme, cracked rosemary, garlic and chipotle powder)

Mix ingredients together and form into patties.  Brown off in a skillet with olive oil.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (depending on how brown you like them).

Sometimes, eating healthier is not just about eating more or less, it's about eating smarter.  

Combine with a 40 minute strength workout, whether using weights and body weight at home or machines at the gym.  Do 3 sets of 10 reps for each big muscle group.  If you want to push yourself towards bigger results, do 15 reps on the last set for each muscle group.  FEEL THE BURN!

2 comments:

Kelly said...

What happens if your gym is out of power....and oh, by the way, so are you???

PS: Can we run an extension cord to your house?

Unknown said...

You are still out of power?? Yikes!