A week before his 42nd birthday, Big Daddy went and had a heart attack on me! It all started on a Sunday morning when he agreed to watch the girls for a few hours, so I could take a break. Shortly after I left the house I got a call on my cell. He said he wasn’t feeling well and asked if I would come back home. I have to say, I got a little irked and thought he was just being a wussy about watching the girls for a few hours. But as he began to describe the pain going down his arm and into his face, I knew I had to get home. B.D. refused to take himself to the emergency room. It wasn’t until Monday morning when he tried to go to work that the pain got so bad he had to leave his office and take himself to the doctor.
Tuesday night, as B.D. rested comfortably in his hospital bed, his new Cobalt Chromium Stent in place, I stood next to him in shock. Receiving the news that his right coronary artery was 95% blocked was hard to believe! When Big Daddy got home, with his new regimen of Plavix, Lipitor and Toprol, reality hit us smack in the face!
Big Daddy and Rose
The cardiologist had called right after the procedure to warn me that 40% of coronary artery disease patients, who require a stent, might suddenly hit a patch of depression and that I should be on the look out. B.D. seemed to be doing just fine! It was his chef wife who hit the patch! How could I possibly change the way I prepared our meals? You can’t roast a chicken without slathering it in butter! No more crepes for breakfast on a Sunday morning! No more huge bowls of homemade macaroni and sauce with a side of grilled hot Italian sausage! And dreams of curing pork belly for BLT’s during tomato season…poof… gone like the wind!
Many pounds lighter we are finally settling in to our new life style. I am not going to lie. After eating a wonderfully healthy meal of broiled fish, vegetables and a small serving of brown rice I feel somewhat satisfied. However, hours later I could eat the curtains! I’ve tried increasing our serving of vegetables from 2 cups to a bucket, but I am hungry and could use a cheeseburger by the time American Idol comes on! I even find myself hiding in the basement eating chocolate pudding cups late at night! Let’s face it nothing can replace the feeling of an over stuffed stomach after feasting on a 20 oz grilled NY strip, mashed potatoes and salad with blue cheese dressing!
What we have learned so far is that you can be really really good to a point and then you have to be a little more realistic. A splurge every now and than ain’t gonna kill you! In fact, it helps you to stick to the really really good diet even longer.
This baked fish is very easy and very low in fat, low in sodium, calories, and carbs, but does not lack flavor. It is a super easy one-dish meal great for weeknights. To all of the Cobalt Chromium Stent card carriers out there, this one is for you!
P.S. Great with roasted baby carrots
Mediterranean Baked Fish
1 6oz piece of cod or halibut
½ cup thinly sliced Vidalia onion
½ cup whole or sliced in half cherry tomatoes
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Coarse pepper to taste
Place fish on top of sliced onions like a bed in a small baking dish. Put cherry tomatoes on top of fish and sprinkle with fresh dill and coarse pepper.
Pour lemon juice and wine over fish and cover with foil. Bake 350 for 20 mins. Uncover fish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, olive oil and fresh basil. Bake uncovered for 5-10 mins.
Roasted Baby Carrots
1 bunch of baby carrots greens trimmed to one inch above carrot
drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix to coat with olive oil. Spread in single layer on baking sheet
Roast 350 degrees 20 mins or until tender (depends on thickness of baby carrots)
Genevieve Cremaldi 
While I am looking forward to more light and healthy dishes, my husband just lamented the loss of your heavier (and very yummy) dishes! But he can use the healthier choices, too.