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.
It's been a couple days since I first opened my Inbox after my wedding time off, and I'm happy to report that my outstanding emails are now in the single digits. I'm actually happy to be back - my schedule (to account for the five hour time difference) has shifted from 7am - 3pm, so I get to work on the projects I'm passionate about and still have a few hours in the afternoon to enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian sun and sand.
Hawaii is new to me (I've been here just once before several years ago with my family on vacation), and since it might be new to you too, I thought I'd take a couple minutes to orient you to the spots I will surely mention. First, Hawaii consists of six islands. Oahu, where we live, is the most populated by far. Lloyd and I were hoping to get to most of the other islands while we're here, but since we've been on Oahu, we don't have any desire to leave.
Here's a closer look at Oahu. Honolulu is considered the "rat race" around here. Coming from Washington, DC, I hardly agree. But I suppose it is much more cosmopolitan - restaurants, bars, shops, packed beaches - than the rest of the island. I'm a city girl, so I'm happy we're only about 30 minutes from Honolulu. Also, this is where I'll likely be getting some of my fresh fish. We've asked around, and the best place to go seems to be an open air fish market there.
Another area we can't wait to explore is the North Shore. The heart of it is between Haleiwa and Kahuku. This is where the pro surf competitions go down in the winter on six-story-high waves. This is also where the famous shrimp shacks serve sweet white shrimp raised by local farmers in shallow freshwater ponds.
The final area we'll be spending the most time in is Windward Oahu. The Marine Corps Base is right on the piece of land that juts out between Kaneohe and Kailua. You may have heard of the latter because it's where the Obamas stayed on their Christmas vacation. It's also the town we're hoping to live in, but as you can imagine, it's quite desirable and pricey. For now, we're in temporary lodging on the Marine Corps Base, which is nice enough, and today I noticed, has an outdoor grill! We'll be using that very soon.
Windward Oahu holds its own when it comes to restaurants - in addition to Mexican, Island, and sandwich spots; we also stumbled upon delicious and inexpensive sushi take-out. Last night we got the rainbow roll, dragon roll, and sautéed mandoo (dumplings) from Hojin Sushi.
Tonight, I'm hoping we can use that grill. Now that we're married, I can go to the commissarry and buy groceries all by myself, so that's where I'm headed now.
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
