Thai Green Curry Mussels ♥ No longer a forbidden diet food

I ever take nutrition values verbatim. Not when every calorie counts.
I put each recipe through CalorieCount.com, an About.com subsidiary.

Example:
1 pound of mussels is over 500 calories and the recipe calls for 4 pounds (4 servings) how can their per serving value be 290 calories? Do they weigh the mussels with or without the shell?
Why don't they just list them as mussel meat? I mean, no one eats those shells, right?

Let's compare:
3.5 oz (100 g) of mussel meats contain 95 calories, 14.4 g protein, 2.2 g fat, 88 mg. calcium, 3.4 mg. iron and 289 mg sodium.

I ate 24 mussels for dinner last night. Total mussel meat was 2oz.
Those 2oz = 52 calories. The sauce was 111 calories per 1/2 cup.

According to every mussel dish I researched on-line, my Thai Curry Mussel dish with steamed mussels in their shells, clocked in at 4.7 ounces per dozen with 229 calories.
My calculations had me at 163 calories and that's what I logged in for dinner.

While EatiningWell.com said my portion was 289 if I had eaten 1 pound of mussels. Actually 100 over what I did eat. It would have been nice to have those extra calories. Maybe a 1/2 cup of pudding for dessert?


I ate 24 mussels with 1/2 cup sauce so therefore, I consumed a mere 163 calories.
No wonder I wanted a slice of bread to sop up that sauce (but I resisted) and many would do that. The Nudge ate two dinner rolls.

Here's the recipe....

Thai Green Curry Mussels 
Servings: 4 (1 pound mussels in their shell)

• 1 tablespoon canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 14-ounce can “lite” coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce, or 1tablespoon aminos or 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 pounds mussels, cleaned
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil and/or cilantro for garnish

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until just starting to brown, about 1 minute.
2. Add coconut milk, lime juice, curry paste, brown sugar and fish sauce (or salt); bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in mussels. Cover and cook just until the mussels have opened, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat (discard any unopened mussels). Stir in basil (and/or cilantro), if using. Serve with the sauce from the pan.