Why is that place always so busy? Sure, the location is great. The name is fun. But who would wait in such a long line for tacos? In Los Angeles, I get it, but New Orleans? Maybe the lack of great tacos has made this place royalty. We always wanted to try Barracuda Tacos but refused to wait in that line. Fortunately, they opened another location on our side of the river! So, naturally, we ate almost everything there.
The most consumed primary protein source in our home is probably seafood. We eat a lot of tuna. Salmon is also one of our go-to meals. Canned mackerel, sardines and even anchovies are staples in our pantry. You might even find a variety of frozen, wild caught fish in our freezer… in case of emergencies. (For anyone wondering, Morningstar, Tofurkey, Beyond Meat and other “fake meat” products are our second most common primary protein source.) We eat fish because it is, in our opinions, more humane and sustainable than consuming other animals such as cows, pigs and chickens. It can also be healthier, if done properly. Even though I am not a vegetarian, I was a pescatarian for nearly a year when we lived in Boulder. If you manage your macronutrient and overall caloric intake properly, and supplement micronutrients such as vitamins/minerals properly, you can most likely live a healthy lifestyle without certain sources of protein.
Fish oil is one of the things that you should always take as a supplement due to the many benefits that it has on your body. Whether you want to improve your optimal health or build muscles, fish oil is always a recommendation. Fish oil is a kind of fatty acid that is taken from the tissues of fish that are oily. It is known to contain the Omega 3 fatty acids that are very important for the body. In this article, we shall discuss some of the benefits that come with fish oil supplements.
Here are 5 benefits of taking fish oil supplements:
If you’ve been anywhere near Fit’s social media recently, you’ve noticed she got an Instant Pot for her birthday! She is equally terrified and excited by it. An Instant Pot is basically a pressure cooker. For example, it typically takes 30-50 minutes to cook rice in a traditional rice cooker. With the Instant Pot, it takes four minutes. FOUR MINUTES. WHAT. Yeah. Very exciting. But also terrifying because…explosions. As long as you follow directions, you’ll be fine! So Fit’s been experimenting with it for a bit, and trying different recipes. Using Instant Pot’s included recipe booklet (recipe by Laura Pazzaglia), she made a scrumptious fish curry! I had already made brown rice before and wanted something healthy and flavorful to go with it. What better than wild caught white fish? This curry has a coconut milk base with different flavors like bay leaves and tomatoes to freshen it up.
Remember, with an Instant Pot, follow the directions!
We’re not Hawaiian, but as you’ve seen on the blog, we’ve spent some time there and Hungry is a huge fan of Hawaiian food. Why? The answer is simple. Hawaiian food screams love and spreads the aloha spirit. Hawaiian food embraces the mana of the islands, from the mighty volcanoes to the powerful yet serene oceans. Every time you grab a plate of loco moco from the local family restaurant, or a pile of pancakes covered in lilikoi and macadamia nuts from the town’s diner, you want to throw up the shaka as you walk out the door. There is just something magical about the Hawaiian culture because of the loving people that you’ll find there.
To watch the video on our YouTube page, click HERE!
We’ve always loved Hawaiian food; from the fresh acidity and presence of tons of fish in poke to the carb-heavy and gravy laden comfort dishes like loco moco, Hawaiian food is diverse and delicious. While we have tasted Hawaiian cuisine throughout the US, we knew our familiarity was lacking without a trip to Hawaii, so we went on an adventure to the big island.
Hungry’s homemade loco moco and poke were always good, but after learning a few secrets in Hawaii, the recipes are complete. If you know us, you know we love sharing food, so here is Hungry’s recipe for poke. Actually, here is a real-life video of Chris preparing poke at home. It doesn’t get much realer than that, other than being there with him!
(Yes, but be careful.)
That sounds weird. Should I eat fish skin? Fortunately, it’s a relatively simple question to answer. You just need to ask yourself a few questions when that fish skin is sitting in front of you. Unfortunately, answering those questions can be quite a challenge. (I got your hopes up, didn’t I?)
(The skin is naturally good for you if it isn’t contaminated.)
All of my friends know that I love Asian cultures, but when I went to school in South Korea I was exposed to tons of cultural quirks that I never learned about before. One time I was eating dinner in Seoul with some of my students (seems wrong, right?) and they teased me when I left the skin from my mackerel on my plate. They told me that all of the old women would always fight over the skin because it was the best part of the fish. I thought of the protein content of the meat, but they didn’t care about that.
(It is an amazing source of omega fatty acids so don’t waste it!)
It was amazing to get the feeling that the mackerel skin (or any other fish rich in omegas) was as valuable as gold or jewels. After thinking it over and not being one to waste food, I decided that I would always eat my fish skin and everyone else’s fish skin for that matter! Be cautious because even though the skin of just about any fish (especially those served in restaurants and available at fish markets) have amazing health benefits in an ideal world, the contaminants and pollutants in a lot of the heavily fished oceans/fish farms in the world, can present unwelcome health risks. In many cases, the risk outweighs the reward.
(The contaminants and pollutants don’t always make it to your mouth but know they were often there!)
You can avoid this by buying fish responsibly. Due to Alana’s eating habits, we always ask our food servers if they know the source of their fish. This usually isn’t a problem at fish markets,where they tell you if the fish is farmed or wild caught, and where its point of origin is. Once you find a respectable fish market and do the proper research, you don’t have to do it again… just get what you know!
I hope this didn’t confuse you too much and led you in the right direction. It’s not like chicken where there are almost no health benefits unless you’re looking for more fat and calories. So the final answer is yes–eat the skin–but be careful and do your research! As always, stay hungry and fit!
BONUS PUPPY PIC
Being fanatics of Japanese food, Chris and I are always looking for new and yummy places. We have high standards for fish, we both come from coastal cities, so don’t blame us! One day at work, my boss took me out to Sushi Hana in Longmont (where I work…about 15 miles from Boulder) for a lunch meeting to get some work done. It’s this little place that would be extremely easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. Luckily, I wasn’t driving.
We get seated immediately, after all we were there just around 11am–an early lunch. We get a hot pot of green tea to share which was perfect for a sunless, cold day. After much mulling over the lunch menu, I decide for a “sushi box” which is basically a bento box, but with sushi instead of tempura or a teriyaki dish. Overall, the fish was good (I got tuna) and the meal as a whole was very enjoyable. I got a lot of food for just $11. There was a maki roll on top of that, pork dumplings (didn’t eat), big thing of delicious rice, salad, soup, and an orange. Like I’m saying, ridiculous amount of food. The atmosphere is delightful: quiet, cultural, and peaceful. We stayed there for a while after we finished our food, and the polite, friendly server continued to fill our green tea cups. I left very full.
My delicious lunch
Usually when we do reviews, it’s of places Chris and I have both gone to. So what did that mean? After work, one Friday, I take him to Sushi Hana. This is a good sign–means I like the place enough to go back! Similar to the last experience, we were seated right away. I took the initiative to get us some green tea. This time, I ordered the salmon teriyaki box and Chris ordered the una-don (eel over rice). The salmon was cooked very well, and again, I couldn’t finish all my food (good thing I had Hungry with me). I also got the tuna-avocado maki roll which was really delicious and I preferred it without the soy sauce, another good sign. Chris said the una-don was good, but a little small. Good thing he had to finish mine!
Aaand the salmon teriyaki
Overall, Sushi Hana is a good spot, at least for lunch. It isn’t our favorite (see Kho’s or Korea House), but is definitely on our good list. If you’re in Longmont, hit up this spot for a great lunch special! Eat Japanese food to stay hungry and fit!
BONUS KITTY PIC
What I wish my every day was
La Vecchia has always been a “treat” or “very special occasion” for my family and I. Most of you know I grew up in Santa Monica, California, and that’s where this gem is located. Whether it was birthday dinner, graduation dinner, or someone special from out of town visiting. I always have fond memories of being so excited and sitting in the restaurant devouring their delicious warm perfectly-cooked bread. It’s my mum’s favorite Italian place in town.
On this day, our last day in town during Memorial Day Weekend, my mum wanted to take us somewhere special for lunch before our flight. She would take no refusal on HER paying for lunch and she decided on La Vecchia’s. So we went RIGHT at opening–11am. It was hard to even get in because tree cutters were blocking the entrance. Finally, we got seated (first ones in so we knew everything was going to be OH SO FRESH). Chris didn’t know what he was in for but I was so excited, basically drooling for what was to come. The waiter came right up to us and gave us water and…yes, you know it, BREAD. And their amazing dipping sauce. I was in heaven.
Each slice was as warm, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside as ever. Just as good as I remembered it. And that garlic-basil-olive oil dipping sauce is out of this world. Basic ingredients, but they do it right. Now another food I always remember from La Vecchia is the fried calamari. My mum really wanted to treat us so we got the calamari and a tuna salad. The calamari was just as good as I remember and the tuna was fresh. Awesome appetizers.
Calamari
When I was little, I would always always always order the angelhair pasta. It was the only pasta I would eat from here. With olive oil and garlic. Mmm! However, I wasn’t in the mood for that today and actually had a really tough time deciding. Eventually I landed with the margherita pizza which I of course could not finish. My mum got fish and roasted vegetables and Chris got spaghetti and meatballs (classic Italian dish–he always has to go for this or chicken parm to try new Italian places out).
My pizza
Spaghetti and meatball
Close-up!
Overall, we were very happy with each of our dishes. The veggies were roasted to perfection for my mum and the fish was seasoned beautifully yet subtly. The pizza had a nice thin, crisp crust and the cheese wasn’t overwhelming. Great balance of flavors. Chris really enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs because it was fresh, the flavors were wonderful, the tomato sauce wasn’t too heavy, and the pasta was cooked just right. The only tragic thing about this meal was that we couldn’t eat our leftovers since we were going on the plane! I’m still regretting that. If you’re in Santa Monica, stop by La Vecchia on Main St. for a bite to remember and a great way to stay hungry and fit!
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BONUS KITTY PIC
The only way of seeing Nymeria in pictures at night is with the flash on
I say healthier because fried fish and chips are to some degree “unhealthy” due to the oil. However, I did not use as much oil as calls for in most recipes and I did not beer-batter the fish or the fries either. So you don’t have to feel too bad eating this, it’s good fresh fish, with a light crust, and sweet potato fries instead of regular potatoes.
DELICIOUS
You may be surprised to hear that growing up (in Southern California, no less), I didn’t like seafood. With the exception of fried calamari, but what kid doesn’t like that. The only real fish I would eat were fish & chips from Jack n the Box. It was mum and I’s go-to quick meal if it were just the two of us. And not only was that the only fish I would eat, but the only way I would eat them is literally to put them in a pool of malted vinegar. I am not exaggerating, my family can testify–a pool. Completely saturated. And I would eat it. Jeez, looking back, I wonder how much malted vinegar we went through because of me.
Anyways, now that I’m a weirdatarian (only eat hunted or wild caught meat/fish), I eat lots of fish now because it’s much more common to get wild caught fish than hunted game in a restaurant or the grocery. So here I am, cooking up some wild cod and sweet potato fries for dinner. I got the recipe from this lovely blog and altered it to fit me. Instead of tartar sauce, we used ketchup and salsa (yes, we’re strange).
Ingredients
Directions
Ready to be cooked
Lay out the fries. Pick up your fish and place it in the hot oil. This only takes 4 minutes. You want to turn the fish as each side gets browned.And that’s it! We had a beautiful salad (that Chris made) with spinach, red cabbage, carrots, feta, and more to go with the fish and chips. The longest part about this process is cutting the sweet potato and even that doesn’t take long. So grab some fresh-caught fish and fry it up! Enjoy!
DELICIOUS
Salad
BONUS KITTY PIC
Sajah ninja-attack
