The Kitchen is Closed!

I have spent the better part of the day surrounded by food. In a good way though, not in the diving head-first into a vat of Oreos way that has marked the previous month or so.

This morning the boy and I got up and make breakfast sandwiches using some of the only remaining items in our refrigerator - eggs, mozzarella cheese, spinach and whole wheat english muffins. Delicious and a yummy protein-packed way to start the day.

After brekkie, I sat down and planned out meals for the week and headed to the grocery (where I saw the man who cut my hair when I was a kid - WEIRD - I totally avoided him And yes I am totally anti-social.)

After a very successful and fairly easy shopping trip (I only had to peruse the pages of UsWeekly for about 3 minutes in line), I came home and made chicken salad (shredded chicken breasts, grapes, celery, walnuts and low fat mayo) to put in whole wheat wraps for lunches, helped the boy take down Christmas decorations and declutter the house, and then started in making this month's Cooking Light's version of Salmon Croquettes, which turned out to be fantastic. And I feel so virtuous with my Omega Fatty Acids doin' their thang inside of me now.

Overall the weekend was a good one - I got relaxed, got some exercise, ate well and planned for the week. If only we had one more day to go see movies (saw Juno yesterday, fantastic for those of you who haven't seen it yet).

Tonight I'm going to veg in front of the TV, make some tea and catch up on blogs. If you're so inclined, here's the salmon croquette recipe.

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (they were out at the store so I used what I had in my spice drawer)
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I like more)
1 (15-ounce) can salmon
1 egg white
5 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
Cooking spray

To prepare croquettes, combine flour and the next 6 ingredients (through egg white) and 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2 inch thick patty. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Place remaining breadcrumbs on a plate; dredge patties in breadcrumbs.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 9 minutes on each side or until golden (it only took me about 7 minutes each side). Serve with tartar sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (about 4 points or 200 calories per patty if you're interested).

This came with a tartar sauce recipe too, but I just made my own with a little lowfat mayo, some dill relish, lemon juice and black pepper. Served with fresh green beans, this was a yummy, healthy dinner.

Looking back on the day, I realize it sounds like I had a lot of contact with lowfat mayo today, but I'm okay with it. Better that than the aforementioned vat of oreos.

:)