How to Spruce up your Chicken or Tuna Salad

If you're in a whole "New Year New You" weight loss craze right now and are in a frenzy looking for light and tasty meals (or even if you're not; I'm not), this is one of them.  For some reason, I always see dieting people eating chicken or tuna salad, and not really enjoying it.

First of all, if you're trying to lose weight, watch how much mayo you use.  Everything else is on point for a healthy lifestyle.

Second, I use this same recipe for both my chicken and tuna salad with the exception of the boiled eggs.  Those generally only go in my tuna, but don't taste bad in the chicken.  Also, I do not have a problem with celery per se, but I do have a problem with it in things.  It is one of those weird texture things, and I can only eat it alone or with a nut butter.  Off topic.

Anyhow, this particular day I made chicken salad.  I took inspiration for this recipe from my friend after the first time I had chicken salad at her house, and I am never going back to the old ways.

What you'll need:

• 2 large (12.5oz for chicken; 9oz for tuna) cans of chicken or tuna (packed in water), drained
• 1 medium apple, diced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup natural sliced almonds
• 2 T mayo or Miracle Whip
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 stalk celery, diced (optional)
• 2 boiled eggs, diced (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

You can also sprinkle in some parsley and basil if you're feeling froggy, but I did not do that this time.

What to do:

In a medium size bowl, toss diced apple in lemon juice to completely coat and set aside to soak.  This will hinder the oxidation process and prevent your apples from turning an ugly brown color.  Also, you get a fresh lemon flavor in your salad.

In a separate bowl, finely shred your meat with two forks (seriously, why did I never think to do this??).  Add mayo and spices and stir until all of the meat coated with mayo.

Remove apple from lemon juice (or keep the juice if you want some added citrus flavor in your salad) and add to chicken/tuna along with the almonds, celery, and eggs.  Stir until you have a nice even mixture.

Serve with crackers, on a sandwich, or just eat it out of the bowl with a fork.

Enjoy!

Makes about 4 servings.

New Year's Soup

I have my mother to thank for the inspiration for this dish.  She used to always make cabbage soup when I was growing up, and it was pretty damn tasty.

Once I became a responsible adult, I always dreaded the New Year meal.
A. Cabbage is not tasty.  Not only that, it smells awful.
B. While black eyed peas are not really bad, it is difficult to get creative with them.

After several New Years of failed meals, I finally remembered about my mom's cabbage soup. I made some adjustments for the occasion, added some secret ingredients, and made a meal worthy of Hell's Kitchen (according to me and my minions).

And the best part is that it doesn't leave your kitchen reeking of cabbage.

What you'll need:

• 1 lb chopped ham (I just bought a small pre-sliced honey ham and chopped it up)
• 1/2 head of cabbage, medium to large, chopped
• 1 cup dried black eyed peas, rinsed
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dried minced onion
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 T basil
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 2-3 dashes of Swampy's Bar-B-Q Rub (secret ingredient #1)
• 2-3 dashes of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (secret ingredient #2)

**This soup does NOT need salt**

What to do:

Warm the ham in the bottom of a large stock pot over medium heat.  I like to let it sizzle for about 4-5 minutes to bring out some of the flavor.  Stir in garlic and let cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and stir it all together.  You may or may not need more water, depending on how big your cabbage is.  Make sure it is all covered up with liquid.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.

Reduce to medium-low heat (slightly more on the medium side), cover, and let simmer for about an hour, or until beans are nice and tender.

Serve with cornbread, and you have a highly inexpensive, highly delicious meal to get you ready for your prosperous year.

Enjoy!

Prep time: About 10 minutes

Cook time: About an hour

Serves: 6-7

15 Ways to Burn Extra Calories without Changing your Daily Routine

You're already eating healthy, but you're having trouble finding time to work out between work, kids, and maintaining your househould (if you're doing this last one, then you're already doing better than me).  Well, believe it or not, there are small ways that you can burn extra calories without having to find time to do them.  Yes, you can burn calories without changing your daily routine.

1. Park farther away.
Whenever you get to work or the grocery store, park farther away than you normally would, even if it's only by a few parking spaces at first.  Those extra steps add up.  Try working your way up to to moving farther and farther away from the entrance.


2. Return the buggy.
Instead of leaving your grocery basket in the parking spot next to you, return it to a designated buggy corral.  Or, if you're feeling froggy, bring it back into the store.


3. Swing your arms.
The more parts of your body that are working, the more calories you are burning.  Adding a little swing in your step can subtract a few more calories.


4. March while you sit.
This is great if you have a desk job or are a student who spends a lot of time sitting.  Lifting your legs up and down in a marching motion can not only work out your leg muscles, but also help with circulation.


5. Do heel raises while you brush your teeth.
Start off doing 15 every time you brush your teeth.  Increase by one every day (or every other day) until you get to doing 50 standing
heel raises every time you brush your teeth.  This small workout tones all of the muscles in the back of your leg.

Img src: http://www.coastrehab.com/blog/wp-content/images/2011/08/heelraises1.gif

6. Work out your arms while you cook.

While you're waiting for the water to boil or the lasagna to bake, grab a couple of canned goods from your pantry and experiment with different ways of toning your arms.

7. Dance and clean.

Turn up the music, and shake it while you work.

Img src: http://mlblogsjaneheller.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/dancing-woman21.gif?w=327&h=537

8. Prepare your own meal.

Believe it or not, cooking and food preparation burns calories.  Just ask MyFitnessPal.  As an alternative to frozen dinners and fast food, chop up your own veggies.

9. Chew gum.

Yes, this actually burns a small amount of calories.  It also helps you resist the urge to snack.

10. Laugh.

Tell a joke.  Listen to a comedy station on your drive home.  Laughing not only burns calories, it works your ab muscles and helps you unwind after a long day.

11. Leg exercises while watching TV.

Or even when you're reading.  Do this as an alternative to just sitting still will help you burn more calories for the day and tone your legs.

12. Do jumping jacks before every shower.

What are you doing while you're waiting for the water to get hot?  Nothing.  Do some jumping jacks (or push-ups).  No matter how many you do, you're already burning more calories than you were before.

13. Tighten your core.

Every time you think about it, suck in your belly and tighten your abs.  Do it every time you stop at a red light, or every time you hear a commercial on the radio.  Just whenever you think about it, tighten it.

14. Fidget.

This burns more calories that you would think.  You know your friends who have a naturally high metabolism?  Not the ones who work out, but the ones who can eat like crap all the time and still manage to stay thin?  Watch them and see how often they actually sit still.
Tap or wiggle your feet when you sit, roll your chair back and forth, move around.

15. Wear heels.

Anyone who has ever walked a flight of stairs in heels can tell you that that is much more of a workout that climbing stairs in flats.  Wear the highest pair of heels you own (carefully, of course) to vacuum in, to do squats in, or clean the kitchen.

Burning calories does not have to be awful, and you don't have to take extra time out of your day to do any of these things.  No more excuses.

Recipe - Goulash with Chicken and Rice

There are so many variants of goulash recipes, it's ridiculous.  If I am correct, it is basically just a medley of ingredients thrown together into a soup.  If it's not that, whatever.  I call this dish I make "goulash," so there.  I always make enough to last for a few days, and it's a great use for leftover chicken or Thanksgiving Turkey.

I should probably mention, before I get started, that I never measure anything when I cook.  If you're looking for a recipe that has exact measurements, you will be sorely disappointed.  Also, I never make this dish the same way twice, so I will include different options.

I will start off with how I made it on this particular evening, and then offer different options for you to adjust to your personal taste.

What you will need:

• chicken (I usually use 3lbs of boneless skinless breasts)
• instant brown rice (4 servings)
• 1 can of cannellini beans - drained and rinsed
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can drained corn
• 1-2 zucchini and/or yellow squash - sliced
• chicken broth (optional)
• marinade (optional)
• very large mixing bowl or stock pot

Having this for dinner was a last minute decision, so I didn't have time to marinate my chicken.  I made the decision to boil it in the marinade (hooray for executive decision making!).  You can cook your chicken however you want (boil, bake, use leftovers), as long as it ends up ripped up or cut up in your dish.  For the purpose of the recipe, I will let you in on what I used for a marinade.

Marinade:

• honey
• soy sauce
• red wine vinegar
• lemon juice (about 3 capfuls)
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper
• dried diced onions
• parsley

Instructions:

• Combine marinade ingredients in the pot with your chicken.  Fill the rest of the way with water, cover, and boil on medium heat until chicken is done.  Remove the chicken and let sit on a plate until it is cool enough to rip apart.  Save the broth.
• While the chicken is cooking, put zucchini and/or squash slices in a buttered skillet.  Saute on low until cooked through.
• Combine beans, tomatoes, and corn in a large skillet and heat on medium low until tomatoes and beans are done.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Rice: follow the directions on the box.
• Combine all cooked ingredients in a very large bowl or stock pot and stir together.  If you boiled the chicken, use about 1.5-2 ladle-fuls of the broth in the mixture to moisten the rice.

And this is what you get:

Well, this is what I got.  It looks funny.  It tastes awesome.

Now of course you're wondering about variations.  Like I mentioned earlier, I don't think I have ever made this the same way twice.  Here are a few ways to vary it up a bit:

1. Use leftover chicken or turkey.  You can pull it apart and warm it up in a skillet.
2. Steamed broccoli instead of zucchini.
3. Black beans (or any kind of beans) instead of cannellini beans
4. Pasta instead of rice.
5. Use whatever vegetables you want (example: leftover Thanksgiving veggies).

Enjoy!

Reheating Tip: Put some water in a microwavable cup and leave it in the microwave while reheating the food.  It helps prevent drying out of the food.