Salty Mama

We're in the south!  We like to douse our food in sauce!  Usually after we've fried it!  LOL  All the sauces in the stores are high in sodium.  So we made our own!  Our local Harris Teeter sells a sauce made by Smithfield's Chicken and BBQ (http://www.scnbnc.com/) that IS low in sodium.  The vinegar based sauce is very low in sodium!  I want to say it's around 30mg per serving. We mix that with some no salt added ketchup and local honey (support your local beekeepers!) Mix the ingredients to taste and add some paprika to enhance the taste.  This makes an amazing red sauce that is almost 0mg per serving!  We use it on grilled chicken thighs, pulled Boston butt pork, pork chops, and many other recipes.  We keep it on hand for any occasion!

We love to make low sodium chicken nuggets!  We purchase boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Make sure they are the normal sodium levels before purchasing!  Remember, the large plump breasts are most likely injected with salt water and NOT what you need!  The ones below are what we usually get - they are around 85mg a serving. Now, we cut these up into chunks.....  Actually my husband does, because I don't like touching raw meat ;)  And we soak them in milk.  While they soak, I warmed the cast iron pan in the oven and made a bowl of Panko bread crumbs. We love these things!  They are 0mg per serving and can be used for so much!  We use them in meat loafs, breading on fried foods, etc. So, back to the recipe :)  Once the bowl is ready, pull the cast iron out of the oven and put about a half inch of oil in the bottom.  Most oils are 0mg, so choose the one you like :) Now, take the chicken chunks and coat them in the Panko bread crumbs and drop them in the oil.  Cook t

Speaking of sports, we all know that when we are playing sports or working out, we should have electrolytes to keep us hydrated.  The Squirrel had a softball showcase last summer where it was about 90 degrees all day!  We made sure she had plenty of water, but she still ended up dehydrated!  She had the worst headache :(  But she pushed through and played great that day. Anyway, since then, we have searched for a low sodium electrolyte drink, but that's pretty much an oxymoron.  We have found that some of the Powerade and Gatorade flavors are LESS sodium than others (lemon-lime Gatorade - 270mg, melon Powerade ion - 150mg). And to minimize those amounts of sodium, we mix it with water.  She drinks a sip or 2 from a regular 16.7oz water bottle and we fill it in with the drink/flavor of her choice.  This has worked much better for keeping her hydrated during games. Stay hydrated and talk to you soon!

Saturday night we went out to one of our local favorites. They have an amazing salad - lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (for an added charge) CHEESE!  The Squirrel uses Oil and vinegar (NOT Italian dressing, JUST oil and vinegar) on her salad.  Saturday she added crushed red peppers too..... And for her main dish, the Squirrel enjoyed pasta with no sauce (she adds the above oil and vinegar) and 2 meatballs on the side. This week has been another crazy one, so more tips to come soon!

So this weekend, the Squirrel's softball team played in a tournament that was all day Saturday!  If you've ever been to one of these events, it's a LONG day with little time for eating right.  This makes for another situation that you need to have a plan for.  My daughter didn't find out she was going to this tournament until Friday afternoon at 3:30pm! So the first thing she told me was "the other girls are planning to bring fruit".  That's great because that's less I have to buy!  Fruits may have some natural sodium, but for the most part, it's VERY low.  Usually someone nearby has pineapple, apple slices, and grapes.  I still bought her some extra grapes though :) I also found "hint of salt" Triscuits AND Wheat Thins  while walking around.  They contain 50-55mg per serving. We also grabbed some almonds.  Blue Diamond makes lightly salted almonds.  These are about 40mg per serving When out and about, you need a sweet, rig

So our new schedule has made for a crazy week - Squirrel has had softball practice every afternoon until 5:30.  That means we didn't get home until almost 6!  Most nights this week, that meant "fend for yourself"!  Most of those nights the Squirrel had cereal (Mini Wheats) for dinner.  But one night, we had tacos! For this, we get bagged lettuce, chopped onions, and corn tortillas.  This week, we forgot the onions and only grabbed pico de gallo (for the rest of us, not the Squirrel - that stuff has salt added!). But we brown ground beef (check your label, but it usually ranges from 75-85mg) and add either Mrs. Dash taco seasoning or one of the MANY Mrs. Dash flavors. Once all that's on the table, we build our tacos/bowls how we each like - The Turkey likes just meat and cheese, the Squirrel likes hers on the corn tortilla (0mg each) with meat, cheese, and onions. Check back soon for more details on how this salty mama feeds her sodium restricted Squirrel!