A Lick of Salt in Moderation

Ick. Ick. Ick.  This will be a short blog because I caught my first and hopefully only cold this season.  My head is cloudy so my ideas are nilch.  However, I do want to post something including a recipe and a menu plan.  I want to try a menu plan again so I can remind myself of what recipes are good, bad or just plain ugly.  I may do a review of them, but I am not sure at this point.  I am happy to say that I have an order to make a gluten free and dairy free chocolate cake for a birthday next week.  I would love to do this more often so I hope to make the best chocolate cake.  Right now I just want to sit here and either sleep or knit in my pajamas.  I don’t have either kid around at the moment so I am resting.  

In the last couple of weeks, I had a family member who was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and with treatment, I hope she will feel much better.  It made me think about how much of our foods are loaded with salt. Now we do need salts, but on average we consume a lot more than our recommended daily allowance of sodium (no more than 2300mg) and not near enough potassium.  This is especially bad for those with high blood pressure and any cardiovascular issues who should consume no more than 2000mg or even less.  Last week I made my meals without salt and instead added a couple of dashes or none at all depending on what already had salt in it.  I have never been one who needs a ton of salt or even likes salty snacks.  My weakness is Fritos. I love those, but I don’t have them around too much.  

Last week, I made a list of kitchen must haves and I want to include a recipe with rice, but not a typical rice dish for dinner or lunch, but for breakfast. It is naturally sweet, modifiable, and of course super easy.

Breakfast Brown Rice (Serves 4) 362 mg of sodium, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams saturated (the coconut), 71 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams protein. Almost all of your vitamin A for the day

2 cups of apple juice or spiced apple cider

1 cup of instant brown rice

½ cup nonfat strained (Greek) yogurt

A couple handfuls of raisins

1 grated carrot

¼ cup of unsweetened coconut (this contains the most sodium, but it has potassium too) you could use any nuts

½ tsp cinnamon (don’t need if you are using apple cider)

A dash of ground cloves (optional)

A squeeze of lemon juice (optional) this helps instead of adding salt

A sprig of lemon peel (optional) instead of salt

Menu for the week

Monday—Shredded Pork Loin red chile enchiladas and pinto beans

Tuesday—Pureed Brocolli, Cauliflower, and Potato soup with light cream, gf teff bread

Wednesday—Leftover Cioppino, salad, and bread

Thursday—Plum tomato Pot Roast with brown rice pasta, green salad

Friday—out

Saturday—Broiled Salmon, Potato and Zucchini soup, sautéed lemony peas

Sunday—Naked baked chicken wings with honey bbq and hot sauce, crudites