I haven't given up, just been busy

Have no fear! I am still cooking at home. My schedule changed yet again. I am now much more of an early bird than I ever thought I would be. For 3 days straight, I was up at 5:15 AM. My new bakery job is a blast and I love making sweets and NOT eating them. It's really fun, but tough, long work.

I feel for the owner. It's her 6th week in business and she works 3 days straight for about 16-17 hours. I honestly don't know how she does it. But the place is getting rave reviews and I am thrilled to tell people about it. I do need to learn to plan again. I need to make more use of the crock pot or find more quick, good, recipes. I am really beat in the evenings, so I don't really FEEL like cooking, but of course have to.

Anyway, inspired by my new job, I decided when I came home on Thursday I was going to just whip up something, without a recipe. At the bakery, the owner is always trying new flavors and just seeing what works. That was my inspiration.

I had my Soba Noodles.
I had all sorts of asian seasonings
It was time to try and make some sort of asian noodle dish that I REALLY liked. The recipes I have tried had way too much sesame oil. I like it, just not too much.

Here's what I made.

Sauce :

1/4 cup Tamari
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1tsp teriyaki sauce
grated ginger
3 tsbp rice vinegar
2 tsp black bean garlic paste

Mixed everything together. Tossed with the soba noodles (it was an 8oz) pack and some sauteed red peppers and onions. I wanted to add some green onions but some stupid grocery store was out! I had also thought of adding some lime juice, but the ginger gave it gave enough of a hint of citrus.

For the carnivores in the house, I marinated some chicken in Teriyaki sauce and then sliced it up and cooked it.

Everyone gobbled it up!

Meal One - Honey Soy Glazed Salmon with Spinach & Peppers

Not a "cheap" meal, but good AND healthy. One of my secondary goals of this whole thing is to eat better - eat healthier. So, here's the 1st recipe. I made this last night. The Fish cost $12 for 4 servings so -- about $3/piece, plus the spinach & peppers were cheap. Each plate was probably $3.50/person including the stuff I had to buy, but can use for other recipes.
This recipe is from the current month of "Real Simple". It's part of their month of meals under 400 calories.

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon with Spinach & Peppers
Hands on time - 20 mins
total time - 20 mins
Serves 4

1 tbsp honey (I used a bit more)
3 tsp low sodium soy sauce (again, I used more)
1 salmon filet. ( I got 1 1/2 lb, they recommended a 1 1/4 lb)
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
1 tbsp canola oil
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp chopped ginger (I didn't measure, just used a good amount)
3 bunches spinach with stems removed
Toasted Sesame Seeds

Heat the broiler. While it heats, combine the honey & 1 tsp of the soy sauce ( or like I do, mix some honey & soy sauce - what ever amount you'd like).

Place the salmon on the broiler tray and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Broil for 5 mins. Spoon the mixture over the salmon and broil until cooked completely. About 2-5 mins.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in large skillet over medium high heat. At the bell pepper and cook until just tender - about 3-4 mins. Add the ginger. Then add the spinach and 1/2 tsp salt (more or less) until just wilted. Add the remaining 2 tsp of soy sauce.

Serve the spinach/pepper mix with the salmon. Add sesame seeds on top of spinach and salmon before serving.

Yum!!

Should be around 350 cal. 15 g fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 725 mg sodium, 36 g protein, 10 g carbs, 6 g sugar , 3 g fiber, 4 mg iron and 119 mg cal. Of course, if you don't meaure - like me, this is all approximate!