Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill

I don’t know about you, but I am in full recovery mode from 4th of July weekend!

My meals consisted of way too much this:

And this:

And not enough this:

Funny how vacation works that way…

On Sunday, I’m not exaggerating when I say that we spent the entire day like this:

Glued to the Casey Anthony Trial! I was loosely following the case up until this weekend, but Laura has been following it every step of the way and there was no way she was going to miss the end!

Around lunch time, I assumed Corey’s position of “Grill Master” and took the liberty of grilling some hot dogs for everyone.

Next thing we knew, it was 8PM!  We all showered and got ready, and then headed to a great place that Laura told us about, called Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill & Beach Club.

After ordering some drinks, we browsed the menu for a few minutes.

Seeing that we were on the beach, I knew my decision had to involve seafood.  Corey and I decided to share a bowl of SheCrab Soup, and two Grouper Tamales.

We both agreed that our food was excellent- we wish we could’ve eaten there more during the weekend!

Frenchy’s was featuring a live band that was awesome.

We had so much fun singing along to the songs and dancing!  I even got their card from their manager to see if they perform at wedding receptions 🙂 .

We had a great weekend, and we were definitely sad to leave.

Now, it’s back to the grind!

Easy Fish Dinner

Where have I been this week?!

I’ll tell ya. In hell.

I had two HUGE tests back to back in my Anatomy and Physiology 2 class that I’m taking this summer.  Being a 6-week course, I am there Monday-Thursday from 1:30-4:45.  Three weeks left and I cannot WAIT to be done!

On top of that, I’ve added a giant task to my never-ending “To Do” list…are you ready?

I’M PLANNING OUR WEDDING!!!!!!!

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Due to my recent change of plans for school, Corey and I, along with our families, decided that it would be smarter to have our wedding a little sooner than our original plans of November 2012.  OK, a lot sooner.  Like, a whole year sooner!

That’s right! We are getting married on November 26, 2011- 6 months from now.  Ahhhhh!

I have been a busy little wedding bee running around trying to pick out churches and venues and guest lists…it’s crazy, but a lot of fun!  Kind of.

My busy schedule has lead to some very monotonous meals lately.

Breakfasts

I’ve literally eaten a bowl of oats with peanut butter mixed in for almost two-weeks straight.  I think I hate oats.

Lunches

To round out my boring breakfasts, I’ve gotten into a lunch routine this week, as well, consisting of Subway veggie subs!

6-inches of spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, banana peppers, pickles, provolone and honey mustard. Yum!

Dinner

One meal this week that stuck out as a keeper was as simple as it gets.  I am a big fan of seafood, and if it wasn’t so expensive, I would eat it every day!  Corey picked up a huge piece of grouper at our local fish market.  We marinated it for 30 minutes with lemon juice, a little olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, cilantro and red pepper flakes.

We heated up the grill, placed the fish on some tinfoil and cooked it until it flaked with a fork.

While it cooked, I came inside and fried some already-prepared shrimp. We bought them thinking they were coconut shrimp, so I was pretty disappointed to discover that they were just plain ol’ breaded shrimp.

I used canola oil to fry them, because, for some reason, that makes me feel slightly less guilty than frying in regular oil.

We served our seafood feast with steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts, and a little Dijon mustard for dipping!

There really is no better meal for your body than fish and vegetables.  I think many people are afraid of cooking fish, but it really is as simple as making chicken!

If you don’t have a grill, you could easily make this same meal by placing the fish in a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees, and cooking for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness.  The good thing about fish is that most types flake with a fork when they are fully cooked, so it eliminates the guessing game.  Give it a try!

Home Sweet Home

Hello, all!

I’m currently blogging away on my big, comfy couch at my parent’s house in Ft. Lauderdale!  Home, sweet home.

Breakfast

I woke up bright and early this morning to get ready and head to the middle school that I had to teach at today.  It was freeeezing outside!  Well, freezing to us Floridians who were finally getting used to the warm weather again.  A nice, hot breakfast sounded perfect before braving the cold.

Cinnamon + Banana Oatmeal

I made a bowl of Quaker Weight Control Cinnamon Oatmeal, topped with a sliced banana.  I thought the cinnamon flavor might be too cinnamon-y, but it was actually just the right amount!  I’ve decided the “variety pack” of Quaker oatmeal is definitely the way to go, seeing that I’ve loved both the banana bread AND the cinnamon flavors, which can’t be purchased individually.

I gave my sleeping fiance and sleeping puppy a hug and a kiss, and off to school I went!

Lunch

After a riveting morning of distributing math tests, I was definitely ready for lunch.

Strange Sammy

My lack of ingredients in the fridge resulted in yet another version of yesterday’s strange creation. I switched out the whole wheat tortilla for a whole wheat English muffin, topped it with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese, and filled it with diced red pepper and broccoli slaw.  I added a drizzle of Kraft Toasted Sesame Dressing, and that was it!  Strange, but good.

Yog + Strawberries

I also had a 1/2 cup of Chobani 0% Vanilla Greek Yogurt, topped with sliced strawberries and Splenda.

I was really tired towards the end of the day, and I was kind of dreading the fact that I had to drive 3 hours to Ft. Lauderdale right after school got out.  I decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks for a pick-me-up!

I ordered one of my favorite frozen, low-calorie drinks- a Mocha Light Frappuccino.  Only 140 calories for a Grande!  WINNING!

Frozen Goodness

Hate their new logo, by the way.

I actually spent most of the afternoon dreaming about Starbucks, due to the fact that I stumbled upon this article from YumSugar, detailing the results of their taste-test of the new “Petites” at Starbucks.  “Petites” are a new line of mini desserts, all under 200 calories, that Starbucks just introduced in celebration of their 40th anniversary.  After staring at the pictures of the delicious treats, I couldn’t wait to find out if my local Starbucks had them in the store yet.  Turns out, not only did they have them, but there’s a kind of “happy hour” special for them!  Between 2-5PM, it’s buy one, get one free!  I call that BI-WINNING!  I ended up ordering a Tiramisu Pop, Rocky Road Pop, and for my freebie, I ordered the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie.

Red Velvet Whoopie!

HEAVEN

YumSugar said that they found the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie to be too sweet in the middle.  After I thought about it, I realized that it is impossible for me to find something to be too sweet, so I went ahead and ordered it anyway!  So glad I did.  It was amazing.  I wanted to put on different disguises and go through the drive-through line over and over again ordering more of these little bites of Heaven!

I planned to save the other treats for my family to try, but then I convinced myself that they don’t even like dessert.  I was dying to try the Tiramisu Pop.

Pop!

Eaten Pop

This was equally as delicious as the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie.  It was creamy, moist and oh-so-delish!  I had enough self-restraint to ride home with the Rocky Road Pop untouched, and I gave it to my sister when I got home.

Isn’t she charming?  Blame her delirium on the fact that she just got off a 5-day Spring Break cruise.  Poooor baby.  She said the Pop tasted amazeballs.

After some good ol’ family time and catching up, I helped my dad make dinner.  Most people look forward to calorie-laden comfort foods when they visit home, but not this girl!  I told my mom that I was really in the mood for some “fat girl” snacks, and the first thing she said was, “OH! I have smoked gouda!”  I laughed and told her I was thinking more along the lines of Twinkies and HoHo’s, but I settled for Triscuits and Gouda.

Special treat?

My dad is on an extremely heart-healthy diet, so our dinner was exactly that- heart healthy!

I seared some beautiful sea scallops in a skillet- with NO butter or oil- just lemon juice!

Seared to Perfection

I also wilted 2 bags of spinach in a little bit of no-salt-added chicken stock over medium heat.

Wilted Spinach

My mom and sister requested that their scallops and spinach be served over pasta.

Scallops + Spinach + Pasta

Close up!

My dad and I opted for a baked potato on the side, instead of pasta.

I absolutely love seafood, but it’s so expensive to buy regularly! It was definitely a treat to get to have restaurant-style sea scallops at my disposal tonight.

Time to go do what my family does best- watch Glee on TiVo!  My mom and I are planning to wake up early for a spin class, and I’m exhausted, so I better get to bed early tonight.  Hope you’re having a fabulous Friday!

What is your favorite type of seafood?

It’s Always Great to Have a Colorful Plate! Asian-Marinated Salmon with Zesty Roasted Vegetables

There are so many salmon-haters in the world, but I’m confident this recipe could change their minds!  I got the inspiration for this one from Corey’s parents- they bought a HUGE piece of a salmon and gave us a portion, along with a variety of fresh vegetables.  They told us that they made an asian-flavored marinade for the salmon, put it on the grill with the vegetables, and had a delicious feast!  I decided to try a similar approach with our dinner tonight.  On a side note, we had a special addition to our meal, thanks to Corey’s trip to Costco today.  He brought home two huge portobella mushrooms filled with cheese, crabmeat stuffing and topped with 2 shrimp!  It was seriously awesome.  My dad is gonna have to give this one a try for my salmon-loathing mom this week!

Asian-Marinated Salmon

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Ken’s Herb and Garlic Marinade (or any kind of prepared marinade you have on hand-

you can even skip this ingredient if you want)

5 tablespoons Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Makoto Ginger Dressing (the BEST dressing in the world! If you don’t have it or don’t want to buy some, just substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger)

1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Enough salmon for 2 people- we used a portion that was about 3/4 pound, and then cut it in half (if the skin isn’t removed, don’t worry, it will come off after baking)

Tinfoil

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl, then place the salmon filets in a small baking dish or loaf pan and pour marinade over top.  Cover will tinfoil and place in the fridge for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (to roast the vegetables first, see below).  When the veggies are roasted, turn heat down to 375 degrees.

Take the salmon out of the fridge and place the filet in the middle of a large piece of tinfoil.  Make a little “salmon purse”, folding the sides together in the middle, and creating two handles at the top.  Be sure it is completely sealed.  Place in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness.  You will know it is done when it turns a light pink color and flakes with a fork.  Remove from pouch.

Zesty Roasted Vegetables

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

2 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds

2 small yellow squash, sliced into rounds

1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 medium zucchini, sliced into rounds

4 tablespoons Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Ken’s Herb and Garlic Marinade

2 tablespoons EVOO

salt, pepper and garlic powder

Directions:

After slicing vegetables, lay them in an even layer on a cookie sheet.  Pour the EVOO, soy sauce and marinade over the veggies.  Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder over top.  Use your hands to mix everything together, coating the veggies in the mixture.  Roast in the oven at 425 for 25 minutes, using a spatula halfway through roasting to flip them.

 

Swordfish with Sauteed Eggplant and Baby Bok Choy

I never buy fish at our grocery store because it is just too expensive.  That’s why we love the fish market! Much better selection at practically half the cost.  Swordfish steaks are one of my favorite fish to cook.  I think swordfish is a great option for someone who is not sure if they really like fish.  It is much thicker and hardier than, for example, tilapia.  Anyways, the fish market didn’t have swordfish steaks, but they had swordfish “pieces” available- basically, it was just large chunks of swordfish sold by the pound.  We got a pound of the pieces, and then headed over to the produce market for some veggies for a side dish.  One of our new favorite veggies is one that I think scares a lot of people- bok choy!  There are two types of this green, leafy veggie- the regular size, and then there is baby bok choy.  We got the babies this time.  It turned out great, although, I think I will stick to swordfish steaks from now on.  The pieces weren’t quite as good, so I’m going to suggest using the steaks for this recipe.  The great thing about preparing a swordfish steak is that it is one of the easiest things in the world- hardly any ingredients are necessary to make the flavor stand out.  My kinda fish!

Seared Swordfish

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

2 swordfish steaks, about 5 oz. each

salt, pepper and garlic powder, enough to sprinkle on both sides

1 lemon

1 tablespoon EVOO

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat an oven-proof skillet with the EVOO over medium-high heat.  Place steak in the hot pan and sear on one side.  When slightly browned, flip to sear the other side.  Place skillet in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the fish is no longer opaque in the middle.  Squeeze lemon over top before serving.

Sauteed Eggplant and Bok Choy

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into chunks

2 heads baby bok choy, cleaned and chopped into chunks (trim off the ends and throw away)

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste

2 tablespoons EVOO

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Heat a skillet with the EVOO over medium eat.  Throw the bok choy and eggplant into the skillet and saute for about 4 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger and soy sauce.  Pour in the chicken broth, and cover skillet with lid for 5 minutes.  Eggplant should be soft and bok choy should be wilted and tender.