I Went Red on February 5th

I've marked the day many years in a row, wearing red and marketing heart healthy foods.  When I managed the Healthy Cafe, I got red dress pins for all the staff. One year I made the red dress pins!  My friend Denise, a registered nurse, would come to our dining room and take blood pressures for any customer who chose the service.  Of course, my daily meals, at work and at home, featured heart healthy ingredients.

Yesterday I traveled to Charleston to visit the Chef at the Capital Food Court who graciously works with the West Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on our day at the legislature.  That day-we call it Eatright WV Day-is February 17th.  Chef Jeremy Lucas has planned a heart healthy meal to support our cause. His platter includes Chicken Sante Fe, Black Beans & Corn and Mexican (Brown) Rice.

I visited with my old friend Evelyn, another "Scrappy" RD.  Evelyn and I worked together in the 1980s, as traveling consultants with the Child Nutrition Programs.  We had so much fun, I forgot to take a picture.  This is an old picture of Evelyn from the early 2000s:

I did wear red yesterday, and when I returned home, a made a one pan meal with seafood, beans, sprouts, vegetables and a citrus vinaigrette all baked together to create a delicious combination.  Because I was late getting started, I microwave the dish slightly in between baking in the toaster oven, to heat the food more quickly. This morning, I enjoyed the leftovers as a salad platter:

Blood Orange, Flounder & Sprouts

(Serves 3)

Sprinkle fish fillets with no salt herb seasoning.  Pour lime juice, oil and vinegar over.

2-4 ounce flounder fillets

1/2 teaspoon Caribbee herb pepper seasoning (no salt) 

1/2 lime, juiced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Grease baking dish with an olive spray.  Place half of vegetables on the bottom of the pan.  Top with fish fillets.  Add other half of vegetables to the top along with the juice-oil-vinaigrette.  Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes or until internal temperature is 150 F.

1/4 cup fennel, diced

3/4 small zucchini, quartered and sliced

1 small yellow squash, quartered and sliced

1/3 cup cannelloni beans, cooked

2 tablespoon shallots, diced

1/2 cup mung beans, sprouted

1 blood orange, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved