good food Archives - laxmom.net

Chicken or Tuna? Which do You Prefer?

Chicken or tuna, which is your choice?

When it comes to chicken or tuna which do you prefer? At our house we eat mostly chicken, the hubbs and I like tuna every now and then. We add tuna to shake things up, it is also a good go to for a quick meal. I know I have shared the old tuna BBQ sauce recipe but I have another one that is really good with crackers.

Chicken? What all can you do with chicken?

I like a little saucy chicken, crock pot and enchilada sauce with some extra garlic powder, cumin, and some V8 juice. This cooks for eight or so hours on low and then shred it and it is great for tacos, burritos, or on a salad. That recipe is on the light side if you wanted something a little more decadent, if chicken can be decadent, add a block of cream cheese at the last thirty or so minutes of the cook. You can do this same recipe with BBQ sauce, even the cream cheese. The Greek cook is really good and lite also, chicken broth, lemon juice, whole garlic cloves smashed, rosemary, and oregano. This you can shred and add to chicken and rice soup or just serve it over rice.

Tuna ?

Since I have been eating clean these last several months I decided I would try to clean up my tuna recipe. The usual recipe: can tuna drained and flaked, mayo, mustard, boiled egg, garlic powder, dill weed, and vinegar or pickle juice and fork it all together. This is a very good tuna recipe. I shook things up this week with my tuna using plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo, used everything else and It was good. This tuna is good with crackers or over a bed of greens and with either the yogurt or the may you do not need extra dressing.

Some other yummy things I have found. . .

The smoothie recipe got kicked up a notch with unsweet coconut milk, which is surprisingly very tasty. Recipe: 1 cup coconut milk, 1 scoop protein and greens, 1/2 cup ice, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks, and some coconut water and blend. This was a really good smoothie add a little rum and you would swear you were some where tropical.

Stay tuned, I am changing things up in the kitchen these next months. . .

What are Your no Brainer Meals. . .

What are your go to meals. . .

What are your go to meals, those meals that you do not have to think about to fix? You may have several that you could make in your sleep and you always have those ingredients on hand. These are your quick, easy and maybe even a favorite recipe.

My favorites to fix. . .

One of my favorites to fix in a pinch is homemade alfredo sauce with angel hair protein pasta. This is a favorite for my family and I have to say it is really good. Eggs are also a go to for me in a bind, I can throw together an egg scramble with my eyes closed. We always have eggs in the fridge and with the Instant Pot you can fix boiled eggs in 7 minutes. Tuna is also a go to option for me, a little tuna and some crackers or celery is always a good option.

Alfredo. . .

4 T butter
3 T flour
3 cloves garlic pressed
splash of white wine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups parmesan cheese
1 box angel hair pasta cooked to package directions

Melt butter over med low heat, add pressed garlic and saute till it smells yummy. Add flour and whisk to get rid of the lumps. Add your splash of white wine. Whisk and add your heavy cream. Slowly add your parmesan cheese and whisk to combine. Continue stirring, this will bubble up and become thick and delicious. I do not mix my pasta and sauce all together, I like to serve it kinda like spaghetti, this way your pasta will not get mushy.

My Infamous Tuna. . .

There are several ways to fix tuna; there is traditional with mayo as a salad but I found that sauteing with BBQ sauce is good too. My kids do not know this but when they were little I used to fix the BBQ tuna and tell them it was BBQ. I know, bad mommy for telling fibs. When the boys were little we really did not eat out that much and it was real work fixing things they would eat. My goal as a mother was to make sure my kids ate healthy and did not fall into the trap of quick and easy fast food garbage.

Tuna salad. . .

1 can tuna
1 large spoonful mayo
2 T mustard
splash vinegar or pickle juice (your choice)
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Drain your tuna and flake it with a fork and add the above and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve with crackers, cheese, celery or on toast.

New Found Time on My Hands, Time to Focus on Me!

Time to focus on my health. . .

New found time to focus on me, with the boys temporarily out of the house. The work schedule is still a little crazy but I am able to fit in some exercise and eating better. This empty nesting is kinda nice but, do not tell Sprat and Big T. Would not want to hurt their feelings. Do not get me wrong, I do miss those two goofballs every day. We text or talk by phone a couple times a week so I can stay up to date on things College.

Loving my exercise routine. . .

Loving my new exercise routine. On days I do not work I start out at the park at 0600 walking 3 miles. I started this before the pandemic but, decided to get serious about it after the lock down. Work became mentally exhausting and my early morning walks were my saving grace. I looked forward to the brisk mornings all by myself and the beautiful park. After my walk I do some Yoga to stretch and keep everything flexible, recently I have added some weight lifting. We have the equipment so why not put it to good use for me. Days that the sunrise is just breath taking, I take pictures to remember.

*Beautiful Sunrise on one of my early morning walks*

Working on my diet too. . .

I am working on my diet while the boys are out of the house too. Sprat inspired this change, he has really been watching his diet over the last year and I decided I would too. After my walks I fix a fabulous smoothie; pineapple, cherries, coconut water, coconut flakes (unsweetened), fresh ginger, beets if I have any from the garden, and Vega protein powder. This is the best smoothie ever, no added sugar and all natural. I use fresh pineapple when I can find a good one and I add blue berries some days. The smoothie is breakfast, I eat small meals when I get hungry which is usually every three hours or so, I try not to eat after six in the evening. Cutting out sugary soda was a big effort and I am very proud to say I did it! Along with sugary soda went the daily caffeine, I do drink diet ginger ale and I will have a Dr Pepper every now and then but not like I was drinking them before the pandemic/lock down. The only other time I have gone without sodas (sugary caffeinated) was when I was pregnant with the boys. Something about being pregnant changed my taste buds and I could not drink soda at all.

A few recipes. . .

The hubbs has really out done himself with the garden this year. He managed to grow beets which I use in my smoothies, edamame that I eat by the handfuls, and a number of other tasty treats. He and I could eat out of the garden and only go to the grocery store for things like cheese and yogurt. We had zucchini coming out of our ears so I froze a good bit of it to use later and I froze multiple loaves of zucchini bread and casseroles too. One of my favorite salads is couscous, black bean, fresh mozzarella, chick peas, onion and balsamic vinegar. Made an edamame salad the other day that was really good. 1 1/2 cups edamame cooked, 1 can corn rinsed, 1 can black beans rinsed, small onion chopped, 1 cup cooked quinoa, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chipolte, 1 tsp ancho chili, juice of 1 lime and toss. Served this cold as meal for me could use as a side dish.

*Fresh Edamame out of the garden and in the pot to cook.*

How Did You Get Through 2020?

We began a new fitness routine. . .

Mid year last year I invested in this little gadget called a Bellaleaf. It is one of those fitness/wellness trackers(no I am not being paid for any of this post nor do I get kick backs for my posts). I detest Apple products, I always have and always will. Looked at those fit bit things many times but did not care for them. Fell is love with this Bellabeat Leaf. http://bellabeat.com you can check it out at this link. I always encourage folks to do their own research.

Started waking last year to help me cope with my stress and anxiety. I wanted a way to track my steps, that is when I found the Bellaleaf. This little device pairs with an app on your phone, it tracks: sleep cycles, steps/activity time, you can add your hydration, and it even has a meditation portion that helps you do focused meditation. Have never been one to do meditation but I will admit I tried it out and it does help with stress. Found such a release with my walking and the meditation that I was walking three miles a day at least three days a week sometimes four.

Something always seems to get in the way. . .

I suffer from plantar faciitis, which is quite painful when walking. Mine had not flared in many years. All of a sudden I had hit a grove with my walks and it flared up again. The hubbs and I decided I needed an alternative for my walks especially if it was raining so we bought a stationary bike, nothing fancy, not a Peloton. It does have a digital screen and you can choose different workout options. Have not been able to go walk in several months but I have been riding, I ride about six miles in thirty minutes, it is not as soothing as my walks were but it does help burn off stress. The hubbs has also been riding the bike and he loves riding. The bike was the one thing he could do after his knee surgery almost five years ago.

The Boys are even getting in on the fitness kick. . .

Sprat has jumped in to the weight lifting and healthy eating routine. I am so proud of him, he works out for two hours a day with weights and is in an eating routine that would rival Schwarzenegger in his Mr Universe days. My sister dated a body builder in college so we watched all of the bodybuilding movies and my Dad always had Muscle and Fitness magazines laying around. I am glad he is watching what he eats and I hope he stay with the good eating habits. Big T is even getting in on the fun, he is starting to go and lift weights with Sprat. The eating well, Big T is a lot like his Mama, he likes the sweets. I have decided if I am going to eat sweets I will just have to walk or ride a little longer. My motto, I exercise so I can eat my sweets when I want. I think I need that on a T shirt. Anybody out there do T shirts??

What is your means of survival for this year?

What are you going to do to keep your sanity this year? Will you choose something to get you healthy or will you choose something destructive? A little tidbit, not doing anything can be destructive. My husband and I laughed when all of this started, we said people will either come out of this super healthy and fit or fat as mud and miserable. Just telling it like it is. I am opting for being fit. I am working from home so that has cut out most of my fast food eating that I was guilty of. Please comment and let me know how you are coping with the stress. I am open for suggestions.