Fitness Friday: Do the grocery store shuffle

Happy Friday!

Today's blog is brought to you by Back to School fever, which has descended on our region. With Labor Day a few short weeks away, kids and parents are hurtling toward the summer finish line.

Stores are offering great back to school sales, and others are trying to get rid of summer merchandise before the fall.

While you are running around shopping and getting organized for the school year, don't forget to get those workouts in.

A brisk walk is a great way to burn calories. Did you know that walking quickly for 15 minutes burns about 111 calories?

Here is a great calculator that helps you determine how many calories you are burning during exercise:  www.healthcalculators.org/calculators/calories_burned.asp

My suggestion is to park at the end of the grocery store parking lot and walk briskly to the store. Then once in the store, do your shopping and finish with a brisk walk back to your car. Doing three short brisk walks during your day really adds up.

I call it the grocery store shuffle.

Food for your brain

I am always looking for new ways to serve fish to my family. It is such a great protein source, as well as providing those valuable Omega 3 vitamins!

Here is one to try this weekend.

Grilled Halibut with Blueberry-Pepper Sauce

Makes 4 servings

You will need:

4 fresh or frozen halibut steaks or fillets or sea bass, about 1 inch thick

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup garlic croutons, coarsely crushed

1/4 cup chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

Olive oil (optional)

Lemon or orange wedges (optional)

Finely shredded orange peel (optional)

Fresh sage leaves (optional)

Instructions:

1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. For blueberry-pepper jam: In a medium bowl, use a potato masher or fork to mash 3/4 cup of the blueberries. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup blueberries, the 1 teaspoon sage, and the 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

2. In a small bowl, combine crushed croutons, the 1/4 cup sage, the 1 teaspoon orange peel, and the 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add orange juice and the 1 tablespoon olive oil, stirring until lightly moistened; set aside.

3. Lightly grease the rack of a grill. For a charcoal grill, place fish, skin sides up if using fillets, on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 5 minutes. Turn fish; top fish evenly with crouton mixture, gently pressing onto fish. Grill for 7 to 10 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place fish on greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)

4. To serve, place fish on a serving platter. Serve with blueberry-pepper jam. If desired, drizzle fish with additional olive oil. If desired, garnish with lemon wedges, additional orange peel, and sage leaves.