The United States Department of Agriculture says twice a week, make seafood the protein on your plate. Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry.
The cherry on top of a long weekend is a short week. Last weekend really jump-started our motivation to explore every inch of Hawaii and I cannot wait for this one. Valentine's Day was super low key. I went to the farmers' market in the morning and it was delightful. I'm definitely making that a weekly tradition. For dinner we stayed in (we swore off going out to eat on V-Day years ago due to the crowds and pricey prix fixe menus) and Lloyd cooked the roasted cod on large garlic croutons I had the ingredients for. The only swap we made was the fish - we used saba instead of cod, which threw our taste buds for a bit of a loop. Saba is a type of mackerel and high on the "fishy," or more politely, "oceanic" scale. Maybe not the best choice for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner.
In contrast, Sunday we had friends over for grilled abalone, which were mild and marvelous. In fact, we were all so enamored with them that they got gobbled up before I could get a picture. But this will be a re-do in the very near future.
The weekend wound down with a drink and appetizers at Haleiwa Joe's just up the road from our house. We tried traditional poke for the first time. Poke is no chicken wings and nachos. It's probably the most healthful appetizer I know - pieces of raw, fresh fish mixed with minced vegetables and seaweed. It was so good. Lloyd and I fought over every last little tuna cube.
I am a registered dietitian with the National Fisheries Institute, so fish is my nutrition forte. I earned my BA in Communication from Southwestern University, just outside of Austin, TX. During college, one of my very favorite evening outings was a leisurely trip to the grocery market. My passion for food was undeniable, so I combined both of my interests by earning my MS in Nutrition Communication from Tufts University in Boston, MA. As well as my Registered Dietitian (RD) credential through the University of Delaware.
Beyond reading scientific studies about docosahexaenoic acid and selenium, I love to entertain, travel, watch reality TV, grill outdoors, and go to spin class. I live in Kailua, HI on the island of Oahu where my husband serves as a US Marine Corps JAG.
People in Hawaii eat more fish and shellfish than average, but over 80 percent of typical Americans don't eat seafood at least twice per week. Doctors and dietitians like me say that's the goal, so BlogAboutSeafood is here to show you just what plenty of seafood looks like in an RD's real-life diet.
Photo by Marco Garcia
