Japanese Salmon Udon Soup

Total Calories 404; Fat 12.8g; Saturated Fat 2g; Cholesterol 75mg; Sodium 550mg; Total Carbohydrates 32.5g; Fiber 3.5g; Sugar 7.4g; Protein 38g; Vitamin A 141%; Vitamin C 36%; Calcium 20%; Iron 18%

Japanese Salmon Udon Soup
makes 4-5 servings


4 cups no salt added seafood stock
4 cups no salt added vegetable stock
3T miso paste
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 1/2 cup baby bok choy, chopped
1 cup green onion, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
1 pound fresh salmon filet, washed and cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 block firm tofu, drained and cubed
4 ounces udon noodles, prepared according to directions
1/2T fish sauce
2tsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Bring seafood and vegetable stocks to boil.  Mix 1/2 cup boiling stock with miso paste in separate container; stir until smooth.  Set miso mixture aside.

Add carrots; cook approximately 7 minutes until almost done.  Stir in bok choy; cook for 2 minutes.  Add miso/stock mixture.  Stir in green onions, mushrooms, Bragg's and fish sauce.  Gently add tofu cubes.  Place salmon on top of soup and use spoon to gently push salmon into soup.  Cook until salmon cooked all the way through.

In individual bowls, place 1 ounce udon noodles; cover with soup.  Garnish with green onions if desired.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Mango Kiwi Salsa

Pan-seared Atlantic salmon with mango kiwi salsa on a bed of field greens.  

Salsa:
1 VERY ripe mango
2 kiwis
1/4 cup cilantro
1/8 medium red onion
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Dice mango and kiwi.  Chop cilantro and red onion in food processor for 3 seconds.  Squeeze half lemon (to taste) over mixture.  Mix well; cover in fridge to allow flavors to blend.

Salmon:
1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1/4 cup brown sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
4 5oz Atlantic Salmon Filets
1T Olive Oil

Mix Bragg's, brown sugar and lemon juice.  Marinate salmon in mixture for 15-30 minutes.  Discard excess marinade.

In heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium to medium-high heat.  Cook salmon filet on one side until well seared (about 1 minute).  Drain excess olive oil and flip salmon.  Lower heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 5 minutes (check for doneness).  Serve over mixed greens.  Top with salsa.

Total Calories 450, Fat 23g, Saturated Fat 5.4g, Cholesterol 70mg, Sodium 153mg, Fiber 4.6g, Sugar 8.8g, Protein 38g, Vitamin A 3,722IU (74%), Vitamin C 50mg (67%), Calcium 85mg (9%), Iron 2mg (11%), Potassium 1,129mg (24%)

What's for dinner?

I got home late tonight and was not motivated to cook dinner.  I went to a restaurant down the street and had a grilled salmon fruit and spinach salad.  Dinner was about 600 calories (I estimated portion sizes and tend to guess on the upside).  

Overall I did very well today.  Went over my calorie target by 90 calories for the day, but I was under by a few hundred last night so it balances out.  

I track my calories on www.caloriecount.com and have found it to be a very useful tool in keeping an accurate depiction of what I'm consuming.  I also use to a kitchen scale to help measure when I'm cooking.

I'm feeling very motivated and excited about this journey.  Haven't started exercising much (other than walking the dogs a couple times)...with the pain in my joints caused by my size, it's often painful to walk.  But I will be starting back at the gym at the end of the month...trying to give my body a moment to get adjusted to my new eating.  One step at a time, right?