Thanksgiving was just the beginning of the holiday feasting season and already most of us are ready to waddle our way into December. It's hard not to be bad when you are surrounded by so much good food.
Luckily, there are about a zillion people out there in nutrition land who stand ready to snatch us back to our senses and help us get those zippers closed.In the December issue of Men's Health, the magazine that always has men on the cover who don't need to buy a magazine called Men's Health, there is a story by P. Myatt Murphy on 100 ways to burn 100 calories.
It is a list of exercises we can all use to fight that "post-holiday bulge" that threatens us each year.
Murphy obviously understands that most of us really don't want to devote a lot of time to exercise, so he has broken his list into categories: Less than 5 minutes, less than 15 minutes, playing sports, during a romantic evening, and without moving a muscle.
There are some general hints, too. Murphy suggests shooting foul shots: 207 shots at 12 shots per minute equals 100 calories. Dress up as Barney and greet birthday party guests: 20 minutes of greeting equals 100 calories.
If you iron seven shirts, that's 100 calories as well.
In the 5-minute class: Hum the theme song to "Rocky" as you skip rope for 91/2 minutes. If you have 15 minutes, tread water for 141/2 minutes.
In the 15-minute category we can carry Lee Trevino's bags for two holes. "During a romantic evening" is probably the most popular category. Murphy insists that we can lose 100 calories if we slow dance through seven songs.
If you sweep your lovely off her feet and carry her to the bedroom, that works. But only if the bedroom is on the 13th floor.
I have to admit that during all the holiday fare we face, I get a little tired of being smart and healthy. Sometimes, I just want to get away and fry something.
Usually it's catfish. I only like catfish battered and fried. I've tried it in stews and gumbos and the like, but there are better fish for that kind of thing. I've rolled it in cornflakes and baked it, but that wasn't pleasing either.
Catfish needs to be coated in something, for sure, then fried if possible.
Fortunately, I have learned a little restraint over the past year or so and I continue to search for a healthy way to prepare catfish. This is as close as I've come. Try it when you just crave the crunch of fried fish, but can't have it.
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Recipes
MUSTARD BAKED CATFISH
2 catfish fillets, about 1 pound
1 package Louisiana Fish Fry
4 tablespoons prepared Dijon mustard
1 12-ounce can evaporated skim milk
1 tablespoon each chopped parsley and chopped scallions
Mix mustard and evaporated skim milk in large bowl. Cut catfish into bite size chunks. (You can buy the catfish pieces if you like, they are usually cheaper than fillets. But they are uneven in size and by the time you get the larger pieces cooked, the smaller ones are hard as bricks.)
Place catfish in mustard-milk mixture and let set for 15 minutes.
Mix parsley, scallions and Fish Fry in a large plastic bowl with lid. Place catfish in a colander and drain. Then place in bowl with Fish Fry mixture. Place lid on bowl and shake, coating all the fish.
Knock off excessive Fish Fry from each piece and place fish on a cookie sheet lightly coated with vegetable spray. Bake on lower rack in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Move tray to top rack and finish under the broiler for an additional 10 minutes, or until fish begins to brown on corners.
Serve with a ketchup and horseradish cocktail sauce.
Serves three.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 273 calories, 9 grams fat, 18 grams carbohydrates, 92 milligrams cholesterol, 617 milligrams sodium, 19 percent of calories from fat.