a new take on tuna salad

This is so good. I served it with wild rice and sauteed spinach for a nice, light dinner. It was a nice change of pace. And I just set a little tuna aside to make a plain ol' sandwich for my toddler* who probably wouldn't appreciate this particular change of pace. I was inspired by a recipe I saw in Real Simple. Try it, I think you'll like it.

4 large tomatoes

2 cans albacore tuna, drained 

2 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 large carrot, grated

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Hollow out each tomato, and add the pulp to a bowl. Combine with the remaining ingredients and spoon mixture back into the tomatoes. You'll probably have some left over, and it keeps really well. Top mixed greens with it, eat it on crackers - I think you're going to like this one.

Plus, it looks cool.

*mama note: grate a little carrot and cheddar into some tuna, mix with some reduced fat mayo, and make your little one a healthy melt. Mine never noticed the carrot, I promise. If he did, I'd be in trouble. No matter how many times I compare him to a bunny.

breakfast sandwiches...

... are one of my favorite ways to start my day.  And they keep me full a lot longer than a bowl of cereal, which is good when you've got little guys running and crawling around, needing you most moments of the day.  Plus it comes together in just a few minutes!

Here is one worth trying.  Bonus: sneaking in an extra serving of vegetables for the day.

I used cracked wheat sourdough, but use what you've got - don't forget your whole grains!  If you have a toaster oven, top the bread with an ounce of reduced fat cheese.  Right now I have havarti, and it is so good on this sandwich! If you don't have a toaster oven, just grate the cheese into your egg and throw your bread in the toaster. Now chop up one broccoli floret and microwave it for about 45 seconds to soften it. Scramble up an egg with the broccoli, and a little salt and pepper (and the cheese if that's how you're doing it). Now make yourself a little sandwich and enjoy! And feel good about it.

a public service announcement

First of all, I need to share with you how thankful I am for my latest step into the 21st century. Or maybe it's a step back in time, I'm not sure. Anyway, I had my groceries delivered yesterday. I never thought I would do it, but when you have three little kids, any spare moment to leave your house is not meant to be spent in the grocery store. Seriously. It was great - no impulse buys, plus I had to actually plan my meals for the week, and I could do it all in the comfort of my living room while watching bad tv.

Okay, but here is the deal. They really break the prices down so you can see how much you're paying per pound or pint or whatever quantitative word pertains. I realize that you can find this information on most of the price tags at the store, but I don't usually pay much attention unless I am comparison shopping.

So imagine my shock when I was buying some fresh herbs for a new recipe and I find that they actually cost $43 per pound. And that's on sale. Okay, so I only shelled out two bucks for them, but that amazed me, considering you can buy the plant for about a dollar and have yourself more than you could ever use for almost a year. I think I've found my new business.

So, here is the lesson. 1. Have your groceries delivered. You deserve it.

And 2. Run to the nursery, pick out your favorite herbs, and get planting! (and sell them to some schmuck like me to really start rolling in the dough)

welcome 2010

What a crazy, wonderful year 2009 was!  And I am always excited, if not a bit wistful, when a new one begins. Last January a few friends and I had a "Biggest Loser" competition to see who could lose the highest percentage of weight in 8 weeks. None of us were going for huge numbers, but wanted to drop some post-holiday pounds.

Here we are in January again, and here I am seven weeks postpartum. I have a beautiful baby boy (actually I have three, but he is the newest) and 15 excess pounds to prove it.  So, what better time to get some goals set for a healthy 2010?

I am nursing, so I am not going to do any crazy dieting (not that I would anyway!). And I have three boys under the age of three so my workouts and the time I schedule them in will have to be creative, but I am ready to get this show on the road.  Since it's been so long since I have been consistent with my blogging, I thought this would be a good way to kick start it and keep me accountable. Log my progress, how I stay active, what healthy (and hopefully tasty) meals I cook up.  

And I want you to share your experiences, too! It doesn't have to be with weight loss... what are your goals for this year? Eat better? Exercise more? Kick a habit that's bogging you down? Read more? Train for an event? Spend more time with your kids? Learn to garden or speak another language or...?  Fill me in!  And if you want some support, let's do this together.

To a happy and healthy new year!

my life now

Thanks, Thamesarino, for asking how things are!  I have often thought I need to get back to posting, especially as fall rolls in and my desire to cook takes over.

Life has been busy!  As you all know, we found out we are having a baby next month.  The other news is that we adopted a beautiful baby boy in June, so days have been full as we adjust to having a newborn in the house again.  We are going to be old pros come November!  He is a wonderful, easy baby and we feel truly blessed.  And before too long I am going to be back to pureeing baby food and filling my ice cube trays, so stayed tuned for such excitement.

On the topic of being a healthy mama (though my pregnancy instincts have led me to eat more chocolate and butter than I can really justify), I pulled out my Sneaky Chef cookbook yesterday, as my toddler as developed a very specific palate that needs some expansion.  Stay tuned for that, too!

In the mean time, want to try something that just exudes fall and is absolutely delicious?  It's decadent, I warn you, but since the main ingredient is a vegetable, don't feel bad about the butter - it is soooooo worth it.  Leave it to The Pioneer Woman to do squash right:  Butternut Squash Puree.

I hope you all are staying well this fall season - and I promise to whip up something tasty soon!

heirloom tomatoes are amazing

This isn't really a recipe, so much as a hope to inspire. It is so simple and it has been my new addiction this summer when it's hot outside and I need something fresh and light. Or when I've eaten 12 brownies in a row and need to make myself feel better. 

If you haven't had heirloom tomatoes before, I really think you ought to try them. They are delicious - every one that I have had tastes like it came fresh from the garden, rather than the produce department. If you don't want to venture into that realm, you can use the tomatoes of your choice - no judgement.

Here's what you need:

2 large heirloom tomatoes

7-8 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. good balsalmic vinegar

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Slice the tomatoes about 1/4" thick. Place evenly around your platter, along with the basil leaves.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper (I like pepper, so I use kind of a lot). Drizzle with oil and vinegar.  

Last night I made this to go along with our barbecued chicken breasts and roasted red potatoes, and I let it sit out for about 30 minutes before dinner so the flavors could sort of meld. It was the perfect summer evening side.  

So, try it!  And if you have some tomatoes starting to ripen in your garden, even better. Mmmmm, I think I know what I am having for lunch.

simple summer vegetables

I love simplicity.  It usually provides the most pleasing results. Last night I was whipping up a pretty easy dinner - grilled chicken and flat bread, and decided I wanted vegetables instead of salad (we've been eating that a lot lately). This is a great recipe for you gardeners with an abundance of squash! Eat it as is, toss it with some pasta and parm, load up a baguette and broil it with some havarti or provolone - these roasted vegetables are so delicious and so easy, you're gonna love them as much as I do.  

All you need:

3 medium zucchini, thickly sliced

8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced in half

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Toss everything together in a pie plate.  Bake at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes.  Toss gently, and return to the oven for about 10-15 minutes.  

Make it even simpler and do it in your toaster oven, like me. 

**For older babies, you can just do zucchini, blend it in the food processor, and mix it up with avocado and even a little wheat germ for a super nutritious meal!

a new treat for the boy

If there is one thing that I could get him to eat everyday, it's yogurt.  Up until now, it's been Yo Baby, which he absolutely loves and I feel pretty good about.  It's organic, so that's a plus.  The drawbacks, two years into his yogurt eating, is that it's pretty pricey and has 13 grams of sugar per serving. 

So this week I tried something new.  I bought my favorite yogurt, Nancy's Honey Yogurt.  It's made with whole milk and has less than half of the sugar of other yogurts.  It is not at all sweet, so for my little one, it needs a little doctoring.

I add less than a teaspoon of blue agave syrup (use honey if you'd rather), and 3-4 large strawberries, chopped finely, to about 1/2 cup of yogurt.  You can use any fruit your kiddo prefers.  If they like yogurt, they are going to gobble it up, and it is sweet enough without being overly so, and has half the sugar of any yogurt you'll find on the shelf.

Want to make it a meal or an extra special treat?  Add some plain cheerios (I used the generic Trader Joe's brand).  That is a favorite breakfast around here.

Got any other mix in ideas - let me know!

my new (old) love... and an explanation

I know I have been MIA for awhile... and I can finally explain.  I have made three fully homemade meals in the last 7 weeks.  Isn't that pathetic?  Thank you, Lord, for the creative genius behind Trader Joe's and their frozen food section.  Otherwise, I would be ridden with guilt.

I am 11 weeks pregnant.  And the thought of cooking has been, well... bleh. Thankfully, things are looking up.  The heartburn has yet to die down, but the nausea is dwindling.  Again, thanks Lord.

So, enter my new (old) love.  I am not a regular partaker of protein bars. But in my baby's interest, I picked up a few this week so that I am eating something besides fruit and noodles.  And cereal.  Tonight I opened up a Carmel Nut Brownie Luna bar.  Oh heaven.  Crispy, chocolatey goodness.  With protein, folic acid, the whole nine yards.  Everything good for the little one.  And man, they are tasty.

healthy hobbies

Spring is here. Finally. We have had consistent sunshine for three whole days here in the northwest - is that a record for April? And for those three days, I have been to the nursery, prepping my garden, and getting my containers ready.

I have never ever been into gardening. I definitely wouldn't say I have a green thumb. But last year I decided to try my hand at a few flowers, some herbs and a tomato plant. I was pretty successful.  I give some of the credit to a book I picked up, You Grow Girl, which is also an extensive gardening blog. Totally inspirational!

This year I am stepping it up a notch: strawberries, beets, zucchini and carrots. We'll see what happens!  I'll try to keep you updated - maybe I'll even incorporate some of my goods into some recipes.

Being healthy extends beyond diet and exercise. How do you unwind? Express creativity?Get involved in the world around you? Are you a knitter? A seamstress? A cook or a baker? Do you teach classes, volunteer, try to learn something new on a regular basis? I want to hear from you and what keeps you going.

And if you want a little more gardening inspiration, you can also check out the Pioneer Woman... she is good at giving you the lowdown on the basics. Growing stuff is easy - and it's so fun to watch it happen!