I have lived in Minnesota my entire life, except for a short two-year detour in Houston, TX. When people ask if I liked Houston, my response is always the same, "it's not that I didn't like it, it just wasn't home." Even though Houston is a melting pot of origins, the locals knew I wasn't from their parts. It's funny the reaction people had when they learned I was from Minnesota, I might as well have been from Antarctica.

I readily admit we have some pretty brutal winters in Minnesota, heck last year we had one of the snowiest winters ever on record. It was a stereotypical snowy and cold, and I mean really snowy and cold, winter. While many believe you hole up and hunker down in the Minnesota winter months, that's just not true. When the season changes from fall to winter, and the snow and cold arrive, the outdoors is still enjoyed. We wouldn't be able to go ice skating, sledding, snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding or ice fishing without winter. 

I recall having a funny conversation with a jewelry store security guard. His perception of living in Minnesota came from the movie Grumpy Old Men. If you haven't seen the movie, it's a romantic comedy that was filmed in Minnesota in the dead of winter. Ice fishing is a pastime the characters enjoy and several scenes are shot on the ice. 

To the security guard, a Native Houstonian, who had never seen snow, this ice fishing concept was unbelievable. I fielded question after question about how this possibly could be. He just couldn't conceive that we actually drive our cars/trucks on ice, drill a hole in said ice and drop down a line or two and catch fish. When I explained that some fishing fanatics actually have quite elaborate ice fishing houses, complete with bunk beds and propane heaters, he lost his mind.

This winter has been the exact opposite of last winter, unseasonably warm and very little measurable snowfall. In fact, the snowplow has only come to clear our driveway, twice this whole season. The snowmobilers and fishermen have had to travel further north to find safe ice and trails. A few months back, my dad, an avid fisherman, was able to escape with some buddies and haul in a nice catch. The fish have been on ice until today.

I pulled the cleaned fish from the freezer first thing this morning and let them defrost in a bowl of cold water. Meanwhile, I set out to make my own version of Shore Lunch, it's what Minnesotans use to bread fish with. I was unable to find the ingredient information online, so I e-mailed the company and they quickly responded: 

ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, LEAVENING, DRIED WHEY, GARLIC POWDER, SUGAR, BUTTERMILK SOLIDS, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, POTATO FLOUR, ONION POWDER, SPICES, DEXTROSE, NATURAL FLAVOR, CORN STARCH, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, EXTRACTIVES OF PAPRIKA.

You can have delicious breaded fish without these unhealthy ingredients. Coconut flour and coarse ground almond meal make a fabulous breading spiced up with a little garlic, onion, salt and paprika. I oven-baked some of the fish as well as pan-fried with ghee and both methods were successful, although we preferred the pan-fried fish. If you don't have access to Walleye, try this breading on Tilapia, or panfish like Sunnies or Crappies, you won't be disappointed.

Almond Crusted Walleye
Recipe by Healthy Living How To

Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Palm-Size Fish Fillets
• 1 c. Coarse Ground Almond Meal
  
• 1/4 c. Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Flour
  
• 1/2 tsp. Organic Garlic Powder
  
• 1 tsp. Organic Smoked Paprika
  
• 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
  
• 1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
  
• 1 Large Organic Egg
  
• 1/2 c. Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk
  

Directions

1. In a nut grinder, coffee grinder or high-powered blender, make coarse ground almond meal by placing a cup of nuts in canister and pulsing until coarse.

2. In a glass pie plate, mix together almond meal, coconut flour and spices.

3. In a second glass pie plate, scramble together egg and coconut milk.

4. Rinse and pat dry fish fillets. Dredge through egg wash and then place in breading mix completely coating.

5. Pan fry in ghee on medium heat about 3-4 minutes per side or oven bake at 400°F  in a glass dish greased with ghee for 20-25 minutes.

Late last summer I wrote about my love for Diet Pepsi and my reasons for kicking the unhealthy habit. If you haven't read my article, Why I Gave Up Diet Pepsi, I'll wait right here while you do...........So as I was saying, I kicked that habit to the curb cold turkey and haven't missed it. Both my husband and my brain have thanked me ever since. When giving up an unhealthy habit it is often recommended to replace it with a healthy habit. And this is exactly what I did. I traded in my love for diet pop for a love for tea. 

I was never a tea drinker, in fact I didn't even like it, but in my search for a little flavor in my water, I decided to give it another chance. After all, both green and black have many health benefits. In my quest to learn to love this healthy healing hot or cold libation, I have tried my share of tea brands and varieties. What I have found is I love iced green tea and all the different flavors it comes in. I also enjoy iced black tea. I don't care for, at all, hot green tea, blech. On the other hand, I love hot black tea, not plain though, it has to have some flavor. I doctor up my teas with lemon juice, almond milk, coconut milk and stevia.

If you are kicking the soda habit or haven't ventured into tea drinking, may I present to you my two favorite teas. If I could only drink two teas for the rest of my life, these are the two I pick. You can trust me, and give them a try, or let your own tastebuds do the talking by sampling all the teas on the market. If you are like I was and don't think you like tea, give these two a try. Oh and by the way, both of these are decaffeinated. I ditched caffeine back in January.

The Republic of Tea Daily Green Tea

This makes the best iced green tea when combined with lemon juice and stevia. I drink just about a pitcher of this every day. No kidding. It is that good. I also like to combine this with the flavored varieties of green tea like Pomegranate and Wild Berry. While I love the flavored teas, I find they are too strong in flavor alone and need to be "watered" down a little. We have an iced tea maker, which is very convenient in making the perfect pitcher of tea every time. If you don't own one, consider getting one, or make your tea using this method. 

Here is how I make the perfect pitcher of tea:

8 Tea Bags
1/4 c. Organic Lemon Juice
heaping 1/8 tsp. NuNaturals Pure White Stevia Extract Powder

Tea can impede the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables. Adding lemon will counteract this problem. It also adds a great flavor!

Before moving on, I have to add my two teenagers love iced green tea. In fact, so do my nephews and niece. When they come to visit I always make sure to have a pitcher of Pomegranate (it is pink) for them and tell them it's juice. They don't know the difference and they love it.

The Republic of Tea Vanilla Almond Black Tea

My new favorite black tea for two reasons. First, I just discovered this and instantly fell in love and two my previous favorite, Hot Cinnamon Spice made by Caribou Coffee, was discontinued. If you like vanilla and almond then this is the tea for you. The aroma of this tea is ahhhmazing, I could smell this all day long. I traded in my afternoon cup of decaf coffee for this and haven't looked back.

Here's how I make the perfect cup of hot tea:

2 Tea Bags
8 oz. Hot Water
1/4 c. Homemade Almond Milk
12 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia

Steep the tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes. Add a dash of almond milk along with stevia and enjoy!

In a very close second place, when it comes to hot tea, is my homemade Chai Tea. This takes just a little longer to make but it never disappoints either. 

I'll save my love for coffee and tea mugs for another post. We all have a favorite mug, don't we?! My absolute beloved mug of all time, from a dear friend, recently broke. So bummed. It was from Jamaica, maybe I'll be able to pick one up on our upcoming Low-Carb Cruise. At any rate, check out this mug of a different kind......

We've had our Vitamix for about six weeks now and I finally got around to making a frozen dessert in it. Last week QVC was selling the Vitamix and I DVR'ed the program to watch later. My hope was I would get some more creative ideas and inspiration. I finally got around to watching the program and.......SCORE, Frozen Yogurt. So good you will want to lick not only the bowl but the blender as well.

Three ingredients, two minutes and you've got frozen yogurt. Not just any frozen yogurt, but AMAZING sugar-free & low-carb yogurt.

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients

• 7oz. Container Full-Fat Fage Yogurt
• 1 c. Trader Joe's Frozen Organic Raspberries
• 20 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Clear Stevia

Directions

1. Put all ingredients into Vitamix, put the lid on and press start.
2. Turn to high quickly and use the tamper.
3. Tamp away until it resembles frozen yogurt. 

Topped with Navitas Naturals Organic Cacao Nibs.

Let's play a game.....can you name this product based on ingredients alone?

Fresh boneless chicken, chicken meal, fresh boneless salmon, turkey meal, herring meal, russet potato, peas, sweet potato, fresh boneless turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh chicken liver, fresh boneless lake whitefish, fresh boneless walleye, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, chicken fat, organic kelp, pumpkin, chicory root, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, blueberries, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary. Preservative-free and never frozen.

The picture below is a clue...

Switch out a few ingredients and you've got this product:

Fresh boneless chicken, chicken meal, fresh boneless salmon, turkey meal, fresh chicken liver, herring meal, russet potato, chicken fat, sweet potato, peas, fresh boneless walleye, fresh whole eggs, fresh boneless turkey, fresh boneless lake whitefish, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, fresh boneless herring, organic kelp, pumpkin, chicory root, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, blueberries, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary. Preservative-free and never frozen.

One more clue for you.

I'm sure I didn't fool you. You guessed it was our dog and cat food, right? For all the unconditional love our pets bring to us, we owe it to them to feed them and nourish them with REAL FOOD. I don't know about you, but I love my pets and want them to live healthy long lives. Their health, just like ours, is affected by the quality of their diet. Look at the principles behind how their food is created:

1. Fresh and Regional Ingredients
2. Meat and Protein Rich
3. Carbohydrate Limited
4. Grain-free
5. No Plant Oils
6. Fruits and Vegetables
7. Health-promoting Botanicals
8. Mineral Balanced

Imagine what would happen to our health, if we applied these same principles to how we feed humans.

P.S. The brand is Orijen.

P.P.S Just for fun, here are the ingredients on the number one selling dog food in the United States:

GROUND WHOLE CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA AND CITRIC ACID), GROUND WHOLE WHEAT, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, BREWER'S RICE, DRIED PLAIN BEET PULP, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, VEGETABLE OIL (SOURCE OF LINOLEIC ACID), VITAMINS (dl-ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN E], L-ASCORBYL-2-POLYPHOSPHATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN C*] VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], BIOTIN, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT), CHOLINE CHLORIDE, MINERALS (ZINC SULFATE, ZINC PROTEINATE, COPPER SULFATE, COPPER PROTEINATE, MANGANESE PROTEINATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE), ADDED FD&C COLORS (RED 40, YELLOW 5, BLUE 2)