The best tuna you've ever laid lips on...

The other day a friend of mine asked me what I eat for lunch. That's a great questions. Lunch can be a difficult time for mom's. We're usually so focused on what we're feeding our kids that we don't think too much about ourselves. Often we end up just eating processed junk or snacks to get us through to dinner. So over the next few weeks I hope to share with you some easy, healthy, and delicious ideas for "mom's" lunch. Who knows...you may be surprised that your kids like them too.

When I was in elementary school my mom would pack me a lunch every day. It usually consisted of a sandwich, chips, fruit/veggies and a drink. I faithfully took my lunch everyday, but I had a little secret. I hated sandwiches. So when lunch time arrived, I would each my chips, fruit and drink, then throw my sandwich away. I don't know why...but I didn't want my mom to know that I hated sandwiches. I didn't want to hurt her feelings.

This went on for a few years, when finally around the 3rd grade I came out of the sandwich closet and admitted my disdain for anything smashed between layers of bread. My poor mom was devastated, not because I didn't like her sandwiches, because I had been starving myself for so many years. From that time forward she started packing me crackers and cheese, chicken salad, nuts and other non sandwich foods full of protein to get me through the day.

I've grown up sense then and I now occasionally like a good sandwich. But I'm still not a huge fan and I'm pretty picky about what I will put between bread. This is one recipe that is sandwich approved for me. However, most days I still prefer to eat it with crackers. It's more "carb" friendly that way. But any way you choose to eat it...it just may be the best tuna you've ever laid lips on.


TUNA SALAD
(Mindi Original)

¼ C. green onion; diced (about 2 or 3)
½ C. celery; diced (1 large stock)
½ C. slivered almonds
2 (5 oz.) cans Albacore tuna; drained
¼ to ½ C. mayo* (to your liking)
1 t. lemon juice
2 t. dill weed
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. celery salt
1/8 t. paprika
salt & pepper to taste

1. Combine the onion, celery, almonds, and tuna; mix well.
2. Add the amount of that you prefer. (I usually add less, but my husband likes more…it’s up to you.)
3. Add all the remaining ingredients; mix well. Add the salt & pepper last. Season to your taste.
4. Serve with crackers, in puff shells, or as a sandwich with bread of choice.

5. Serves 4 as salad and 4-6 on sandwiches.

*I use low fat or light mayo. My favorite is the new Kraft Olive Oil Mayo. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend you do. It has a wonderful flavor with half the fat and calories of regular mayo.

Go ahead...have a muffin for breakfast...

We've all had a bran muffin at some point in our lives, right?? Most of them are dry and tasteless, but we eat them anyway...because it's good for us?? Thankfully my friend and neighbor, Emily, shared this amazing recipe with me. It's full of all things healthy and good, but it's not dry and certainly not tasteless. In fact it's moist, fruity, sweet and almost makes you think you're eating something you shouldn't be...

Suddenly I don't feel bad about having a muffin for breakfast!

FYI...little "r", as well as Emily's two little ones, eat these like candy! Who doesn't love a healthy recipe that kids will gobble up.

BRAN FLAX MUFFINS
(Recipe from Emily Nuttall)

1 ½ C. unbleached white flour
¾ C. flaxseed meal
¾ C. oat bran
1 C. brown sugar
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 ½ c. carrots; shredded
2 apples; peeled & shredded
½ C. raisins (optional)
1 C. nuts; chopped (optional)
¾ C. milk
2 eggs; beaten
1 t. vanilla

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients; mix well.
2. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins, and nuts.
3. In a separate bowl combine the milk, beaten eggs and vanilla.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Do not over mix.
5. Fill muffin cups ¾ full and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
6. Makes 2 dozen.

Country Fried...to Country Baked

I am so excited about this recipe! If there's one "comfort" food that I love more than anything it's Country Fried Chicken with Potatoes and Country Gravy, but I never eat it. Well...I might indulge once a year or so, but I always feel soooo guilty afterwards. Why, you might ask?? Well, a few years ago I bought this book that has all the calories from your favorite restaurants and 1 serving of Chili's Country Fried Chicken has 1560 calories and and 60 grams of fat...and one plate is 2 servings! Oouch!!! When I found that out, it made me sick. Thank goodness I can never eat a whole plate. But still!!!

So, I've been determined to figure out a healthy version of this dish with all the yummy flavor and "comfort" satisfaction. I'm happy to announce, that I've done it!! This recipe has, by my calculations, about 430 calories per serving. That includes everything pictured below! The entire meal! How amazing is that...I've cut the calories by 1130, and it tastes sooo good. I honestly don't think I'll ever order Country Fried Chicken again.

A couple of notes:

The key to the crispy chicken is the Panko bread crumbs. They are a must. Here in Utah you can find Panko bread crumbs at Macy's. They are in the baking isle by all the other bread crumbs. I use the Progresso brand. They are also in the Asian food section, Iron Chef brand, but those are a little more expensive. I always use the Progresso brand.

The other key ingredient that makes this recipe a complete success is the fresh herbs in the gravy. The rich and bold flavor of the herbs, makes up for the loss of all that heavy cream and butter normally found in country gravy. I think fresh is absolutely necessary in order for this dish to provide the complete satisfaction of the "real" thing. Fresh herbs can be a little pricey, but if you are sure to use all the fresh herbs, the price can be justified. You can use them in several different recipes through out the week. You can also freeze fresh herbs, read here, and preserve their rich bold flavors. We're also coming up on 'farmers market' season, where you can find fresh herbs for great prices.

COUNTRY BAKED CHICKEN WITH HERB GRAVY
(Mindi Original)

4 small chicken breasts; boneless, skinless
salt & pepper
1 C. Panko bread crumbs
cooking spray

2 T. fresh sage; minced
2 T. fresh rosemary; minced
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 1/2 C. chicken stock
1 C. whole or 2% milk
salt & pepper

For the Chicken:
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin-foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Season the chicken breast with salt & pepper. Dredge them in the Panko bread crumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is done. (Cooking time may vary based on the size of your chicken breasts.)
5. When the chicken is done. Turn the oven off and turn the broiler on. Put the chicken under the broiler for 2-4 minutes or until the top of the chicken browns up and is nice and crispy.

For the Gravy:
1. About 10 minutes before the chicken is done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the herbs and sauté for 2-4 minutes or until the herbs have softened.
3. Add the flour; stir until all the flour has been absorbed into the butter and a rough is formed.
4. Add the chicken stock and milk. Stir until the sauce thickens and gravy forms.
5. Season well with salt & pepper.
6. Serve over crispy oven baked chicken.

7. Serves 4.

Serve the chicken with mashed potatoes and peas!

Monday Moments - To all my food prep hating friends...

I've had several friends say to me..."It's not so much that I hate cooking, it's that I hate thinking about cooking all the time. I hate the time of day when I have to think 'what's for dinner?'. It's just so stressful." and I've had other friends say to me..."I hate cooking...let alone having to think of things to cook every day!!"

(photo from google images)

So if this picture looks like you...searching through a cook book for dinner idea's, trying not to pull your hair out...then this post is for you! I'm hoping to give you some tips that will maybe help ease the stress of daily food preparation?

The first tip is simple, and I promise if you'll do it...it will change the way you think about meal time. The key is planning ahead. Take some time, like 1 hour at the most, each week to sit down and plan out your meals for the upcoming week. I usually get groceries on Friday, so Thursday night after "r" goes to bed and while my husband and I are watching TV, I plan our meals. Doing this allows me to get my husbands input. This is also a time for my husband and I to coordinate our schedules and communicate with each other about what we each have going on. To do this planning I use a simple spread sheet you can download here. If it's overwhelming to plan every single meal at first, start with just dinner. Most people eat pretty much the same things for breakfast's and lunches anyway, and dinner seems to be the most stressful. Planning out your meals will also make grocery shopping much easier. You'll know what your cooking, you'll get what you need, and you'll eliminate excess impulse buying.

My second tip I've blogged about before. It's the "go to dinner list". Everyone should have one. I won't go into too much detail, you can click here to read my previous post. But this list is a lifesaver. When you brain is fried and you just can't think, pull out the list and find all your families favorite meals to choose from.

This third tip is is where I sometimes loose people, but I promise if you do it your week will go so much smoother. After I get groceries, I look at my dinner list and I try to do as much pre-prep for the week as possible. For instance, if veggies need to be chopped or if I need shredded chicken cooked, cheese grated etc... Anything that could possibly be done ahead of time I try to do over the weekend, when my husband is home to keep "r" out of my hair.

And last but not least...Post your weekly meal plan where your entire family can see it, especially you! I keep mine on the refrigerator. When I'm getting breakfast, I glance at it and remind myself what's for dinner that night. Then I know what I need to do throughout the day to prepare. Like take meat out of the freezer to defrost, put something in the crockpot etc...

These tips aren't anything special and they're certainly not rocket science, but they work. As mom's meal preparation has been something we've automatically been assigned, whether we like it or not. If you have husbands that have taken over this role, that's awesome! Or even if you have husbands that share in the task! Wonderful! But if you don't like to cook, and you find yourself stuck with this role, and you're completely stressed out, give this method a try and tell me if it doesn't help! I'd love to hear your feed back, or what tips you've found to help ease the stress of meal preparation in your house.

A birthday experiment...

I know I'm crazy but I really have an infatuation with cupcakes. I've always been a fan of cake, so in my mind a cupcake is just a little baby cake...a "mini me" cake. And who doesn't love a "baby" anything?

So for my husbands birthday yesterday I wanted to surprise him and take treats into his work. I also wanted to create something new and yummy; something I knew he would love. His favorite candy bar is a SKOR, or anything toffee and chocolate-ish. So I experimented with an idea...and this is what became of it...

Chocolate Toffee Caramel Cupcakes!

They were a hit. The toffee in the cake batter just melts and makes the cake super moist with a hint of toffee flavor. The caramel frosting with toffee bits on top are quite literally the frosting on the cake with a perfect little crunch. These will surely be seen around here again soon.


CHOCOLATE TOFFEE CARAMEL CUPCAKES
(Mindi Original)

1 box chocolate cake mix (your favorite brand and variety, I use chocolate fudge)
1 pkg. toll house toffee chips
½ C. butter (1 stick); softened
8-10 oz. caramel topping
3-4 C. powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare 24 muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box.
3. Add to the batter 1 package of toll house toffee chips (or favorite brand), reserving ¼ C. for garnish.
4. Divide the batter into the muffin tins and bake according to box instructions.
5. While baking mix the frosting by beating together the softened butter and the caramel topping until well combined.
6. Add the powdered sugar and whip to desired consistence. You may need to add a little more or less sugar according to your taste.
7. When the cupcakes are cool, frost and sprinkle with reserved toffee chips.