Mista Dale's Gourmet Mustard Slaw

After Tennessee's late but fairly brief stint at winter, spring is in the air!!  We have finally turned off the heat, and when we had people over a couple nights ago, we opened the windows to a breezy evening with only the slightest chill; it was fantastic.

tuna cakes w/ jalapeno mustard slaw

With nice weather comes one of my all time favorite activities, cooking out!  So I thought I would take a moment to share my newest condiment craze:  Mista Dale's Gourmet Mustard Slaw.  I met Dale and his wife at work while they were demo-ing their mustard slaw.  Not only are they some of the nicest people you will ever meet, they have a unique and delicious product that is incredibly versatile.  Obviously great on hot dogs, it is also wonderful on chicken sandwiches, with fried shrimp, and our most recent use of it, on tuna cakes.  It is slightly sweet, tangy, and had a gentle cabbage crunch that sings for summer barbecues!  Surprise, surprise, I like the spicy.  Even better is the jalapeno, but this variety seems elusive and is not always available.

Created right here in Nashville, I am lucky that I can buy this stuff at area Krogers.  But if you do not have a Kroger near you, or your local Kroger hasn't fully stocked their shelves with jars, you are in luck!  You can order Mista Dale's mustard slaw from the website!  Follow them on Facebook to find out where they will be demo-ing next and for great ideas.

Pre-Tournament Menu

Tomorrow the hubs has a Brazilian jiu jitsu tournament.  He registered for the 195 division (that is with the gi on).  That meant we needed to really watch what we at this past week.  He only needed to loose a couple of pounds which is no biggie, but if you weigh in over weight you don't get to compete at all.

So, to make sure everything was good and under control, we took a few easy steps:
1.  Limit carbohydrates.  I don't believe in cutting them out completely, and I absolutely do not believe in the no grain fad running amuck around here.  We stuck with whole grains like brown rice and quinoa.  Also, decreasing the amount of carb intake throughout the day so you are only eating a little bit at dinner.

2.  As little fat as possible, duh.  The hardest part about this is not always taking into consideration the amount of oil you use to cook things in.  I am guilty of it.  You slap some oil in the pan thinking "It's not like I am going to be eating all the oil".  But if you use more than necessary, your food will absorb extra oil that you don't need.

3.  Lean protein and lots of veggies. Also duh.  Lean protein is a given:  chicken breast, fish, etc.  I threw eggs and tofu into the mix to keep our healthy meals from becoming monotonous.  Yes, vegetables have carbs but I don't even think that counts.  They are nutritiously dense and have fiber which obviously fills you up and keeps you full.

4.  No dairy.  I love dairy and generally will not cut it out of a meal plan.  However, in a situation like this, dairy can quickly add fat and calories that you do not need.   This was not a strict rule for the entire day, I just cut dairy out of dinners.

Ok, so really all of those steps are pretty much common sense and "duh" rules.  But sometimes we all need a little reminder about what is going into our bodies.  So what did we eat this week?

Pre-Tournament Menu

Sunday: 

Seared Salmon w/ a BBQ dry rub, quinoa, quick braised kale w/ caramelized onions and roasted garlic

Monday 

Huevos Salad. It is a quick dinner staple in our house:  huge plate of lettuce, salsa, black beans, avocado, corn, and topped with a couple eggs.  I know it sounds odd, but it is like a taco salad; just with eggs instead of meat.

Tuesday

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore over brown rice w/ salad

Wednesday

Cauliflower Curry (no milk) w/ hard boiled eggs

Thursday

Roasted garlic herb salmon, broccoli, & quinoa w/ artichokes

Friday

Tofu Stirfry over whole grain pasta