I'm always trying to increase my fish intake, but decent tasting fresh fish is incredibly difficult to get in our area. The only store that sells consistently good seafood is Earthfare, but the prices are super high. Since one of my food goals is to eat fish at least once a week, this often means I have to rely on canned tuna a lot. The problem with canned tuna is that it usually needs massive amounts of mayonnaise to make it taste good. My personal favorite use of canned tuna is a tuna melt; made with plenty of mayonnaise and vinegar, topped with a bunch of melty, gooey cheese. Oh, and lots of garlic. Mmmmmm.... However, obviously, this recipe is not diet-friendly. So I've been playing around with healthier tuna salad recipes, and I finally found a winner!
I've been seeing a recipe for "Skinny Sour Cream Enchiladas" pop on Pinterest for months now, but I've ignored it because it seemed too good to be true. Mexican food is my comfort food, and comfort food is rarely diet-friendly. So I've been avoiding making Mexican (my favorite cuisine) because I haven't been able to bear the thought of turning my beloved recipes into something that tastes "healthy". But on the hundredth viewing of this recipe, I finally gave in and decided to give it a try. I went in feeling very doubtful. I must have warned my husband ten times not to expect too much because it was made "healthy". I started feeling hopeful, however, when I saw that the recipe was very similar to my own enchilada recipe. So I combined my own recipe with Skinny Mom's recipe, and...oh.... my....gosh... It was crazy good. It was gooey and creamy, and spicy and hot. It did not taste "healthy". It tasted like the comfort food I've missed so much since I've started this diet. I can say, without a doubt, this is by far my favorite "healthy" recipe I've made so far. Did I mention it's under 300 calories a serving?!
It's been a whole month since I started Operation Lose the Baby Weight. It feels like it's been a lot longer! But I'm happy to say that it's working. Slower than I would like, but at least the weight is coming off. I've lost 7.2 pounds so far.
Every person has their own food commandments and rules: foods that must be avoided, the number of sides (if any) that must be made, a cuisine that is adhered to the most, how often dessert is offered, and so on. Obviously, my own food rules play heavily into this blog. Some of my rules you might have already noticed or suspected. Or maybe you've just been wondering why I never use a certain ingredient. If you know me in real life, then you probably are already aware of most of my "rules". But for those of you who don't know me, here is a list of my food rules and commandments:
Every year, there is a new "it" vegetable: a veggie that become crazy popular due to it being revealed as a nutritional powerhouse. Last year it was sweet potatoes; this year it is definitely kale. Kale is packed with vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C, and has significant health benefits such as cancer protection and lowering cholesterol. It is also a great source of potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, and fiber. Plus, it is super low in calories, making it a great diet food.
Lately, I have really been wanting to enjoy some comfort food. Of course, almost all comfort food is high in calories and fat, so I knew it was going to be difficult finding a healthy substitute. I found a couple casserole recipes that used quinoa instead of rice, and I was intrigued. I love quinoa; I think the texture is incredibly pleasing, and it has the added benefit of being super nutritious too. I had some leftover cooked chicken and a bag of frozen broccoli, so I decided to try to create a healthy Chicken & Broccoli Quinoa Casserole. Not only did it turn out great, I also managed to keep it under 500 calories a serving!
