Dolphin for Dinner

In my last post, I talked about all of my lovely creations with my new stand mixer! I wanted to share a few more pictures of the bread that I baked. This bread was a gift in itself because I was able to use the dough hook of my mixer to knead the dough and a hand made clay crock that Vincent's mom gave me for Christmas. This bread was light a moist, with a sweetness that made it pair perfectly with the wild honey that Katie gave me as a stocking stuffer for Christmas!

In addition to my stand mixer, my dad gave both Katie and I a very interesting cookbook that follows the Paleo Diet. This is slightly comical because for years my dad has been advocating how healthy it is to eat salmon or a bowl of lentils for breakfast rather than the sugary/starchy things Americans are notorious for consuming on a daily basis. I found the introduction to this cookbook very interesting, although somewhat radical. The Paleo Diet is a book with supported research that explains how the symptoms of many autoimmune diseases can be virtually removed simply from changing your diet. Such autoimmune diseases as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes type 1, and lupus can become symptom free by following the Paleo Diet according to the research of Loren Cordain, PhD. For more information on the Paleo Diet visit www.thepaleodiet.com . Like I mentioned before, this is interesting research - but to actually follow this diet the way it is intended would be very difficult. The concept is that our bodies are made to consume food much like a hunter - gatherer society. Basically, if you remain on the outer perimeter of the grocery store and refrain from buying processed foods, you are closer to following this diet. I think that the fresh concept is a great idea! However, the diet suggests that our ancestors who followed a traditional Paleo diet did not eat dairy, wheat, corn, legumes or potatoes. This means no milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, no soy milk or soy products, no bread, rice, crackers, chips, or potatoes of any sort. Furthermore, cutting out corn from a modern diet would include anything with corn syrup or corn in any form (which is basically everything). What is most surprising to me is cutting legumes out of my diet. Black beans, lentils, and peanuts/ peanut butter all fall into the legume category - which comprise a large percentage of my diet. I can understand removing the processed foods, but legumes are natural substances high in protein and fiber... not going to happen. 

All things considered, I became aware of the fact that my diet lacked enough fruit and vegetable consumption in my last quarter of college when I took a sports nutrition class and did a diet analysis using www.mypyramid.gov. This was rather shocking, seeing as to how I incorporate a fairly large amount of vegetables in my meals, daily. However, upon a closer look - you really do have to eat several pieces of fruit a day and eat vegetables virtually at every meal in order to get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily. The Paleo Diet follows through with this thought process and recommends that your diet be composed of lean meats, fish, crisp vegetables and sweet fruits. I would suggest considering incorporating some of this concept into your meal planning because it really is important and you will find yourself feeling full longer and becoming more satisfied by fewer calories if they are fresh fruits and vegetables rather than sugary processed foods. So, my dad gave me this cookbook at the right time - because I have been recently over-thinking ways to incorporate a concentrated amount of these nutrients into my meals (although it may not appear that way due to my recent cupcake obsession).  Take a look at it!

Luckily, I picked up some wild caught Mahi Mahi filets at Whole Foods on my Christmas trip to south Louisiana. We don't have a fresh seafood source in Ruston, and I absolutely refuse to buy farm raised seafood after learning what really goes on in a Parasitology course. Just trust me on this one, wild caught fish is best. Mahi Mahi is a type of "dolphin" fish that is tropical and pairs nicely with fruit and vegetables alike. Now, remember - I'm not trying to be heroic and follow the Paleo diet or anything, but I took some of it's suggestions into play. For dinner, I marinated the Mahi Mahi in fresh lemon juice, soy sauce, and a drizzle of olive oil. Vincent later grilled the filets outside on our gas grill until flaky and white. I topped the fish off with a fresh salsa that I made containing tomatoes, cilantro, green onion, apricot jam, fresh lemon juice, and siracha (asian chili sauce). For the side dishes - fresh steamed broccoli and baked sweet potatoes with chipotle, brown sugar, and fresh cracked black pepper - yum! 

I have to admit, this meal was just as satisfying (if not more) than baked macaroni or any other comfort food and my palate appreciated the fresh bright flavors of the salsa on that piece of fish. Granted, this is a more expensive meal than some easy processed food - but your body and health care providers will thank you later if you can incorporate a few more of these types of meals into your diet! Yum Yum.