I will dine on iodine

I will dine on iodine - Boulder Nutrition | Examiner.com

Swimming through sustainability

FISHY!! FISHY!! Jump on board!


Swimming through sustainability

Keep an eye on your eyes

Keep an eye on your eyes

"A state of total awareness" - PAH!

UNAGI!

And no I am not talking about the "concept"... mentioned by Ross on Friends (season 6, ep. 17) that Unagi is, "a state of total awareness... being prepared for any danger that may be-fall you."


No, I am siding with Rachel and Pheobe in that... Unagi is a type of sushi... and a DELICIOUS SUSHI at that!!!


Unfortunately Unagi is typically DOUSED in a sugary-sweet sauce that really ruins all nutritional benefits of the fish... but I have come up with a very good solution to this problem which has enabled me to SCARF this eel down without a guilt in the world... (although I have heard it's on the Do Not Eat list... but I am going to pretend as though I never heard/read that!)

(Stupid sweet-ass sauce ruining my delicious EEL)

When I buy it from the store in the pre-BBQed package... I open up the package and WASH the fillet off... then I take about 1/2 a roll of paper towel and remove all the rest of the disgustingly sweet sauce... and let me tell you, naked eel is definitely NOT naked in flavor!!!


When I go to sushi restaurants and order eel sashimi, I will ALWAYS ask/write down that there is to be no extra eel sauce slopped on top, that way I am not bombarded with sugar calories that are simply NOT NEEDED!




So you're either now thinking...

A. She is a complete nut job of caring about sugar

B. Ew, eel, that's disgusting, I hate raw fish...

C. Whoa, good idea, although I probably won't go nuts with the paper towels

D. Tell me about the damn nutritional benefits!



And let me just make it clear that...

A. Yes I am completely nuts about avoiding sugar

B. Eel is ABSOLUTELY delicious and should NOT be avoided (out of fear that it's slimy and "yucky") and it is a COOKED fish (if you'd call it a fish)

C. Yes yes, I know I am so smart... and in my mind, every little bit of sauce that comes off is a little less calories & sugar! (but I am aware I probably won't be able to get ALL of the sauce off)

D. I was just about to come to that!




So here you are all you letter D thinkers... EEL'S ROSTER OF HEALTH BENEFITS:

1. Full of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
2. High in Protein
   
3. Very High in Vitamin A & B1 & B2
4. High in Vitamin D & E
5. Rich in Phosphorus
   
6. And did I mention... SCRUMPTIOUS!

While eel is a bit on the caloric side, it's oh so worth it... So don't shy away from it! Go nuts and order a sushi roll or better yet eel sashimi the next time you visit your sushi restaurant... Or if you're lucky like me and you have a Whole Foods near by, go and pick up a package or two and simply toast it in the oven until perfection! Seriously, you will have a mouthgasum and then thank me when you're done! Ha Ha Ha!

PS: There is another kind of eel served at Sushi Restaurants called Anago which is SEA EEL and also very tasty... but it's not as popular as Unagi. If you do get the chance, sample both and let me know which one you think is better!

Restaurant Review: Ai Sushi

Restaurant: Ai Sushi (the full menu is not listed on the website)
Cuisine: Japanese/Asian
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Pricey?: ** of out *****


Review: There is nothing I like more than to sink my teeth into a meaty and delicious hunk of tuna neck and this is exactly the reason why I ADORE Ai Sushi! The restaurant has all the sushi you can imagine plus exotic dishes such as this tuna neck that I love, also known as Hamachi Kama.





Last night my parents came to Boulder for dinner and my mom said "how about we go to your sushi place"... so of course I couldn't say no to that, after all it's "my" sushi place! Walk ins are welcome and space is always available, no waiting EVER!




The ambiance of the restaurant is spacious and boasts 10 hibachi grills along with a separate dining room so the loud noises from the hibachi grillers do not distract those who want to have a peaceful conversation with their dinner mates. As my parents and I headed into the dining room, we walked by a chalk board that had specials listed, and one of them was a special of SASHIMI for 2 @ $35 for 35 pieces - WHAT A STEAL!!!




So what did we order? TWO Sashimi Platters... so 70 pieces of sashimi! Plus TWO hamachi kamas (one for me, and one for my dad!)


We all received complementary miso soups & salads and the Hamachi Kamas came out first, VERY quickly.... and then... OUR SASHIMI platters! (The server knows me so he added eel sashimi onto the platters - lets just say he got a MIGHTY FINE TIP!) The fish ranged from multiple types of Tuna, Salmon, Mackerel, Crab, Tilipia, Shrimp, Egg & Eel! (I am sure I am forgetting something but there was just so much deliciousness I was so distracted by my ridiculously HAPPY taste buds!)


Everything was absolutely delicious... and when I was mid way through devouring my hamachi kama and realized it wasn't cooked all the way, I told my server and he simply took it back to the grill so they could finish off what was left and he did not charge us for it!



Don't think that sashimi and Habachi is the only thing Ai Sushi serves though, they have "millions" of rolls to choose from ranging from: the 007 Roll to the Heart Attack Roll to the Playboy Roll.... If you want to know what's in these interestingly titles rolls... check out the menu!


So how much was our bill! This is the BEST PART!!!!! For three people (yep, that's right, we finished ALL of that food... let's just say I would MOST DEFINITELY win ANY Japanese Food Eating Contest...) our bill came out to be: $115 (before tip that is)... and that includes the 2 beers my father ordered as well...




Well maybe I am a tad bit bias considering I have been going to this restaurant for three and a half years now... BUT every single time I have gone (which is a heck of a lot) it NEVER disappoints! The best part is pretty much all the waitstaff know me by first name and... when they see me outside about to enter the restaurant, they already get my order started! (ha ha, not seriously, but they definitely could... this also means I am a HUGE creature of habit)... But you know what, when I know something is out of this world delicious, why would I try something different that I am unsure of?!?!




My Rating: 9.99999 out of 10 (not a straight ten because my hamachi kama wasn't cooked all the way through this go round, but typically it ALWAYS it! Oh and they don't have ESCOLAR which is one of my favorite types of sashimi... but eh, you can't win em all right?)

(My favorite fish looks ANGRY, no?)

HAPPY FOOD!

Around this time of year people start getting stressed out because the holidays are around the corner and depressed because day light savings make the sun set earlier... and oh right: the weather pretty much "always" stinks and it's cold!


Well I just came across a list of some of the happiest foods in the world... and if you eat happy foods, you become happy because after all, you are what you eat, RIGHT?!


Ready... Set... Happy Foods!
(And yes the rainbow is completely necessary! ha ha)

- Salmon, Sardines, Mackerel, Tuna, Sable Fish(Black Cod), Anchovies & Eel

(AKA: Fatty-Fish or Free Ranged Red Meat full of omega-3 fatty acids & Vitamin D!)

- Spinach, Romaine, Kale, Arugula, Swiss Chard & Mustard Greens

(AKA: Leafy Green Vegetables)

- Flaxseeds, Hempseeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds & Sesame Seeds

(AKA: High in Healthy Fat Seeds)

- Omega-3 &/or Vitamin D Enriched Foods

(AKA: Eggs & Mushrooms)

- Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Broccoli, Asparagus & Artichokes

(AKA: Foods with Folic Acid & Soluble Fiber - to keep things regular... and we all know how happy we can be when we are! ha ha)

- Leeks, Onions, Garlic, Scallions, Shallots & Garlic

(AKA: Any vegetable in the Allium family)

- Seaweed

(AKA: Basically everything that comes from the sea/ocean is HAPPY! Expect in Nemo's case when he couldn't find home... but he eventually did, just remember that! ha ha)

Protect Yourself!

So all this HOOP-LA is really quite ridiculous when it comes to the SWINE FLU (H1N1)... BUT I received an e-mail today from the Vitamin D Council... and they said that vitamin D will protect us all!


So get to your local/nearest healthy food/supplement store and jump on the Vitamin D bandwagon!


Make sure you find one that has at least 1000 IUs and try to make sure you get Vitamin D 3 because it's better absorbed!


Oh and... WASH YOUR HANDS & COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU COUGH & SNEEZE - Those are super easy and free tactics to help avoid the flu too!

Other Sources of Vitamin D (Besides Supplements & The Sun)

- Fatty Fish (Mackerel, Salmon, Eel, Tuna, Sardines, Sable Fish, etc)
- Fortified Foods
- Egg Yolks
- Mushrooms
- Liver
- Cod Liver Oil