Tuna & Crackers

Yes you saw correctly, this one is about tuna and crackers! I am not talking about the usual boring tuna, as one would expect when on a diet or a healthier way of eating, nor am I talking about the usual national cream or water crackers or crix's wheat, original or multigrain crackers (although those by themselves are tasty enough). My friends I am talking about mustard mayoed (yes I made up the word) tuna and zucchini crackers! Why in heavens name would anyone be excited about tuna and vegetables, no matter how you spin it?  

Well I was headed to the kitchen for my next meal and realized I didn't know what it was going to be. The easiest and most convenient thing in my cupboard is canned tuna, but I was not in the mood for the usual 'salt and pepper' tuna and certainly I wasn't the mood to cook either. So what did I do? I opened the cupboard and stood there...wondering what I could use to jazz it up and give it a 'smothered in mayo' kinda vibe without the 'other stuff'. Tired of doing that I decided on my usual an apple cider vinegar, splenda, mrs dash concoction but added some ground mustard to it. And while I didn't get the 'thick' mayo feel, it certainly made the tuna tastier, yet, it was still missing something.

Of course 'crackers' immediately popped in my head and since it's not exactly part of 'the program' I quickly dismissed it. At least that's what I thought until I found myself standing in front of the fridge...wondering what could give me that tuna & crackers experience without spoiling the diet. And then it HIT me like a bolt of lightning....zucchini!

Immediately I grabbed that, sliced it up, tossed on some seasonings, turned on my george foreman grill and threw them on. In less than 5 mins, I had perfectly grilled zucchini crackers topped with my sweet & tangy mustard tuna. Not only did I satisfy a craving but it did so while keeping my diet in tact!! And THAT folks is why I am excited about tuna and crackers!

 Notes: use more yellow mustard and less vinegar for thicker 'mayo' for the tuna; zucchini can be pan seared in a skillet instead of grilled to make it crunchier, either way its still tasty as a snack or an entire meal! Enjoy

Snack Time

If ever there was a favourite food type past time, it would be 'snacking'. Don't get me wrong, I love me some good food, but only when I'm in the mood for it. Snacking however, is the cure for all kinds of moods, be it the good, the bad and the indifferent. It is the never failing, feel good 'thing' we look forward to each day. The reality though is that while we look forward to the snacks themselves, most of which are laden with unhealthy fats and tons of sugar, we do NOT look forward to the potential health hazards and expanding wasitline from 'snacking'. So does that mean give up snacking? Absolutely not! If you can limit the calories or rather make them fit into your daily caloric requirement, making your own versions of these same snacks with heathier ingredients and options is the way to continue your favourite past time.

So what are these options I speak of? The rule of thumb (by my standards) is the more natural and less processed it is, the healthier it is. But isn't it likely to taste awful? you might ask? I say, no, not if you add your own touch of creativity to it. Let's take granola bar or oatmeal cookies for instance. With some, oatmeal, wheat germ, splenda (or honey), raisins/cranberries all mixed in a bowl, pressed into a square baking dish and baked for 10 minutes you can get the same yumminess as a nature valley bar but with 1/2 the calories.

Another favourite of mine is my quick oatmeal rounds/cookies. zero fat and 1/3 the cals of the store bought type. All it takes for 2 servings (2 people)

1. 1 cup quick oatmeal (option: in a food processor, blend to get a flour type texture)
2. 1-2 egg whites, whisk in 1 tsp vanilla to this
3. 2 tbsp splenda (or 1 tbsp light corn syrup)
4. raisins/cranberries (optional)

5. cinnamon

6. 1/4 tsp baking powder

combine dry ingredients first then add wet ingredients. mix until combined. spoon mixture into balls unto lightly greased baking sheet, press flat using bottom of glass or hands, bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until edges become lightly browned.

I usually have these as my mid am snack with a protein shake or as the carb portion of breakfast after an intense am workout. They are also delicious with coffee or tea or plain yogurt as a mid morning snack. Seems like a simple way to get a treat packed with all the good nutrients to fuel the body for the day ahead, wouldn't you say?

Classic Treats - healthy indulgence

So you've been a good girl or guy for 6 days out of the week, sticking to your diet, keeping up with exercise and getting everything else done, without having a meltdown...hooray! You deserve a treat,don't you think? The ultimate treat for me, outside of 2 scoops of the infamous devon house ice cream, is made right at home with the help of a few key ingredients. I call it Indulgence...cause that is really what it is. This can't possibly fit in with the 'Fit Food Bites' philosophy you might say, but I beg to differ. Why and How?

For one, it is a TREAT , a way of giving yourself a mental break from the regimen of 'dieting' (if you are ding so) and something to look forward to at the end of the week.Two, it arguably has about 3/4 less the calories and fat than any store bought product with you controlling the ingredients. For these 2 reasons, it is an indulgence I will indulge in as many Sundays as I can afford or choose to.

Ingredients:

For Ice cream:

• Breyers (lactose free) vanilla or low fat ice cream or ben & jerry's fro-yo (chocolate fudge)

For Cake:

1. Box Duncan Hines Chocolate cake mix (or whichever is preferred) 
2. 3 egg whites
3. 1 cup water
4. 1/3 cup natural applesauce
5. 1 cup oreo thins (crushed)
6. 1/2 cup marshmallows (optional)  
7. chocolate cake frosting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease and flour 9X10" baking pan, set aside. Mix cake according to box directions substituting apple sauce for oil and egg whites for whole eggs. To mixture gently fold in 3/4 crushed oreo thins and marshmallows (don't over mix). Place cake on center rack in oven and bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool. 

Cover cool cake with chocolate frosting. sprinkle remaining oreo things over top. 

For Indulgence:

layer cake, then ice cream, then cake, then ice cream as much as you desire. top additionally with chocolate powder, oreo thins or whatever else you desire. 

dig in and enjoy! Happy Sunday!

Patties for Breakfast anyone?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day we've heard for as long as we can remember! Yet so many people I've come to realise don't indulge in this as they should sighting many reasons as not being able to eat so early or don't have the time to get up and do it and blah blah blah, it goes on! I am however a firm believer in breakfast, and while it must be the most important, it doesn't have to be the large fare so many think it is. Filling and effective fuel is what breakfast should be. You wouldn't put inferior fuel into your car and expect it to run properly would you? So why do that to your body?

For those without the time or want something simple, here's a quick and easy 'all-in-one' Patty, packed with all the good foods your body deserves to start the day. Caveat - assumes you have left over sweet potato or pumpkin from last night's dinner in your fridge or you can cook 2 medium sweet potatoes.

Ingredients;

1 can tuna, small onion (diced), 2 plummy tomatoes (chopped), 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato (either use leftover or cook potatoes and then mash), 1 egg white

Preheat oven 350F, lightly spray baking dish/sheet/pan,

Combine onions, tomatoes, tuna. Mix in mashed potato until fully combined. Add egg whites and combine ensuring all is mixed in. Using hands, form balls of mixture, and place in baking dish flattening either using bottom of glass or with/in hands before placing in dish.

Bake in oven for 12 mins or until edges get slightly browned.

Serves 1 - 2 people.

Seafood Diet...no I don't mean eat all you see!

So for the past 3+ months I've been having no other meat but seafood, hence 'Seafood Diet'. :) And while I never fancied this regular amount of seafood, especially on a pre-contest diet, I've somehow found the simplicity and uncomplicated nature of this piece of meat, refreshing.

A few basic rules when it comes to seafood, that I've found and not necessarily going by any culinary laws, especially fish fillets and shrimp, are:

1. It takes very little time to cook it, so cooking it more than 15-20 minutes is overkill.

2. It ain't chicken, so you don't need to rough it up. In other words be gentle with it given its delicate nature.

3. Start with fresh, use simple, fresh herbs and don't be afraid of a dash of lime juice/vinegar.

4. steaming (oven or cook-top), baking and poaching are the simplest ways, that I've found, of making a quick fish meal and still get all the great flavours in.

5. Pairings with fresh veggies like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, string beans or the heartier pairings like sweet potato, yam and pumpkin transform any seafood into a mouthwatering restaurant worthy dish.

With these in mind, your trusty roasting pan, skillet or steamer you can cook up tasty meals for either yourself, friends or a nice family dinner. I have cooked up for the most part, myself, but my co-workers have surely complained on a daily basis about me torturing them with the heady smells of 'tasty food' that they refuse to believe is diet food!

1. Cut up veggies of choice and set aside.

2. bring to a boil water in steamer and steam pumpkin until flesh is soft and skin can be cut through easily with a fork.

3. Meanwhile, heat skillet, spray lightly with cooking spray and add fish. Brown on one side before turning over for 1 minute before covering with lid and let cook until fish cooks through (test with a fork it should barely flake away). Add okra last 2 mins before turning off heat.

4. For shrimp, heat skillet and spray with pam (or cooking spray of choice), add shrimp. let heat through 2-3 mins stirring occasionally until shrimp is completely cooked through. Add broccoli & carrots just before turning heat off and let it sit 2 mins more before removing from heat completely.

Cut veggies - broccoli, okra, red onions, pumpkin, and get steamer  set up (bring water to  boil)

Lightly season seafood (Snapper, Shrimp) with your favourite herbs (mrs dash, garlic, pepper etc) 

Put pumpkin in steamer 1st, while fish & is placed in a lightly sprayed skillet,  covered  and left to cook until it turns opaque in colour; add okra last 2mins, and red onions just before turning off heat.  

In lightly sprayed skillet add shrimp and cook until pink, add broccoli last min, cover and turn off heat

The finished product, shrimp & broccoli medley, fish & okra  both served up with a side of pumpkin

Cooled and ready to be stored.

Fit Food Bites

I'm a foodie which to most people means "someone who absolutely loves food...all kinds even"! On the one hand I'd tend to agree, but on the other...I don't. Yes I AM a foodie but what I love about food is making it MY OWN! Putting my own stamp on it, taking the most mundane foods and livening it up, and for me most of the time that means DIET food! Yes, I said it DIET food! A diet in the simplest terms is what you eat day in, day out. Once you consume food, whether you are a plant, animal or human, we ALL have a diet!

So Fit Food Bites is MY way of sharing with you how some of the most bland and boring 'diet' foods can be transformed into the most pleasing and pleasurable injections to one's taste buds. They certainly have been to mine! I may even through in the occasional 'cheat' food but even then there's a way to improve its 'healthy' profile!

I will be sharing pics of the how to's, even a video clip or two as well as tips and tricks to make it YOUR own. I am no chef, so I can only vouch for what has worked for ME. But I certainly welcome you to ask as many questions as you like, make comments and give your suggestions, maybe a tip or two of your own on how to keep it simple, keep it fresh but most importantly keep it refreshingly satisfying.

Fit Foodie