A few weeks ago, I got a nice email from the folks at Rushing Waters Fisheries in Wisconsin asking if I’d be interested in trying some of their smoked fish. I was hesitant at first, because I usually try to avoid farm-raised seafood, when possible. But after doing some research I found out that while Rushing Waters is a salmon and trout farm, they use all natural and organic farming practices and truly care about the fish they raise and the end product.  They actually still harvest each and every fish by hand! Something almost completely unheard of in today’s fish farming industry. After learning of their responsible practices, I signed on to review their products.

I was incredibly impressed with the quality, flavor and variety of the products they provided. I’m a big fan of smoked fish and this stuff was no exception! It was just as good as my sister’s world-famous smoked salmon that she makes for us every Christmas. And that’s saying a lot!

Rushing Waters sent me a ton of fish and while I’m a big fan of just simply having some smoked salmon on crackers, I knew I needed some fun recipes to divvy out the haul. The first of those dishes is this smoked salmon carbonara. I took my classic spaghetti alla carbonara recipe, cleaned it up and added some flavorful, flaky salmon. The end result is guilt-free comfort food at it’s best. I’m sure you guys are sick of hearing about how good salmon is for you, but let me give you just a little reminder. Salmon is packed with lean protein and omega-3 fatty acid, which helps keep your brain, eyes and heart all in tip-top condition. The American Heart Association recommends we get two to three servings of oily fish like salmon a week. This recipe will help you reach that mark.

Oh! And I forgot to mention, it comes together in like 2.2 seconds 10 minutes. Perfect for a weeknight dinner. Now this is some fast food I can get behind.

Want to win some goodies from Rushing Waters for yourself? I’ve got the hookup! They’ve offered to give away a sampler pack to one lucky fish-lovin’ BTHR reader. If you win, you’ll receive five-eight ounce fillets of their line of salmon and trout flavors. The lemon-dill is my favorite!

Can’t wait to try out Rushing Waters’s products? You can purchase them at Roundy’s Supermarkets and Whole Foods in the South and Midwest.

Now let’s win some fish!

giveaway rules, regs and how to enter:

• This contest is open to U.S. residents age 18 or over only.
• There will be one winner of the Rushing Waters sampler pack.
• To enter: leave a comment here telling me what you’d do with all that delicious smoked fish. Help a girl out! Links to recipes would be greatly appreciated.
• Entries close on January 31, 2012.

official rules and legalese:

To enter you must be 18 or older and a valid U.S. Resident. Winner will be chosen by random drawing from the pool of comments on this post. To be considered for the prize, you must provide a valid email address. Once a winner is notified and verified, Rushing Waters will be provided with the contact information of the winner and they will be responsible for  prize fulfillment. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. To enter, leave a comment on this post stating what you’d do with the prize if you won. No purchase necessary to win. Entries will close on January 31, 2012 at noon (EST). The winner will be contacted by email on or before February 2, 2012. If the winner does not claim the prize within seven days, the original winner forfeits the prize and a second random entry will be chosen from the pool. This contest is sponsored by Rushing Waters Fisheries of Wisconsin and is void where prohibited by law.

disclosure:

In exchange for this blog post, as well as posting this giveaway, I was compensated with one sampler pack and two tubs of spread. My review of the product was not biased or influenced in any way by this compensation.

Good luck!

I kinda have a love/hate relationship with gradual change.

In the last three years, I’ve lost a lot of weight. I’ve kept it off through some very discouraging times. I’ve gone from the girl who used to pray that the XXL would fit to a girl who can usually fit into a medium. I’ve gone from the girl who struggled to walk a mile to a girl who can run 10 miles without being sore the next day.

I’ve come a long way, friends. When I started my journey to health, though, I didn’t think it would take this long. I guess that’s the hate part of my relationship with gradual change. These changes didn’t happen overnight. I would never be the person on the infomercial who proudly lost a huge amount of weight in a small amount of time. I have lost 65 pounds in three years. Just like when I run, I am slow and steady. When I look back at pictures from 3 years ago, I look so incredibly different. But from 6 months ago or even a year ago? The Krissie that looks back at me looks very similar.

Sometimes this bothers me. Sometimes I want to be the person who loses 2 pounds a week. Sometimes I just want to get this weight off once and for all. Sometimes I think I would just give in to some crazy fad diet just so my Wii stops yelling “that’s OBESE” whenever I step on. But that’s not me.

Because even though gradual change in my body is frustrating, gradual changes in my behavior have been the key to my success. Three years ago, I started making small steps toward being healthy. And as I became accustomed to my new habits, I wanted to see what else was out there, how much farther I could go. I kept looking for the next step. The more good choices I made, the more they snowballed. And the less they felt like punishment or restrictions. My healthy choices became who I am.

Three years ago, I didn’t set out to eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I just wanted to cut out most fast food. But then I stopped eating all fast food (except Chick-Fil-A – long story). And then I stopped eating most processed food. We drastically reduced how often we ate out anywhere. And then I stopped eating meat unless I knew how it was treated. And then I wanted to make as much of our food as possible just to see if I could. My health choices have been a gradual progression, and I’m sure I haven’t stopped growing. I don’t know that I could ever become 100% vegetarian – this girl loves her sushi – but I’m willing to get really really close. I do think about making more of our dairy products, learning how to can, and figuring out how to make (and store) our on-the-run foods.

Three years ago, I didn’t set out to run a marathon. I wanted to run a 5K someday. I started walking on a regular basis. Then I started training for a 5K. That was a horrible, discouraging, incredibly fulfilling experience. Then I trained for a 10K. And then a half-marathon. And then a few trail races and 5 more half-marathons. Now I’m smack-dab in the middle of training for the Flying Pig Marathon. How crazy is that? Three years ago, I struggled to run for 60 seconds. And in 3 months, I’m going to run 26.2 miles. Twenty-six point two. I have no doubt in my mind that I can do it. I don’t know how long it will take me. I don’t even have a time in mind, and I’m okay with that. My goal is to cross the finish line in a run, with a smile and the desire to keep running.

I am really trying to use that type of thinking with my weight loss journey too. I don’t want to be thin, but I would like to be thinner. I know I am healthy, but I can be healthier. I would like for there to be less weight on my knees. I’d like for the scale to tell me that I’m “normal.” I want to feel comfortable in my skin for the first time in my life. And, honestly? There’s a part of me that is vain and just wants to know what it feels like to wear an article of clothing that is less than a 10.

And I’ll get there. Eventually. I am trying to do less projecting, to think less about what I should be losing, what I could weigh in 6 months, or when I will get to a certain weight. I am trying to recognize and appreciate gradual change. I am trying to remember that I never dreamed that I could live the life I have today, that I would have the health I have today, and that it would feel happy, normal and not at all restrictive. I don’t know when I’ll get smaller or how small I’ll get, but I know I’m not done.

Just like running, weight loss it isn’t about how fast I get there. It isn’t about who gets there faster and who I leave in the dust. It is about being steady, being happy, and being thankful. It is about finishing with a smile and a desire to keep on going.

Do you prefer the quick fix or gradual change?

Raise your hand if you don’t like pancakes.

I really hope none of you raised your hand. I mean seriously, who doesn’t like pancakes? While absolutely delicious, pancakes can be a bit of a health nightmare. Sure you can doctor them up with whole grains to make them a bit better for you, but the whole point of pancakes is to cover them in sugar, sugar and more sugar. After a nice stack of flapjacks, you might feel full, but you are full of simple carbs, which don’t fuel you for long and certainly aren’t balanced. To turn pancakes into a balanced breakfast, this standard needs the sugar levels to drop and the healthy fats and protein numbers to skyrocket. Enter these pancakes…

The cakes themselves are made with whole grains, egg whites, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. The egg whites, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are barely noticeable after cooking, but add in a nice bit of healthy fat and protein. These pancakes are big, fluffy and everything I love about Sunday morning breakfast. Not a fan of thick pancakes? Check out my recipe for Johnston Finnish Pancakes. Those’ll satisfy the folks on the thin side of the pancake fence. Although, I have to say, these pancakes may have even converted the thin pancake lover in our house (*coughBabyfacecough*).

I chose to top my pancakes with a simple mix mixed-berry syrup that I thickened up using chia seeds. I know chia seeds are still a bit out there for most folks, but if you can find them, get them! Chia seeds have almost no flavor but add an awesome amount of healthy fats to everything they’re in. Plus, in this case, they play the part of syrup thickener. No need for the full cup of sugar most fruit syrup recipes call for.

Thin pancakes or thick ones?

I’m bitter about the Super Bowl.

You see, it was supposed to be our year. As a Colts fan and Indiana resident, this was supposed to be our Super Bowl. When Indianapolis was announced as the Super Bowl city for 2012, us Colts fans had all these fantastically ideal pictures of a home game Super Bowl. Lucas Oil Stadium packed to the gills with fan decked out head-to-toe in blue and screaming at the top of their lungs. Our beloved Peyton throwing touchdown pass after touchdown pass. Streets filled with celebratory Hoosiers. As soon as it was announced, I turned to Babyface and said, “We are going to that game. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

And then this happened. And we ended the season 2-14. Didn’t even come close to making the playoffs (for uh, the first time in 10 years). I guess it is the Football Gods’ way of balancing out the game. Because a Peyton Manning-led Colts in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis just wouldn’t have been fair. Sigh.

So, I’m bitter and obviously, not nearly as excited. But at least now, instead of being stressed about the game, I can focus on the second most important part of the Super Bowl—the food. Here are a few of the healthier foods from around the internet I’m thinking about make for our Super Bowl wake party (I also threw in a few of my game-friendly dishes).

Oh, and because a Manning is better than no Manning….GOOOOOOOO GIANTS!

Oven-Fried Ravioli

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Jalepeno Cheddar Hummus

Sour Cream, Chive & Bacon Kale Chips

Honey Bourbon Pulled Chicken

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Lighter Mexican Layer Dip

Twice-Baked Bar Nuts

Spicy Vegetable and Gouda Stromboli

Butternut Squash Ooo-ee Goo-ee Brownies

Salsamole

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Caprese Sticks

Beer-Boiled Peel and Eat Shrimp

Baked Coconut Chicken Strips

P.S. Want to make game day truly healthy? Skip the halftime show (really, Madonna? Blech.) and go out for a nighttime stroll. Most folks will be indoors watching the game so it should be a nice, calm and relaxing walk around the neighborhood. If you aren’t keen on walking in the dark, avoid watching the 6 hours of pre-game coverage and set up your own touch football game before kick-off. You’ll work up an appetite for all the yumminess to come!

Alright, what’s the verdict? Pats, Giants, just in it for the commercials, or really don’t give two hoots?

I’ll never EVER cheer for the Pats. Us Colts fans have a special package of rage just for the Patriots. Don’t expect Indy to be a friendly place for you on game day, New Englanders. Colts fan for life. Giants fan for two weeks.

Started off the morning with a cuppa peach detox tea with a splash of lemon juice, while sitting next to the roaring fire light therapy box. I’ve actually grown quite fond of my morning light therapy. There’s something very nice about having to sit down in front of a box of glowing light for 30 minutes every morning. I get to sip my tea, get in my daily dose of smile light and browse Pinterest. It’s not a bad way to start off the day. I also liked today’s tea wisdom. I wish more folks learned to be better listeners.

Breakfast was of the smoothie variety. Pomegranate juice, clementines, mixed berries and a hefty dose of shelled hemp seeds for a protein kick. Plus coconut milk yogurt on the side. Absolutely in love with this stuff. Since we are cutting back on animal products in the new year, I’ve really been missing yogurt (soy yogurt is not an option since I try to limit soy thanks to a family history of estrogren-aggressive breast cancer). But I was happy to find coconut milk yogurt at our local supermarket. Yum and yum!

Worked away from my desk most of the day (love it when that happens). Munched on some trail mix and a cup of applesauce for a mid-morning snack while deep in the midst of a website brainstorm.

Lunch was in the exact same place. Still brainstorm-y. Vegan minestrone, slice of bread and a clementine. I only ate about half of the minestrone. Thanks to the uptick of fruits and veggies recently, I’ve developed some nasty canker sores. The acidic tomato-based minestrone was not playing nice with my mouth, but interestingly enough, the clementine went down fine. My body is so weird sometimes.

First afternoon snack was a bunch of cherries, some crackers and a little bit of lemon-dill smoked salmon. I got an awesome smoked fish sampler from a responsible fisherie and I love the product! Stay tuned for more info, a recipe and maybe, just maybe, a giveaway.

Oh, and yes, that’s definitely a dorky, nerdy pillow in the background. What of it?

Once home, I did a little pre-workout fueling thanks to two coconut-peanut butter-oatmeal-macadamic nut cookies made by the handsome and talented Babyface. Cookies, for the win!

Post sweat-session, I slaved over the microwave and heated up some leftover chicken and waffles. And then finished up the day of eats with a small bowl of chocolate chips.

Oh! And because folks tend to ask:

• Fingers: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Wet Cement with Sally Girl Mini in Chunky Silver Glitter
• Toes: NYC Long Wear in Empire State Blue
• Both topped with my favorite topcoat, Seche Vite

What was the best thing you ate yesterday?

The cookies! Obviously. Although the smoked salmon takes a close second.

It’s been a little while since I’ve shared a dessert recipe with you guys. Honestly, I’ve been struggling a bit in the dessert department. As we’ve been trying to clean up our eating in the new year, we’ve had lots of success with overhauling the contents of most of our meals, but sweets are causing some hiccups. We’ve been eating a lot of banana soft serve and tofu chocolate mousse while waiting for inspiration to strike. Which isn’t a bad thing, but we’re definitely ready to move onto something new.

When it comes to new-to-me clean-eating desserts, I have a few requirements:

• low or no added sugar
• if sugar is added, it’s a minimally-processed, natural product (honey, maple syrup, etc.)
• no chocolate (we think Babyface might have an intolerance to chocolate, say it ain’t so!)
• easy and, preferably, quick enough for a weeknight

This wholesome and rustic crumble passes all the requirements with flying, deeply purple colors. For bonus points, this dish has a low number of ingredients and chances are, you already have many of them in the kitchen. We almost always have frozen berries on hand. They are super economical, retain their flavor and nutritional value, and are great in smoothies, on pancakes (stay tuned for an awesome pancake and mixed berry syrup recipe next week) and perfect for healthy sweet treats like this crumble. If you are lucky enough to be in a place that has wild or fresh blueberries readily available and in season, feel free to sub those in. I’ll pretend I’m not totally jealous.

The crispy “crust” of this dessert is made with just a sprinkling of your favorite granola. You can make your own or use store-bought, but if you do pick it up off the store shelves, make sure you look for granola that is low in sugar and fat. Some granolas out there have as much sugar as Lucky Charms! And as delicious as the clovers and blue moons are, they are not clean eats.

What’s your favorite clean eating dessert?

2. My dog has a dog bed. No, literally. My dog has a bed that’s a dog. It’s obnoxiously adorable. Although sometimes I think the dog-bed-dog looks like he’s pissed at me.

3. I actually miss training for long-distance running races. Not because I want to run, exactly, but because I want some sort of big end goal to motivate me. Other possible big once-in-a-lifetime fitness-y goals are in the works. This is one of them. And this is another. File both under #6.

4. Babyface and I have our own language. If you were a fly on the wall of our house, you’d probably think we were either (a) having simultaneous strokes or (b) not fluent in English. The best part? Puppyface knows our language, too. I can’t wait until we get farther in dog training and we have to tell our trainer that to Puppyface, wakka-wakka means “go for a walk”. Please tell me we aren’t the only couple that does this…

5. I spent 99% of my time this weekend in my jammies and on the couch. It was amazing. And thanks to the invention of laptops, I still managed to get a lot of work done. Win. Win.

Do you have any confessions to share?

When I told Babyface that we were having chicken and waffles for dinner on Saturday, he turned to me and said, “Wait. That’s a real thing? Like with real waffles?” Canada and the States have a lot of cultural similarities, but chicken and waffles are a concept uniquely American. But once he took a bite, my favorite Canadian was happy to be turned onto this American dish. It was love at first creamy, flavorful bite.

There are a few different variations on the chicken and waffles theme. Most typically, when you hear someone talk about “chicken and waffles” they mean fried chicken and waffles, which I’ve never actually had, but as with all things fried chicken, I’m assuming it’s delicious. There is also a lesser known version that pairs the waffle with a creamy, chicken gravy. The crispy, fluffy waffle is an amazing partner to the smooth, creamy gravy. To clean this standard up a bit, I added a ton of veggies, made a creamy gravy out of lowfat milk, and used my favorite whole grain waffle recipe.

Oh, and you veggies, out there, don’t fear! This sucker could very easily made into a vegetarian dish. Just use veggie broth instead of chicken and leave out the chopped chicken. The flavor will be nearly identical, but you’ll have to come up with a new name for it, obviously.

Have you ever had chicken and waffles before (either version)?

Wrong. I mean, if I got pulled over for speeding and got a ticket, I wouldn’t say “screw it!” and then go on a crime rampage, would I? So why was I applying that philosophy to my health?

I think the moment I “got healthy” was when I realized that true health came from forgiveness. There is nothing at all healthy about the all-or-nothing philosophy. We’re not perfect, and the expectation that we are going to fit into a perfect set of health guidelines is simply absurd. Life is full of bad days, low willpower and stress, and if we don’t plan for those, we’re of course going to fail.

Part of forgiving myself was realizing that, as a human being, I ebb and flow in all areas of my life. Sometimes I’m a rockstar at my job. Sometimes I’m terrible. Sometimes I’m the best wife on the planet. Sometimes…not so much. And sometimes, my health and wellness motivation is sky-high and sometimes it isn’t. This is what I call the motivation curve. And it’s totally normal and healthy. It doesn’t mean I’m weak or not dedicated, it just means I’m human and realistic.

It’s basically understanding that there is a bigger picture. Bigger than a missed workout or an extra cupcake. The motivation curve is the sum of all the decisions made over an extended period of time and is constantly moving and changing. Sometimes I’ll have lots of motivation and you’ll see me at the gym twice a day for weeks on end. Sometimes I can’t find a drop of motivation and you couldn’t pay me enough to start sweating. Neither of those worry me. Because the motivation curve always balances itself out overtime. Would it be awesome if I was 100% dedicated 100% of the time? Of course! But that’s certainly not my nature, and I don’t think it’s the nature of most of us, either.

So whenever I find myself in a motivation lull (like, uh, right now) I try not to worry about it so much. Because in the end, the motivation curve will balance it all out. Just as long as I’m aware of where I am, I’m fine. I’m aware that I’m currently in one of deep low points of my motivation curve, but I’m also aware that it’s not permanent, and I wont lose my vigilance.

I might not be all that motivated right now, but I find myself in a much healthier space than I was a few years ago. I’ll pick the go-with-the-flow mentality over the all-or-nothing one any day. I just hope my motivation curve hits an upswing soon.

Are you able to forgive yourself when you have low motivation?

And I realized, I could be doing a lot more to explore this passion.

Writing this blog, and focusing mostly on food and recipes, has given me an amazing group of opportunities related to food. I started writing about my wellness journey as just a way to get out all the emotional yuck that comes along with a major lifestyle change. But over the past 18 months, writing BTHR has unlocked something inside of me that I didn’t know existed. Sure, I was always a foodie. I grew up in a family of foodies. We bonded over shared meals and recipes. I knew I loved creating in the kitchen, but it wasn’t really until I started sharing those creations here that I realized this was something I wanted to make into a gig (and possibly a future career).

When some big companies and publications began to recognize my passion and ask me to work with them, a thought formed in my head that maybe it was possible to live in a world where someone actually paid me to play with food all day. And just the thought of that made a smile creep across my face.

So back to that lightbulb moment, I’m not sure why it took me so long to make the jump from a career in food to necessary education, but one day a few months ago a thought popped into my head: culinary school. I started to research the possibilities and suddenly got incredibly excited about the prospect of getting professionally trained in my hobby. I was nervous to tell Babyface because it would be a big life change, but the second I mentioned it, he turned to me and said, “I absolutely love the idea of you in culinary school. I can’t imagine anything that’d make you happier.” And that was that.

I’m going to culinary school!

After a lot of discussion about the best program, I chose to attend Ivy Tech Community College. The price was right, the proximity was right (I can literally see the campus from my back door) and I’d heard amazing things about the program from graduates, especially because Ivy Tech focuses on the non-traditional college student (read: me). There are a ton of great resources for students who work full-time, having families and haven’t been in school in a while. I’m excited to get the most out of my program, and I think my family and I can both thrive during my program at Ivy Tech (without going into debt, woohoo!).

The process will be slow—I’m going part-time so I can keep my awesome day job—but I’m giddy with excitement to get in the classroom and kitchen and learn proper techniques and training. I’m also looking forward to the doors that having a culinary arts degree will open for me. I don’t think I want to be a restaurant chef (although, interning in a working restaurant kitchen is part of the final semester), but I do want to be an authority on all things food for BTHR and any future opportunities I get. Ultimately, I’d love to be a professional recipe developer, creating flavorful dishes for major brands and publications and maybe even write a cookbook! But that’s probably a bit down the road. I’ll focus on my training first and enjoy every second of learning about my passion.

I started classes last week. I’m beginning my program with two primer classes on nutrition (fun) and food safety (not so fun, but important). Speaking of nutrition, the program I chose is a classic culinary arts tract. Which means it’s full of a lot of butter, meats and flavorful yumminess. Eventually, I’d like to find a certificate program—there is a great one through Cornell—that gives me more education about real-food nutrition. I’m not interested in going the traditional registered dietician path (I don’t agree with the concept of nutritionism, and that is mostly what is taught in today’s RD programs), but I am interested in learning more about how to fuel our bodies properly.

I’d by lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to go back to school. I took one graduate class in 2009 and it about killed me, but before that, I hadn’t been in school since 2005. It’ll definitely be an adjustment fitting in school, work, freelance projects, BTHR, family and, you know, the ever important episode binges of The Vampire Diaries. But I tend to thrive when I’m busy, so hopefully this will end up with me thriving. One thing that will be changing (and you may have noticed it already) is that my posting schedule will adjust for BTHR. Instead of my normal 12 posts a week, I’ll probably be knocking down to around eight a week, without any posts on the weekends. The weekends are pretty dead here on the blog anyway, and it’s a great time to catch up on homework and spend time with my favorite ‘faces. I hope that the content on BTHR will remain strong. And definitely expect a constant update on what I’m learning and doing in my program.

Thank you all so much for supporting me and giving me the confidence to pursue this. Without your encouragement, it would have never even occurred to me that a career in food was possible. Thank you, from the bottom of my food-loving heart. <3 I hope you’ll stick around to hear about my adventures in culinary school!

Have you ever thought about going to culinary school?