Protein is suppose to be good when you're slimming down, right? It's better than scarfing down bagels and cream cheese :) I was meal prepping and since Mom's got gobs of it, I've been eating my fair share of Tuna. I like to eat it but every time I do I feel like I'm one of those gym junkies who is bulking up on my whey powder shake, living at the gym, lifting weights to the extreme and setting my alarm for 2 am just so I can eat a can of tuna for protein. I don't know where I got this mental image from but it's mainly what I think about every time I crack open a can of albacore. Maybe it's wishful thinking that eating tuna will give me muscles. I like to eat it with more than just mayo. I like to incorporate a lot of crunchy bits. I pretty much clean out the veggie bin and chop it up real fine. Another healthy "trick" is I like to put half mayo and half Greek yogurt into my tuna. Tangy and healthy (even more protein for muscle growth!)

Everything Tuna Salad

2 cans of tuna packed in water
2 scallions
3 radishes
4 baby carrots
2 stalks celery
4 dill baby pickles
Capers to taste
1 heaping Tbsp. of each: Mayo and Greek Yogurt
* I prefer Duke's Mayo but use whatever you like. I brought up my own stash of mayo from NC due to the unavailability of it above the Mason Dixon Line.*

I like to eat healthy and try making healthy alternatives to goodies I crave. That would be the case with these Hippie treats. They are a different version of Rice Crispie Treats. I have been really diving into some of the recipes I have pinned on Pinterest and surprised by what a good cook I am... and modest too! Sometimes the pictures look better on Pinterest than what really comes out or it doesn't taste the way it looks or I imagine it will be. That would be the case with my Hippie Treats. I think it was a good idea and I will still eat them. I might even make them again but I was hoping for a crispier snack. I got the recipe from a blog where the author likes to use Puffed/Toasted Quinoa. She buys it at Whole Foods in the bulk bin section. Let me tell you lady, you must be shopping in some magical land because I have checked MULTIPLE Whole Foods and other health food stores in multiple cities/states and it is impossible to find. I even looked on Amazon where I found it for $20 a box (OUTRAGEOUS!) I finally found a tiny box of puffed quinoa at Healthy Living (aka Wealthy Living) up here in S. Burlington but it was $5 and only 2 cups of grains. I NEEDED 6! I found a bag of puffed millet for only 1.99 and it looked like puffed quinoa. I'll just substitute it. I also decided to stray from the recipe a bit and I used real marshmallows instead of the vegan ones the author recommends. I was afraid of what they would taste like. I have a pretty open mind and like to try new things but I had a feeling they would ruin this recipe. So far Dad has sampled them but Mom is wary of trying them... Maybe we can get the kids to try them. They like sweets, right?!? Who are we kidding. Henry will eat anything that doesn't move or try to eat him first.


Hippie Treats

6 C. Puffed Quinoa (if you can find it) or millet
6 oz. Marshmallows
4 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp. Sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. Flax seeds


Melt the butter, marshmallows and syrup over medium heat. Then add dry ingredients until combined. Dump into a glass baking dish and squish down to fill out pan. Voila! 

I love being home but one of the downfalls is that I am surrounded by tasty treats at Mom and Dad's that I don't usually purchase on my weekly grocery store trips. Plus I have a real problem when it comes to carbs. I could eat my weight in bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, BEER, taters etc.  Plus now that I am in my 30's I've realized it takes a little bit more effort to slim down. It's not my college days anymore. I can't just eat a couple of salads and magically drop 5 lbs. I have to like, really work for lose half a pound.  And that's living off of rabbit food. On top of my #carbaddict status and enjoying the perks of travel nursing I am considering buying stock in elastic anything.  I refuse to miss out on regional food treats,  As Heather would say "I'm living life in the moment" and just getting used to my new curvaceous curves.  

I never knew how much I loved biscuits until I lived in the south.  When Dad came to visit NC this past spring we went out for lunch to Tupelo Honey ( It was AMAZING) and he bought Mom the restaurant cookbook. I've had a hankering for some southern delights when I cracked open the cookbook and decided to make something new. 

I have also started working some scattered night shifts for the first time in my life.  It's been a little boring. So I kill time by looking at food blogs and hunting down even more recipes to try. This is where my inspiration came to make Mom and Southern breakfast based on some recipes I found.


Tupelo Honey Red Eye Gravy

1/4 c. Chopped Country Ham
1/4 c. Chopped Virginia Ham
2 Slices chopped bacon
1/2 c. Chopped onion
1 Tbsp Flour
1 c. Chicken Stock
1/2 c. Coffee
1/2 c. Heavy Cream
Pepper

Throw the chopped meats and onion in a pan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the meats are crispy and the onions are translucent.  At flour and stir to form a roux. Cook 3 minutes. Add stock and coffee and crank up the heat to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Stir in cream and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Pour this magical concoction over biscuits. MMMMmmmmm!


Southern at Heart
Damarius Phillip's 
Collard Green and Grits Casserole.

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked yellow grits (not instant)
4 cups vegetable stock
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
2 shallots, small diced (1/2 cup)
One 10-ounce package frozen collards, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup ricotta
1 cup grated aged Gouda
2 large eggs, beaten


Directions
Add the grits, vegetable stock, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper to a 12-cup slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until tender, 5 to 6 hours. Now that the grits are done you can build the bake!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the coconut oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the collards and the garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute to remove excess water, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the heavy cream, collards, ricotta and half of the Gouda to the cooked grits, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Stir in the eggs and pour it all back into the skillet. Top with the remaining Gouda and bake until the center is just set and the top is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve hot or warm.


*** I can tell I am not in the south anymore because it was impossible to find country ham and frozen collard greens. If you living above the Mason Dixon Line you can substitute pancetta for country ham and I just cooked  fresh collard greens for 15 minutes in boiling water to soften them up for this recipe.