Sounds a Little Fishy

I think I like to eat fish more than most people.  I could eat fish about four times a week.  Not everyone in my house feels the same way. Hubby loves to catch fish though.  I love for him to catch fish too!  It would be nice if he could go fishing more often.  Especially if he could catch red snapper, salmon, and talapia.  He caught a shark one time, but it wasn't big enough to keep.  (sad face)  Tonight we are having tuna salad.  YUM!!!!!  I used to have a cat and he loved it when I made tuna salad.  After I would empty the cans, I would put them on the floor and kitty would push them around the floor cleaning the cans until they were spotless.  He was very helpful in that way.

This is the recipe I grew up on (except for the cheese).  These days I'm watching calories so I leave the cheese out.  It's really good though.

Sorry this post is all over the place.  I was just typing what was in my head.  Sometimes my head is a confusing place.

Tuna Salad

3 cans of water packed tuna, drained
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 - 3 Tb. pickle relish, drained
3 ribs of celery, finely sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayo, to taste
1 cup of cheese, optional

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate.  It's better cold. 

Let's Crank Up The Grill!

I was watching a cooking show this morning.  I don't know the name of it, but the guy named Clinton who used to be on What Not To Wear is on it.  They made a recipe that looked really good.  I went to the store to get the 3 main ingredients they used, but after I got back home, I started thinking I should have gotten some yellow squash and asparagus to put in with this.  I'm trying that next time.  I don't even know what this recipe is called.  I didn't watch the whole show.  I can't sit still that long.  They cooked theirs in the oven, but I don't know the temperature or time.  If I had to guess, I would say 425 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.  Like I said, I didn't watch the whole show.  I'm cooking mine on the grill with some salmon.  Less kitchen clean up is ALWAYS a plus!  I suppose I'll call it Grilled Peppers, Onions, and Zucchini.  Let me know if you can think of something snazzier.  I would also like it if you could let me know what other veggies you think might be good to add to this.  My creative juices aren't exactly flowing right now.  The brain is about to be on vacation and it has started to shut down!

Grilled Peppers, Onions, and Zucchini

3 - 4 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
olive oil
pepper
garlic powder
Mrs. Dash

I cut the zucchini into lengthwise quarters and then cut the quarters into about 3 inch chunks.  I sliced the red pepper up into strips.  You can really use any color pepper you want.  Next, I took my kitchen shears and chopped up the scallions.  I spread some olive oil on a large sheet of tin foil and put all the veggies on top of it.  I topped the veggies with a little more olive oil, pepper, garlic powder, and Mrs Dash.  Wrap the foil up tightly. Place on the grill for 15 minutes, turn the packet over, and grill for 15 more minutes.

Squash It!!

AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!  Summer break!  I am finishing up a class this week so my break doesn't officially begin until Friday afternoon.  However, I had today off and decided to go somewhere I have never gone before.  Trader Joe's.  Yes, I went to a grocery store I had never been to before.  Please, don't judge me for this.  My life is simple and I like it that way.  Everyone at one work talks about Trader Joe's all the time.  I couldn't stand being the only one left on God's green earth who had never been there.  Hubby hadn't been there either, so he went along for the ride. He has decided to begin eating healthy again and had nothing else to do.  Plus, he was ready to get out for a while after being cooped up in the house all week recovering from his recent illness.  I walked away with some real yummies.  We left with some 5 grain almond bars (I can't wait to try these for breakfast in the morning), edamame, butternut squash, nectarines, and chicken and turkey patties.  I was DELIGHTED to find the butternut squash was already sliced up and ready to roast!  Have you ever cut up a butternut squash before?  You almost need dynamite to get into it!  With that being said, here's your next recipe!

Roasted Butternut Squash

Sliced and diced butternut squash
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder

Spread squash onto a foil covered pan.  Spray pan with olive oil.  Spray olive oil on top of the squash too.  Lightly sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

They look a little like sweet potatoes, don't they?

Kale Chips

I don't know why kale chips are called chips.  They don't look like chips at all.  A better name would be roasted kale leaves.  Anyway, I made some today.  My hubby was in the hospital last week with a severe case of pneumonia and dehydration.  He ended up being in the hospital for 5 days.  Once we came home, my brother and sister-in-law surprised us with a bouquet of fruit from Edible Arrangements.  I have learned that this beats out flowers any day of the week!  The pineapple, apples, and strawberries were my favorites, but I liked all of it.  As I took the arrangement apart, I learned there was kale underneath it.  YAY!  I can eat the kale too!  SO I took the opportunity to use it to make kale chips.  They are super easy to make!

Kale Chips

1 bag of kale
olive oil
salt or some kind of seasoning

Wash and pull the kale off the stems.  Spread it out on a foil lined pan that has been sprayed with olive oil.  Mist the kale with more olive oil.  Lightly sprinkle the seasoning of your choice on top and put it in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  I used something called Mixed Up Salt.  It's a mix of salt and other seasonings.  A little garlic powder would be good too!  If you seal it in a container after it's cooked, it gets soft. Maybe you'd like it, but I don't care for it for that way.  For me, crispy is the way to go.

Vegetable Broth

I have been saving vegetable scraps lately.  So far I have some asparagus stems, mushroom stems, baby carrots that became a little dried out, zuchinni centers, and celery.  No, I'm not cooking the scraps for dinner.  I'm making vegetable broth to use in fresh or frozen veggies and soups.  I've never made vegetable broth before, but I figured it will be sodium free and cost free, so why not give it a whirl!

Vegetable Broth

A gallon sized ziploc bag with veggie scraps
8 cups of water

Boil the veggies and water in a covered pot for 45 minutes.  Strain the veggies from the broth.  Pour the broth into freezer container or ice cube trays and freeze to use as needed.