Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad

I remember as a child eating "Tuna Salad" with my mom, which consisted mostly of Dukes mayonnaise and a little bit of tuna. Needless to say it wasn't a healthy meal, but I remember as a kid loving the moist and tangy concoction served on white bread. Maybe because it was the recipe or maybe it was just the time I spent with my mom. As an adult I still like tuna, but my tastebuds have evolved a little bit and just plain mayonnaise just doesn't cut it anymore. So today I threw together my own sweet and spicy tuna salad. This is what I did...

Spicy Collards and Rice

I grew up southern, and well that often meant vegetables cooked in a pot with bacon grease, fatback, or a huge chunk of butter...ok let's be honest practically the whole stick of butter. I probably still have cholesterol floating around n my veins from childhood. Collards were no different, and as an adult I have shied away from cooking them because I had no idea what to do with them other than smother them in cholesterol. Well since my new health kick, the whole trying to eat a bigger variety of vegetables thing, I have broke down and bought a bag of frozen collards. They have been staring at me from my freezer every since...taunting me in my failure to use them. Well today I braved these baffling collards and quite frankly they turned out delicious. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I know that I have said before, but I'm going to say it again. Sometimes simple recipes are the best. This "recipe" is the perfect example. It's so simple that instruction really aren't needed but here is what we did anyway:

Sweet and Garlicky Greenbeans

I mentioned previously, in my post about a quick and easy corn on the cob recipe, that sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. You don't always need fifteen ingredients and every spice known to man to make something delicious. Besides, when you are making a quick lunch, who has time for long and complicated recipes. Not moi. Nor does Quirky always have the patience or the attention span for such recipes. So when lunch time rolled around, I decided that I would show Quirky a quick, simple, and delicious way to dress up fresh or frozen Greenbeans. Here is what we did:

Zucchini and Cheddar Frittata Topped With Spinach Salad

I decided on a whim today to make a frittata for lunch, mainly because I didn't want to stand over a hot stove to make an omelette. It was fairly quick, packed with veggies, and delicious. It was so good that I think I will be revisiting this recipe the next time Dork and Quirky request quiche for dinner. I think it will make a great low-carb alternative. This is what I did:

Baked Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Our family is probably typical in that pasta makes up at least one of our meals per week. Sometimes it's simple spaghetti or sometimes it's a little more complicated like Chicken Marsala. Either way, for me it's pasta, and right now that just does not fit in my dietary restrictions at the moment. Do I plan on giving up pasta forever? Probably not, but for right now I am seeking out alternatives that I can enjoy without having to cook two completely different meals. Last week, since Dork and Quirky were having spaghetti, I decided to give spaghetti squash a try as a substitute. This is something that I had never tried before. I was pleased to find it easy to cook and delicious to eat. This is what I did:

Tex-Mex Stuffed Zucchini

Tex-Mex Zucchini 

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been trying to watch both my carbs and my cholesterol in an attempt to get healthier. So for dinner the other night, when I had quesadillas on the menu, I decided to make mine a little more carb friendly without cooking a completely seperate meal. Lucky me I had fresh zucchini in the fridge and decided to make Tex-Mex Stuffed Zucchini. It turned out delicious. It was very simple and took hardly no time to adapt what I had already made for Quirky and Dork's quesadillas into something diet friendly for myself. This is what I did:

Getting Healthy...a New Journey in the Kitchen

Getting Healthy

Recently I went to my doctor, where to my chagrin, I was informed that I was both overweight and had high cholesterol. Yikes! A little excess weight I can live with, I try to teach Quirky that beauty comes from inside and has no relation to the shape, size, or color of the outside package, and I rather not be a hypocrit in her eyes. The cholesterol though has me a little worried. Ok, a lot worried. I've got a lot of years left to go, hopefully, and it don't want to spend them in horrible health. So I took my doctor seriously and started analyzing our diet.

Truthfully, I thought that we typical have a fairly healthy diet. Yes, Quirky and I like to get in the kitchen and bake. Yes, I make homemade comfort foods on occasion. Both of those things are true, and maybe those are part of the cause, but we also eat lots of vegetables and rarely fry anything. Yet, here I am...counting carbs and watching my cholesterol. I've even bumped up my exercise, doing my best to get at least 45 minutes of cardio everyday. I'm determined. 

So where does that leave Quirky and I in the kitchen? Are we going to give up baking...that's a large resounding no. Can't do it. I love baking with Quirky way to much, but maybe we find ways to make our treats a little more healthy. Maybe you'll find us trying out a few healthier versions of our all time favorite meals. Maybe Quirky will grow up knowing that yes, true beauty comes from inside, but loving yourself enough to take care of the package is just as important.