Quick, Healthy Lunch For One

As a pescatarian person in a world that centers on beef, chicken and bacon, I find that quick and affordable healthy meals can be a challenge.

My schedule sometimes allows me time at my home office and other days on the road. When I travel, the lunch options are somewhat limited and mostly unhealthy so I try to eat reasonably healthy when cooking at home.

I like to cook but am often pressed for time- either because of scheduling or because I wait till I’m already hungry to start preparing food.

Shortcuts are my friends.

One of my regular lunches is the best kind of shortcut. This family size stir fry was on sale and came with all the veggies plus two sauce packets. So it’s easy to make half of the bag at one time!

Sometimes they come with noodles. This one did not but that was fine because I had a microwaveable packet of jasmine rice. That rice packet claims to be a single serving. That seems like too much for one meal so I just use half.

Half of a family pack of veggies and half the rice packet are perfect together. Then I sauté some frozen shrimp to round out the meal.

It all cooks up quickly and it is affordable. Cooking for one or two doesn’t have to be the challenge that society tells us it is. You just have to be creative and smart.

Best Served Warm

You’ve probably heard the phrase “revenge is a dish best served cold.” Well, gluten free bread is best served warm. That goes for the English muffins and wraps too!

I have been working at reducing my gluten intake since learning that it can help with thyroid symptoms. At this point, I avoid gluten at home but simply do what I can other places.

I don’t eat a ton of bread but sometimes enjoy an egg sandwich, peanut butter and jelly on a toasted English muffin or the occasional veggie burger on a bun.

The good news is that there are a number of gluten free bread products in the frozen food case. So, even though the price for gluten free products is always exorbitant higher, there’s no waste like if I buy a fresh product that I forget is sitting on the counter. It probably all balances out in the end.

There are a couple of products from Kroger that are quite good. One is a thin bun and the other is an English muffin that has nice flavor when toasted.

This week, I needed something quick for lunches and picked up some gluten free wraps from the fresh bread shelf. One day, I made a breakfast burrito and was able to heat the wrap in a skillet while my eggs cooked. The next day it was just a regular cold wrap that reminded me of rolling up my veggies and avocado sauce in a piece of college ruled paper.

It’s incredible what a little heat can do to change the flavor and composition of food!

In case you are wondering, I do notice a difference when I eat gluten. The brain fog is real and I tend to feel more tired and sluggish, a gloomy reminder that a random piece of cake or family reunion light roll really isn’t worth the sacrifice.

If you have hypothyroidism, I would recommend experimenting with gluten to learn if or how it stresses your body and mind. Just remember to warm it up first!

Grandma’s Cake

My Grandma Betts made a cake that was kind of special because I remember only having it at Easter. It’s light and fluffy and tastes like spring.

It’s the simplest recipe in the world and I’ve seen it called a lot of different things, often on a Cool Whip container or magazine ad for canned pineapple.

We call it Mandarin Orange Cake.

She’s been gone for more than 25 years now. I was a freshman in college when she passed so I’ve lived more years without her than I did with her. It’s strange to think of it that way but she’s still with us when we have her cake.

Somewhere along the way. I picked up the tradition and always make it for Easter. I get a little heavy handed with the icing but that’s the best part, if you ask me. In fact. I like to make extra and just eat it off a spoon.

Yes, it’s that good.

Anyway, it’s not a state secret even if I do consider it a kind of family heirloom. If you’re interested, read on and give it a whirl for yourself.

Grandma Betts’ Mandarin Orange Cake

For the cake:

1 package of golden butter cake mix (any brand)

4 eggs

1 small can of mandarin oranges and their juice

1/2 cup of oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients by hand until oranges are broken up and mixed well into the batter.

Grease and flour three 8″ cake pans. Split batter equally among the three pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

* the recipe doesn’t specify but I mix the wet ingredients first before adding the cake mix.

For the icing:

1 large package of instant vanilla pudding mix

1 can of crushed pineapple (drain off about half of the juice)

1 large tub of Cool Whip

Mix all together.

Note: A three layer cake is a relatively tall cake. I bake the cakes the day before Easter and mix up the icing to allow the flavors to marry nicely. However, I assemble the cake on Easter morning so that it isn’t monopolizing fridge space for a long time.

We all have those flavors that represent a special time, place or person. This is mine. Hope you enjoy yours, whatever it may be.

Happy Easter!

Food Prep And Relaxation

Relaxation comes in different forms for different people. Personally, I find prepping for the week ahead very relaxing. Since I’m going back to the office today after some time working from home, yesterday morning was all about making food for the week and getting ready for my first workweek away from home.

I had become spoiled by not having to plan and pack lunches, opting instead to just walk into the kitchen and make something. I could throw a load of laundry into wash in the morning before work and put it away at lunchtime.

Since visiting the lunch room at work isn’t something I’m willing to do, I made pasta salad to go with a nice veggie tray or spinach salad.

I also made some chocolate chocolate chip zucchini bread to slice for the freezer, homemade granola and a mess of beans.

A veggie plate and fruit tray for the fridge encourage me to nibble on healthy snacks.

The two loaves of chocolate chocolate chip zucchini bread didn’t rise well but taste amazing. They have already been sliced and frozen for later.

In all, it was a productive morning and it felt good to make some things. It’s especially rewarding to make things that can be appreciate later. It’s probably odd that I relax while doing work but it really does feel good!

The Games We Play: Healthy Food Edition

I learned something about myself last week. When there are nicely arranged platters of fruits and veggies in the fridge, I eat about five times more fresh produce in a day than if it were all packaged up in separate containers.

It would be lovely to say that I’m exaggerating but it’s true! I had made fruit and veggie platters for a small retirement get together for my dad. Leftovers came home with me and I nibbled on them till they were completely gone. So I made smaller versions and found myself eating fresh veggies with every single meal!

What can I say? I’m a visual person and I like pretty things! Oh, the games I play to be healthier!

Veggie Quesadillas From Leftovers

A half package of tortillas has been languishing in the cupboard for a while. One of these days I’m going to learn how to make my own so that I don’t have to buy a giant package for one person. Meanwhile, I needed to do something with the leftovers.

It just so happens that I had an abundance of veggies and some vegan cheese waiting to be tried so it was veggie quesadillas for lunch! Actually, for a couple of meals because they were excellent and I had the supplies.

I just sautéed small amounts of veggies that I already had – onion, green pepper, mushrooms, squash and broccoli in one pan.

In another nonstick pan, I put down a tortilla, added the vegan cheese, and tossed in the veggies. Then I added the top tortilla and let it all warm up and brown on both sides.

Served with some lettuce, black olives, black beans, and barbecue sauce for dipping (you read the right- bbq sauce) and it was a delicious meal.

All ingredients were things I already had that would’ve been wasted and it came together in mere minutes. The green pepper had actually seen better days and was teetering on the edge of becoming compost so I was glad to give it purpose!

What’s your go-to meal for using up leftover veggies? I do a lot of stir fries and often sautée veggies to put on top of a baked potato. When I still ate eggs, omelettes were a wonderful way to use odds and ends.

Comment and share your ideas!