Shrimp and grits is one of my favorite Southern dishes. And it’s healthy! It’s a fast meal to prepare and have on the tasty food table too, anytime of day.
Because 5-minute grits cook fast (7-10 minutes on medium-high heat). You can also go for the Old Fashioned version that’s less processed and takes about 15 minutes on higher heat.
Either way, grits are a healthy corn grain and are easy to digest. They are considered good on a low FODMAP diet (like rice).
And you can’t mess up cooking grits. They are dry to begin with, so as long as there’s enough water in the skillet for cooking, you’re good to go! And even if you run low on water, you can revive your grits easier than say rice.
And you can even microwave grits without worry about texture consistency.
And shrimp and grits is a dish you can get your flavor and spices in. Grits are a great base because grits are mildly tasteless.
So, Old Bay spice blend is a great addition with paprika, celery salt and pepper already built-in as some base notes.
I douse Old Bay on anything seafood! It’s a no-brainer for me. 😊
And coriander is a good way to bring in lemony-summery notes, especially if you’re feeling summer nostalgic or your summer flew by and you wanted an endless summer. It’s a good way to preserve the enjoyable feelings.
You can also substitute with lemon pepper if coriander isn’t one you have in your stash.
I also add tarragon on the shrimp for French bistro vibes. And I add either white pepper or a mushroom spice blend for umami tasting vibes. I’m never shy on the flavors.
Tip: Keep in mind if you use spice blends, they usually have salt in them to optimize flavor, so you may not need to add any more salt. And you may have added salt in the grits while cooking.
You can add the Holy Trinity (pepper, onions, and celery) like in Cajun or Creole-style cooking for a healthy trifecta. But if you want to do less chopping and spend less time preparing this meal (like 15 minutes total), you can find diced pimento peppers (sweet) already cut like in this bowl:
If someone handed me a bowl like this and said, “enjoy” or “bless your heart,” I’d be grinning from ear-to-ear saying, “thank you and yes, ma’am.” 😋
And if you like this shrimp and grits bowl idea, you may like a 20-minute paella you can make with lobster or shrimp seafood that’s low in calories and high in protein and Omega-3 anti-inflammatory goodness. 🧡
spices: tarragon, coriander, Old Bay, white pepper
coriander seeds (or lemon pepper)
Old Bay spice blend
fresh onions and peppers
cayenne (optional) for heat
Instructions
Prepare grits. Follow instructions on the package (or 1 cup of dry grits to 4 cups of water).
Add spices in grits. Spices is tasty art work so add the amount you would like.
Cook shrimp separately (or about 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat)
Arrange shrimp ontop of grits. Add more spices and fresh onions and peppers (if adding). If you're serving for others, keep some spices on the side so they can add to their tastes.
Salmon salad is something you can enjoy anytime on bread or by itself. And it can be made deliciously without mayonnaise, in case you’re not a fan. Or if you want to try a different healthy way like this version on an open face toast… toast to that!
And any way you prefer, it’s a great protein snack or meal. Especially for lunch for all ages. As salmon salad is universal and can be eaten anywhere unlike an egg salad (…where I still remember a classmate’s bag lunch).
Cooked salmon has no fish aroma that your companions next to you can detect, (and that can make you feel self-conscious about your lunch).
It also has a more subtle fish taste. So it could be the new tuna salad sandwich… if it isn’t already on your menu!
…This also reminds me of my days as a teen working in a deli where it was all about the scoops. But the scoop wasn’t an ice cream scoop… it was tuna, chicken, or shrimp salad… and served like this salmon salad one on the plate that fits in a 4 oz cup (recipe below 👇).
In the deli, it was served on the side of a bed of lettuce or grapes, or on a sandwich.
And you can smear this salmon salad like butter.
But without butter. I personally like my dinner salmon with a béarnaise sauce, with a French Mediterranean vibe (no butter).
And this version for lunch.
For variety and fresh healthy ways, you can also serve your salmon salad with or without mustard, like Dijon mustard.
And if mustard is what you’re craving, you can substitute the horseradish or add ontop of the salmon salad.
It’s also delicious with crackers, multigrain, rye bread, or sourdough.
And what makes this one different is the lightness. Unlike heavy duty mayo (as in full fat), this version is salad light.
It uses yogurt, so you can hold the mayo. And no eggs.
But you could make an egg salad layer (if you want) for a Smorgastorta effect, or sandwich cake to go with your salmon salad.
That goes hand-in-hand with these 2 Swedish concepts I can get behind:
Fika is a Swedish concept for a coffee break with pastries and while you’re on yours, you can enjoy a Swedish finger sandwich or smorgastorta. This concept is kinda like afternoon English tea or an American brunching on the weekend (one of my fun things to do!).
And a salmon salad is perfect fit for a brunch. It’s light and protein-full. And if you want to give it a building-an-autumn-fire tasting vibe 🍁, you can add fiery orange color turmeric-spice that has ember burning smokey flavors… in case you didn’t know what the turmeric taste is like.
Black pepper and turmeric are a healthy spice combo so it makes sense too.
You can also substitute with Spanish smoked paprika that’s sometimes harder to find. Now that you have some good ideas, maybe it’s time to make your salmon salad sandwich! 🥪 You can make it today and eat tomorrow.
I bake the salmon and then decide!
A good tip is to decide what you will do with the salmon when it is still warm cooked or baked 🐟 . Because it will finely crumble easier when it’s warm and soft.
Drizzled with olive oil and a little salt and pepper, on 350°F/180°C it’s to my baked doneness liking in 3o-40 minutes depending on the fish filet thickness.
You can also cook on the stovetop if that’s your preference. But don’t add too much EVOO if you plan to make it into a salad, as it leaves the salmon more oily. Vs. baking that will dry out and soak in the oil quicker.
But no worries, you can’t go wrong…and all who love salmon will love. 😋
Bloating symptoms from acidic foods are no fun that trigger and bother the gut lining. Following a low FODMAP list of food helps to recover quicker.
It’s a part of living.
And when you feel bloated, that’s not the time to try new foods.
When that happens, restoring the gut with a list of healthy, and selective food choices that will please and soothe the tummy is the fastest remedy.
It’s easy to do when you know what to do and which foods are safe.
And following a low FODMAP diet (at least temporarily) is a good food map to follow.
You can start with simple foods, but that’s generally good for 1-3 days and then you want to get back to some other foods with vitamins and minerals.
When you have bloating flare-up, that can also be a time to do a digestive reset, supporting a healthy eating lifestyle.
The safer foods to eat are mostly all plant-based and anti-inflammatory. 🌱
So a low FODMAP diet can be a reset diet to optimize healthy eating year round.
It helps to lowering gut acidity that can show up as heartburn, upper GI inflammation, or lower bloating abdominal discomfort.
Many of our American or Western world diet foods are higher acidity and can tip the cause to a condition called GERD… that I can attest to feels like amped up heartburn. Like eating tomatoes often is not acidic helpful, even though it’s a healthy food.
…So it’s good to keep a handy list of Low FODMAP foods that won’t 🌱 exacerbate stomach acidity.
Some foods are tricky.
Coffee is one such example. It’s a Low FODMAP healthy ingredient. But theway it’s prepared (like as a regular hot brewed coffee) makes it more acidic.
That’s why daily home cold brew coffee is my safer choice so I don’t have to give up the healthy caffeine starter. Cold brew is easy to make and an easy tweak change from regular coffee. But I still cushion with food like a banana. 🍌
Because I learned from my experiences that coffee alone on an empty stomach can play gut havoc.
Another example is nuts where walnuts and peanuts can be good and okay… that is, assuming you can even eat nuts.
But then other types of nuts, like cashews can be digestive havocs.
There’s no specific, easy rhyme or reason way to remember which foods are better and ones to avoid (other than with a handy list) or from memory recall from your past experiences.
And, I’ve had many adult experiences.
Where even healthy foods and that are good for triggered food bloating gut issues, that didn’t play well with my gut.
It was timing related.
Your gut looks at what else is not digested in the gut or if you have an empty stomach. Those can be sensitive times for the gut, and can cause heartburn symptom triggers.
Or if you eat at a time you don’t normally eat that breaks routine like just before bed. The gut likes a break and then in the morning likes to have an an opener.
Like you waking up, the gut is waking up to a new day.
And with any food going down at the wrong time to the gut, we can feel poked and burdened with the weight of lead after it goes down. It’s always after the chewing part in the gut.
Which is important too, to try and chew your food more to be able to digest foods better.
…Early on, we relied on a B.R.A.T. diet that were simple to digest foods: bananas, rice, apples and toast. It was easy to remember and you didn’t have to break out a list.
It was so short and easy to remember that I also added yogurt on my stomach-friendly list.
Yogurt has probiotics and protein.
And finding the lowest sugar (no added sugar) yogurt option optimizes the good bacteria count.
And the B.R.A.T.Y. (I added the “y”) simple digestive diet still works today.
But these days… NOT ALL SO SIMPLE with all the food choices we have.
So a personal bloating food or Low FODMAP list that works for your palate and body is good to compile, so you can reach for the safe decisions made when needed. You can even set the list in your pantry cupboard for your emergency convenience.
I keep a label on my Five-Spice and this article list as my reference.
Another one that has worked for me that’s a bit controversial is apple cider vinegar that naturally is an acidic ingredient.
But it works for heartburn symptoms. It’s best to mix apple cider vinegar with water.
It’s a passed down tip from those of the past and I was brave enough to give it a try.
In my world, it works. But everyone is different. So it’s always good to test.
How it works…
Apples cider vinegar signals to the stomach to stop producing acid that it does. And if you have heartburn symptoms, if you try, you may even get some burping up trapped gas that’s needed relief. Babies burp a lot. Adults need to too.
Our bodies are all about being counterintuitive mystery curve balls where the best proof is our baby steps and trial-and-error.
That’s how we learn specifics that work in our lives.
We test the apples…
And apple fruit is another one that is low FODMAP food questionable depending on the apple type (for us apples).
I like unsweetened applesauce as it’s like baby food so there’s no issue.
But another tip is do not, not eat. Your stomach will work better with some food.
Most guts aren’t happy on an empty stomach and that delays our happy restoration.
Our guts have been very forgiving… otherwise none of us would be still be on the planet.
Variety in food helps our gut.
And is a good diversifying principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
Eggs, btw, are generally ok too. 🥚
And even if we make a one-time triggered bloating food mistake, we can cushion with foods and ingredients that are generally safe on a low FODMAP list, including:
-bell peppers and most veggies
-avocado
-many fruits (and believe it or not… green bananas are lower FODMAP than soft, ripe ones).
-Yogurt (low-sugar Greek yogurt)
-quinoa, oatmeal, cooked soft rice (e.g. white rice)
Amaranth is one grain I discovered to be super gut-friendly. It has a Cream of Wheat bowl texture… but is gluten-free.
If you’re a sourdough or bread making person, for Low FODMAP you can even add amaranth to your whole grain roll or bread loaf.
And, some other Low FODMAP list adds:
-herbs/spices: fennel (in Five Spice powder), anise, peppermint
-teas: green, black, and some herbal teas (chamomile, chicory root, peppermint).
Peppermint tea is something I always keep in my “food-as-medicine” cabinet. It does wonders for some stomaches and other body aches like headaches. If it’s heartburn you’re experiencing, it will not feel like it’s helping so much and then it’s good to use food variety with the teas in the list above.
I have found peppermint is good for middle (or general) stomach aches and ginger tea is good for upper-stomach pains (e.g. bloating or heartburn) and chicory is good for lower stomach or upper intestine discomfort. But again, test on yourself.
And instead of reaching for candy or sugar sweets, you can chew on an anise star (like licorice) or make a simple applesauce blueberry cobbler.
Eating low FODMAP foods are healthy foods so you can eat them when you’re feeling 100% too. You can also check out a GERD grocery list to help healthy food guide you next time you’re food shopping.
Strawberry banana smoothie is one I can get behind. It’s a great start. And you can freeze it to give it a dramatic melting vibe.
It’s great for a warm afternoon. For frozen smoothies, frozen strawberries are a reliable source. They are a high source of Vitamin C and anti-inflammatory.
But you can also use fresh strawberries that you store-freeze. It goes both ways.
And then unfreeze frozen strawberries for a great smoothie (or even a pie).
For the bananas in the smoothie, you don’t have to wait until they are ripe as soft is texture best. You can use room temperature or freezer bananas (that turn mushy ready for smoothies).
If you’ve never done this, peel or de-skin the banana and add to a freezer safe bag. The bananas will turn a scary-looking brownish black color (and they’re fine!). These are also best for a malt loaf bread with banana or banana walnut bread. So like strawberries you can freeze or buy frozen, you have your bananas ready.
I learned this after I had been using fresh bananas that were too soft to eat by themselves. I like bananas when they are firm and about a day away from their green unripe peel.
And if you’re picky like I am with banana brown spots, if you freeze them you won’t have to deal with them. The entire banana will be brownish.
You can add this to any breakfast or brunch and it will be a hit.
Strawberries are usually in season in mid-spring and early summer and you can find organic strawberries abundance.
That’s when you wan to buy your strawberries and then you can freeze them for later. They will be juicier and even less expensive than frozen organic strawberries. Just a sweet idea. 💭
And to give your strawberry and banana smoothie an elevated taste, add fresh herbs like basil that will bring out the strawberry flavor. And when you add a squeeze of orange juice, this will make this a sweet tasty smoothie.
Blend the ingredients. When you add the herby flavor, it gives a third dimension. Mint will be mildest, basil is middle of the road, and cilantro will the the most pungent. Save Money Tip: you can freeze your fresh organic strawberries when they are in season.
Pour about 3/4 full, leaving a little room for the orange dreamsicle layer.
Summer cool tips are needed during the scorcher months. Our bodies are screaming for cool and hydration. And our minds are looking for adventure and outdoor exploration where excessive heat and humidity causes havoc on our bodies.
I think and feel for the Tour de France cyclists 🚴 who rode in all weather conditions over mountains ⛰️ and uphill Montmartre Paris narrow neighborhood cobblestones that look like these whole wheat peach cobbler cobblestones.
Can you imagine what that would be like? I can’t …and to feel the impact less, below are 12 cooling tips to help soothe the mind and body… plus highlights of past blog post articles with good healthy summer reminders.
For starters, you can enjoy your summer by leaning into Ayurvedic ways like a cool and refreshing bowl that can help drive away heated Pitta season moods. You can easily save money and make your own chocolate ice cream …and not be disappointed that the soft serve machine is broken at the drive thru. 😊
And when you’re packing and getting ready for your hot day, these are 12 good summer cool reminder tips:
1. Keep aloe vera near you. Aloe helps with burns, heat rashes, and to instantly cool your skin. That’s like giving a spa water bath to your body when it’s thirsty for cool relief. Many moisturizers have aloe barbadensis leaf juice ingredients, but I like to go straight to the 100% ingredient source.
2. Bring a water spray bottle that comes in handy. You can hang it to a beach bag or something in case you run out of car cupholders, and so you don’t have to go rummaging for it like a regular water bottle.
3. Start your day with a smoothie, that has chilled ingredients like nut-based milk, bananas, coconut, and berries. Try frozen smoothies. Let them cool you down as they defrost. 🧊
The point is to lower sugar intake and increase fiber and nutrients. For sweetener, try adding maple syrup, honey, or fruits instead of white table sugar. Did you happen to see my blueberry cobbler recipe that has no added sugar?
4. Take cool showers or end on a cool setting for 10-30 seconds. This is can keep you chillin’ down to the bone. 🚿 You can feel cool inside and warm to the touch on the skin. To lock in skin moisture and help stay hydrated cool, moisturize right after showering when the skin is still moist.
Movin’ on, now we can talk about the fun stuff… food! (I think fun, anyway!).
5. Use cooling spices like cumin. Adding a Pitta spice like cumin is going to help your body stay cool. You can add to a hummus dip or a beet cauliflower soup that can be served cold (or served warm if you’re feeling fall Vata cold in the summer… that can happen). Mint herb is another great cooling add… that goes well in a pea bowl.
6. Eat foods that hang between a fruit and a veggie like beets, avocados, and medley color tomatoes. Many are vibrant in summer colors as well as nutrients! And you can always freeze produce and add them to smoothies.
7. Cut up summer tropical fruits like a mango, guava, dragon fruit, passion fruit, coconut, and pineapples that are eat-from-the-rainbow 🌈healthy. For more happy vibes, you can make a tropical fruit salad or tropical fruits pie.
8. Add refreshing whole fruits to your list like peaches and plums that are usually summer abundant. Handing them out to others in the car is always fun and well received. And you can make and take healthy peach juice and drink ideas 🍑
9. Add and eat hydrating juicy fruits like watermelon, kiwi, pears, grapes, and oranges that can go in a salad and make great food garnishes too.
10. Bring out cool veggies that win you plant-based points. Like raw carrots, lettuce, and celery that are easy to transport. You can make a memorable Italian bean salad or no-bitter radish salad.
11. Bring along a cooling towel or T-shirt. A day or two before, roll up a towel and leave in the freezer or fridge, and then bring along with you so you can wrap around your neck or put on and quickly cool you down.
12. Use an aluminum water bottle that keeps water and beverages cold longer. Sometimes all day.
Another cool item from the fridge I like to bring out, are high antioxidant-rich fruits like sweet-scented pineapple chunks or tart lemons. Not for eating, but I can run one down my face for a hydrate cooling moment and get a Vitamin C fruit facial.
It’s a topical tropical 🍍😎🍍
And when you’re out and about, think of healthy drinks such as coconut water. Some have electrolytes. Check the label also for low sugar content.
A smoothie is a way to squeeze in more antioxidant foods that help the skin and protect the body from chronic damage that shows up as aging. Unlike juicing, you keep the food fiber that’s also good for weight loss.
Have an excessively cool week! 🍉 …and if you’re driving or sitting down a lot, reminder to do a ‘lilseated yoga to help unwind and build up flexibility!
