Tuna

In high school I was friends with a boy, Matt. Everyone called him Tuna. They called him Tuna because once in fifth grade he ate 4 tuna sandwiches because he just loved it that much.

Whenever I think of eating a tuna sandwich, I think of Matt and how funny it was that it was so very normal everyone just knew him as 'Tuna' all of our high school days.

I wonder if Tuna will read this.......hmmm....doubtful. You never know.

So its been awhile since I have eaten tuna but I have fond memories of my mom making tuna melts. They were the best. Sabrina wrote a great post on the memories we associate with food. Sometimes we like to eat foods, not necessarily because we love them, but for the fond memories the food brings back to us. This got me thinking of some of my own 'memory' foods. For me, its tart, plain yogurt with frozen cherries and a pinch of raw sugar. BLT's with lettuce and tomato fresh from the garden. Cold milk poured over crushed Saltines. (It's a Southern thing). I don't necessarily love these foods, or eat them regularly, but they sure do bring back memories. Memories so vivid and real its as if you were together eating these foods just yesterday. I love that feeling...

So back to the tuna. My mom would use good quality whole grain bread, toasted, with tuna salad and a slice of good mozzarella. This past weekend I got a craving for tuna, so I went with it. But honestly those little blue tuna cans in the store just give me the shivers. Same with Bumble Bee. The only way I enjoy Bumble Bee tuna is when Jim Carey is involved.

I went to Whole Foods and bought a can of the best tuna I could find. Apparently it was 'hand line/pole caught' ? That must be better than farm raised. And the claim on the package said I have never tasted a tuna like this before.

It really was the best tuna I have ever had. Totally worth the close to $3 price tag for one tiny can.


Here's the recipe for my 'healthy' tuna salad.

(horrible phone pic - sorry!! you all know what tuna salad looks like anyways)


1 can tuna
4 heaping tablespoons greek yogurt
A few healthy squirts of dijon mustard
2 large carrot sticks
2 celery stalks, all chopped
Chopped pickles (i really went crazy with these)
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper
green grapes (optional - they add a nice sweetness)

Mix. Enjoy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this salad! I really think the quality tuna made all the difference. Go get yourself some good tuna. But don't turn into one! :)

G'nite!

Healthy Living Summit

This weekend I had the privilege of attending the Healthy Living Summit here in Chicago. Friday afternoon we checked into our hotel, the Congress Plaza.


I couldn't wait to pick up my 'swag bag'!



They were so generous! Lots of goodies!

Hubby enjoyed some of the treats with me..


Friday night I attended the cocktail party at LaSalle Power Co and met a few of my favorite bloggers. It was so nice being surrounded by other women who share the same passion!


Gina and Sabrina

Heather, Alison, Kristie and Stacey

And Paige!

Saturday I was up bright and early ready for the summit to begin with breakfast at 8am. The spread of food was unbelievable. They had an oatmeal bar set up with all the fixings, tons of fresh berries, yogurt, bagel things, muffins, and more! Its safe to say I ate all day long. Just warning you.

I wish I had pictures of the actual summit, but my camera is filled with only food pictures!

Lunch was amaaaaazing. They had wonderful vegetarian options and I was like a kid in a candy store.

I can't wait to try to re-create the quinoa dish, it was so refreshing and delicious.



And moving onto snack time...


Gina generously brought her famous raw macaroons for the attendees and also handed out samples of Garlic Gold. Mmmmm....macaroons. They were perfectly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.

Athenos sponsored our snack time. Holy vegetable!

Check out the cucumber roll stuffed with hummus! How creative, these would be perfect for a party.


After the summit, Andrea and I got some fresh air and walked Michigan Ave. We stopped at The Purple Pig for a glass of vino. I really loved this place - everything on the menu looked delicious and they had an extensive wine list.




We finished up at the Pig and took a cab to our next stop - Chicago Curry House.


Baigan Bharta

Chana Masala

This was our first Indian feast and I am in love!!!!! Indian food = delicious.

Right now I'm enjoying a 100% organic farmer's market dinner. I wasn't too hungry from all the treats this weekend so I threw heirloom tomatoes, green pepper, and raw corn together with a dash of salt and pepper.


Its safe to say I am exhausted and am looking forward to going to bed early tonight. Monday tomorrow! Boo!

How was your weekend?

Have you ever had Indian food?

Check out this article I found on great sources of vegetarian protein.

Goodnight!

Ice ice baby.

I could sing Vanilla Ice all day in my car, couldn't you?

So tonight I got home from work and before I could talk myself out of it I put on my running shoes and went outside for a run. I'd say it feels like 100 degrees out but it's probably more like 85. I was sweating bullets! I'm not sure the distance I ran but I know I ran for about 40 minutes. I tried out a new area and was pleasantly surprised when I came upon a wooded area with a little lake and lots of nature to stare at while I ran. Love that.

So I finally made it back home and took an ice cold shower and when I got out, I was still sweating. Gah! After a green smoothie and collapsing in the AC, I feel much better.

This concoction had 1/2 banana, 1 scoop Sun warrior, 2 T flax, 1 t Vitamineral green, and 1 T cocoa powder.

An hour later I was ready for dinner. I mean breakfast...



I really should've made some veggies but all I wanted was cold, crunchy cereal! I mixed fiber one, pb puffins, frozen TJ berries, and almond milk. It was perfect!

I'm off to read a bit and do laundry. We might watch an old movie later if I can convince my husb..Brigadoon. Ever heard of it? Its old. Like me. :)

Hope you all have a lovely evening!

Home for the weekend.

Hey guys! How was your weekend?

Mine has been sooo relaxing! I visited my parents who live about 1.5 hrs from me Fri-Sun and my mom waited on me all weekend and treated me like a little princess. Why can't this be my life all the time?

My mom had to go to work for a couple hours on Saturday so my Dad asked me to join him at the gym. Of course I would! A little background on my Dad... he is the most in shape, healthy person I know. Seriously. He used to be a dairy farmer when I was a baby and worked really, really hard. Up at 4am and done working at 9pm. Since then he has started and successfully ran his own business that involves physical labor and has recently gotten his scuba diving license and visits Belize every other year or so for the wonderful diving! He has always grown food in his garden and helped our family appreciate fresh fruits and vegetables for all of their greatness. I feel so fortunate to have been raised by such a great dad, I'm very appreciate :) . So getting back to the gym, we ran 3 mi on the treadmill (he outran me! I took 2 one minute water breaks) and then swam laps in the pool for about 20 minutes. I felt amazing when we were done, swimming is a new exercise I would definitely like to start regularly doing. Its hard work but the water still feels really good, plus, you will not get bored.

Rewinding on Saturday morning, I had overnight oats prepped in the fridge. In my mom's yellow bowl... I'm pretty sure I used this bowl when I was 5.




For lunch I made my newest favorite! Whole wheat wrap with tomato, cucumber, pepper, onion, hummus, salsa, and hot sauce. On the side thats a sliver of some local swiss cheese made in a little shop by my parents house. Good stuff.



Apple with cinnamon and Better n' Peanut Butter.


For dinner, my mom grilled salmon!


My plate!

My dad wanted me to take a picture of his plate too, lol. He has always put his dinner on a bed of lettuce/spinach! I used to think it was weird, but now I do the same thing sometimes! Oh and I chopped that tomato on his plate, it was by MY plate because I obviously was planning on eating the whole thing and when I came to the table, all of the slices were on his plate! I was like Excuse me, you took my tomater?! Haha. Ahhh..exciting times on my Saturday evening.

We went outside before the sun set and I snapped a couple pretty pictures.


My moms kitty, Cali. Don't let her cuteness fool you, she's actually pretty mean! Most days. But she has her a good days. :) We've had her since she was a kitten, got her from a farm!





I wish I had a green thumb like my Dad. Maybe someday...

Then my mom and I decided banana/raspberry soft serve was a great idea..

Haven't tried banana soft serve yet? Just throw a frozen banana and a tiny bit of milk or water in your food processor and let it run till its creamy. The perfect substitute for fattening ice cream.

I sprinkled bear naked granola on mine for crunch!



And as if the weekend couldn't get any better, my mom made me french press coffee Sunday morning. It was my first time having french press, and I wanted to cry! The flavor was so rich and deep.

And there you have it, my weekend of indulgence...great food, family and friends. Thank you to my mama for being so ~sweet~ .

Have you ever tried french press coffee? I drink coffee maybe once every couple months, normally I prefer green tea!