Chicken Margarita

The great thing about cooking with my sister-in-law is she is the epitome of my "use what you have, use what you can" motto.

I thought it would be fun to post this meal because it came out delicious and it's all about making do.

Alcohol-free Margarita Mix is a sweet salty mix of citrus fruit flavors including orange, lemon, & lime that makes a fantastic marinade.

It's the perfect marinade for chicken.

I did not have the chicken I usually have, so we used a family pack of chicken legs. I cut most of the skin off to keep the calorie and fat count of the meal down. You just don't need it, and you probably won't even miss it.

We marinated the chicken (pork would be good too) with Margarita Mix in zipper baggies for an hour or two.

While the meat was marinating, we prepared the rest of the food.

We cut up:
 potatoes
 carrots
 scallions
 red bell peppers

We put them in a large pot, adding salt, fresh parsley, and Margarita Mix. The Margarita Mix I happened to get did not have a lot of salt in it. Be sure to check the ingredients on yours, and taste it as you go, it will change as it cooks, and you don't want to add too much salt. Just enough ;)

We cooked that down all together. It's ready when the potatoes are cooked. 

Potatoes like this in the Margarita Marinade, are not only a great warm side dish. This also creates a wonderful version of a mayonnaise-free summer potato salad served cold.

This is quite citrus-y and flavorful. If the lemon/lime flavor is too bitter for you, add a pinch of sugar to taste. Margarita Mixes vary to begin with, and change as they cook. You may have to play around with flavors, adding more orange slices, and even a bit of sugar to get the flavor you like as you go.

We really cooked the hell out of this potato carrot peppers combo, as we all like these veggies to be quite soft.

Separately we cooked some fresh broccoli. We only blanched it, so it would still have some crunch, but again this is your choice.

Then we began to cook the chicken.

We had originally planned to put the chicken on the barbecue. But it turned out we didn't have charcoal.

Yes, that's right, we have an old fashioned BBQ that uses charcoal not gas. We prefer the flavor.

If you were doing this chicken on the barbecue, it's a really nice addition to cut some citrus fruits in half and put them right on the grill too.

It's also delicious to put some other veggies marinated in Margarita Mix onto the grill. Slice eggplant and peppers long ways into thick strips and place them on the grill. You can brush additional Margarita Mix onto all of it.

Since we wound up not barbecuing this, we decided to put the chicken legs into a large skillet.

You could lightly brown the chicken first in a little cooking oil or a little Brummel and Brown yogurt-based butter substitute. You can skip this step if you'd like.

Once the meat is browned, pour in some Margarita Mix and add some sliced citrus fruit. We also added salt. We planned to add fresh parsley and dill but we forgot.

Despite not having this and forgetting that, the meal turned out delicious.

And I'm not just saying that because we were two margaritas in by the time we ate. ;)

You can eat the cooked fruit. It doesn't just add flavor to the chicken and color to the meal. You can even eat the rind.

Once cooked like this, the rind and pith looses its bitterness. It becomes soft and easy to eat. Candied rind and grated citrus rinds or "zests" are included in lots of foods from marmalades and preserves, to duck sauce and meat glazes, as well as confections such as lemon bars. 

Eating soft cooked lemon, lime, and orange zests like this will reduce stomach cramps and gas, and improve digestion. Orange peels especially contain a huge amount of phytonutrients and flavonoids. Citrus rinds are used to treat scurvy as they hold the majority of the vitamin C in these fruits. Additionally, they can lower cholesterol and significantly reduce your chances of stomach and intestinal cancers. Lemon peel extract is a primary ingredient in Ayurvedic liver tonics.

Take a bite of the soft cooked rind. If you don't like it, oh well. Don't eat any more of it, just eat the fruit out of the slice as you normally would.

Use any left over chicken and citrus bits from this meal to serve with sliced cucumbers, celery, tomatoes and lettuce as part of a cold salad. Oh, and add a little olive oil to a little margarita mix and you have a lovely salad dressing.

By the way, here's a thought for cooking and drinking with Margarita Mix. Skinny versions, diet or light ready-drink Margaritas and Margarita Mixes like many diet product, can contain an artificial sweetner. I'd prefer to just have the sugar. But when every calorie counts, and when you're only having it in moderation, maybe a light version is a good choice. It's up to you.

Have a great summer, and a fun time exploring new recipe ideas. Enjoy the food you choose! 

Leafy Greens

This is Swiss Chard.

It's one of the many leafy greens out there that you're probably not eating.

Kale, dandelion greens, mustard greens, escarole, spinach, and collards are on that list too.

They're all different but here's some general information to keep in mind.

The large leaves are great to use as wraps. Try wrapping some sauteed vegetables, or ground meat and seasonings, into the large Swiss Chard leaf instead of a tortilla or pita. Wrap some left over chicken with a sprinkle of feta cheese. Or make a large leafy green wrap with some tuna fish.

Steam or saute leafy greens alone or with other vegetables you're preparing like carrots or string beans. If kale or dandelion leaf has a strong or bitter taste you don't take to, cure it with acid. By using lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or adding some tangerine or pineapple slices into the recipe, you will fix that bitter taste.

Leafy greens are high in vitamins A, B, C, and K, as well as calcium, iron, and fiber. They offer lots of other nutritional benefits too. They contain a lot of antioxidants and they aid the body in preventing cancer.

Leafy greens are roughage. Roughage adds bulk to your diet. It promotes healthy bowel function and aids in digestion.

One last thing to remember is that leafy greens make you feel full. They're absolutely fabulous for people trying to cut calories. It will surprise you how much less you'll eat and how full you'll feel when you add a nice helping of leafy greens to a meal.

Chop up some turnip greens and add them in to your chicken salad, or your sauteed veggies or your rice dish. Give it a try. Add more leafy greens to the foods you choose.

Left Overs

I really want to encourage you not to prepare too much food. By learning to make the right amount, you'll avoid the temptation to lose site of portion control.

However, sometimes you will wind up with a little extra.

Also, when you only need half a can of beans or half a piece of chicken for a recipe, you have those extra components; left overs from the recipe.

First, store them correctly. I really like these little containers by Gladware or Rubbermaid. It's easy to include them in with a packed lunch. For some reason I think when you see one of these in the fridge it's more appetizing than a tin foil covered plate. Is it just me?

Along the same lines of adding in a little container of the left over chicken or beans to someone's lunch, you can use the leftovers in a Bento box meal. In Japan a dinner is often prepared with the intent to have a small portion left over just for the Bentos the next day.

Another thing you can do is to think a little bit outside the box. Here I've added a couple spoonfuls of left over sauteed vegetables to a cold dinner side salad. A lightly sauteed mix of potato, carrots,  and string beans went nicely with this tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad. I just added a dash of Italian dressing.

Cold steak, ham, chicken, or fish can go perfectly on a cold salad.

Do you have any burgers or burger meat left over from a barbecue? Try breaking up cooked chopped meat in a tortilla with feta, sprouts, cucumbers and low fat ranch dressing. That's a nice lunch! Add some tomato or left over beans. 

I've also added a left over half cup of vegetables that I didnt need in a recipe I was preparing, to breakfast the next day.

Adding fresh vegetables into an omelet is always fun.

In Europe and Great Britain, it's common to have beans with breakfast. Potatoes too. Don't restrict yourself to just eating foods for breakfast that you've always been told are appropriate for breakfast. Have you ever been to a brunch someplace where they've put out lots of "lunch" type foods too?

You could add left over chicken and scrambled eggs to a breakfast sandwich or wrap. Add a little salsa and low fat cheese and that's an excellent big breakfast. If you feel like having a piece of your left over vegetable pizza for breakfast, go ahead. It's nutritious, delicious, and it's there! It's a smart use of left overs and a smart way to think about the food you choose.

7 Tips For Healthy Eating Through Summer Social Gatherings

One of the sure stumbling blocks to making smart food choices is social gatherings.

As we come into the season of barbecues, I'd like to offer a few suggestions.

1 - Bring a dish you can eat.

I've offered this tip before and I'll do it again, because I really believe it's a good idea. It's a way to contribute positively to the gathering, while insuring there will be something there you can feel good about eating.

2 - Eat before you go.

Don't show up hungry to a party packed with chips and dips. If you want to take a taste of this or a little of that, fine. If you've already eaten those little nibbles will be satisfying.

3 - Be active at the party.

If it's a pool party, swim. Start a game of frisbee, invite someone to take a walk around the neighborhood with you so you can check it out. Offer to take the dog for a walk. Play badminton or  keep away or whatever game you can get going where people have to move around a little bit. Join in or start it yourself. Throw a football around. Don't just sit in one spot and eat.

4 - Make due. Use what you have, use what you can.

We don't eat beef or pork, so a party serving regular hotdogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and kielbasa may not have a lot of options for us.

I had a hamburger roll with no meat on it. I had tomato, lettuce, pickles, Italian dressing and cheese on it. No one noticed I didn't have any meat on it.

I also had the string beans and the pasta salad. I worked with what I had and did not eat anything I wasn't happy with. I had a couple of beers, a couple bottles of water and was more than satisfied. I had a nice helping of fruit for dessert and avoided the cupcakes and ice cream.

No, of course a salad on a roll would not be my first choice of dinners. And I wouldn't normally eat bread like that while having pasta in the pasta salad a couple hours later. But of the items that were offered, these were the better ones, and I made it work. I avoided the high fat, high calorie, really unhealthy options like the beef cheeseburger,  and the foo foo summer drinks. It was fine.

5 - Be careful the rest of the week and enjoy yourself at the party.

Maybe if you practice good portion control for five or six days surrounding the party, skip desserts and snacks, and make really good choices, then you can go ahead and have that cheeseburger and that margarita and that brownie at the party.

My husband says, you can eat whatever you want, you just can't eat all of it. I quote that a lot because it's brilliant. You can have one margarita once in a while. You can have a taste of the French fries, or a bite of cake. You can enjoy the party fare once in a while. Practice portion control, space out your decadent days, and you can find a balance that works for you.

6 -  Choose.

If you're starting out making better food choices, and you need to take an even smaller step here, that's ok. Any step is better than no step.

Try choosing. Have either a hamburger or a Kielbasa instead of both. Have either a daquiri or the cake dessert instead of both.

When you choose to eat something you know isn't the best choice for yourself, then decide not to have something else.

7 -  Don't go.

I thought about this a lot, and I have decided to put this out there.

For most barbecues, pool parties, beach outings and summer picnics you can find a way to make it work. I've given you lots of suggestion on how to do that.

I do not want you to think you can't have a normal happy social life while making good food decisions. Of course you can.

But at the same time, I want to empower you. I want you to know you're allowed to make choices with your best interest in mind. Just like you choose food, you can choose the social events you partake in.

I received a sweet email from someone asking advice on what to do when she's invited to her former workmate's barbecues. She said the food is always unhealthy, they do nothing but sit around and drink, and make fun of her if she passes up something. She said she dreads these get togethers.

This is my advice. If you're dreading it, don't go.

Choose to be around supportive people. Choose to go on a hike with your friends or play catch with your kids or take a bike ride with your partner instead of going to a party you don't feel good about.

Give yourself permission to make healthy choices. Whatever that means for you. That includes the people you allow in your life, the places you go, the things you do, and the food you choose.

Asian Helper, Chicken Fried Rice, Improved!

This is another very easy, inexpensive one-pot dinner you can whip up on the fly with little or no notice. With just a few tweaks you can take a relatively speaking no-fat low-cal ready-meal and make it even better.

The only fresh ingredient I'm using is chicken. I'm doing this to demonstrate that by keeping some decent canned food in your pantry you can always create something delicious, and avoid the fast food temptation.

The Hamburger Helper line of products includes Chicken Helper, Tuna Helper, and Asian Helper. 

Here I used the Asian Chicken Helper Chicken Fried Rice.

Before adding whatever you're going to add, like chicken, the rice and seasoning with some dried vegetables included in this box contains 90 calories, 0 fat, and 2 grams of protein, per serving.

That's really not bad.

Instead of adding a pound of chicken, I added 1/2 lb, and used 1/2 can of peas, 1/2 can of beans, and a small can of mushrooms.

The pinto beans I used are not authentic to fried rice. But I wanted to add protein with less calories. If you wanted to stay with a more traditional chicken fried rice dish, leave out the beans and add all of the peas.

I used the chicken I had, which worked just fine.

The left over beans, chicken, and peas could be saute'ed for an easy lunch wrap, or serve that cold on a salad.

1 - I cut the chicken and and put it in the skillet on medium high with the little bit of cooking oil like the instructions say.

I added the mushrooms to the chicken so they'd cook a little longer.

2 - Then I added the hot water, seasoning mix and uncooked rice like the directions said. I added the beans to that step.

3 - Again I just followed the instructions, covering the mix once it came to a boil. I added the peas at that point, and simmered for 20 minutes.

I personally found the rice wasn't quite finished so I let it cook another 5 minutes, and it was perfect.

By the way in this photo there's a double batch, so figure you're going to have about half this much if you're making one box. One box is five servings.

4 - The fourth step on the box is to scramble the eggs. You can do it right there in the same skillet, just push the rice and chicken mixture aside and add the eggs to the space you clear. Then stir it all together.

In trying to keep this an especially low cal version, I only added one egg, with a little skim milk in the scramble.

One of the cool things about the HH line is that it's very forgiving. This was a simple 4 step direction meal. I made an addition to 3 of the 4 steps, and a change to the fourth step. That's all. And those changes were very easily incorporated. You could add or subtract and make your changes where you want to, wherever it works for you.

With the changes I've made, each serving comes out to contain:

216   Calories
2.1    Grams of Fat
32.1  Carbs
19.8  Grams of Protein

That's fantastic!

Those nutritional values will beat the crap out of just about any take-out fast foods you avoided by making this yourself.

Good for you!

Good for you and the food you choose.

The Way You Eat Can Go Back To Childhood

Where do our food habits come from?

Well, they probably began in childhood.

Maybe you love Campbell's Tomato Soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on white with American orange cheese because that is what your mom or your grandma made and that's a fantastic memory.

Maybe you have to have peas with mashed potatoes and gravy. Maybe that's because that's a combo you always had in your home as a kid. Somehow your brain tells you, you have to have them together exactly like that now.

You may have been taught that dessert is a reward, so you feel a special sense of approval or gratification when you have a decadent ice cream or cake. That's a powerful set of thoughts and emotions.

Perhaps you have always liked a certain food like mac and cheese, or a certain flavor like caramel, but the person that did the cooking while you were growing up did not. Consequently it was something you rarely had. So now you over indulge in it because you can.

I want to challenge you to stop and think.

Stop automatically eating the food you do the way you do, and think about why you're doing it.

Have you ever tasted corn on the cob without butter? It's delicious. Good sweet corn does not need any butter, the flavor is fantastic. Do you really need to make mac n cheese twice a week? Wouldn't twice a month be enough? Have you ever thought about how much fat and calorie you're adding to a meal by pouring gravy over the mashed potatoes and peas? Do you even like mashed potatoes and peas? If you can only eat them if they're smothered in gravy maybe you should stop eating them.

Some of these realizations will be easy and obvious. Others will be a little more difficult.

If you go without dessert, do you feel unappreciated? Do you feel like you deserve ice cream? Some people do. If you had a rough day at work, do you turn to Ben & Jerry's to fix your mood?

Do you feel like you're breaking tradition if you change a high fat family recipe? Do you do things out of rote or habit without even tasting? 

I hope you will accept my challenge. Just think about it before you eat it. I'm all about taking things a step at a time, going slowly and making real changes that you can stick with. I'm not even saying right now you have to abandon all those things from your childhood that have shaped the way you eat. All I'm saying is think about it. Be aware. Realize what you're doing when you have that brownie, or slap on the butter or make a certain dish a certain way on a certain day.

Please accept my challenge to think. Being aware of what you're doing is very significant. Think about why you do what you do with the food you choose.

Pizzas, Toppings, & Variety

Have a pizza pie making party!

It's a fun thing to do with the kids. Plus it will encourage them to get involved with meal preparation. Get them involved early on with good food choices and cooking at home. It will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Teach them that it can be fun, while you're also showing them important health skills like portion control.

Think outside the box with the toppings. Limit the cheese, offer only low fat cheese, or better yet eliminate the cheese all together on at least some of the pies. Just try it, you might find you don't need it when all the other ingredients are so flavorful and fun.

Red bell pepper, hot peppers, fresh parsley and basil, fennel, broccoli, scallions, zucchini, eggplant, olives, anchovy, chicken or tuna... these are great options.

Don't offer pork sausage or beef pepperoni, fried bits or heavy whole cheeses. You can keep it smart and it will still be delicious.

 If you get the little personal sized pizza crusts, everyone in the family can make their own.  Offer healthy toppings, encourage variety and smart choices. These Mama Mary ready pizza crusts I used are ready in about 8 minutes. (I like them a little crispier, so I go more like 10 minutes.)

Here's my husband and mine's favorite 2 combos with red sauce.

The first is tomato, red bell pepper, parsley, and anchovy.

The second is black olive with three different hot peppers: jalapeno, pepperoncini, and banana pappers. I added just a little sprinkle of cheese to this one.

Enjoy your pizzas with a nice big salad. That's a way-satisfying meal right there. Anyone can make pizzas like this. It's easy to manage the food you choose.

Avocado, Fennel, & Olive - White Pizza

This is my personal favorite flavor combination for a white pizza.

I use a little fat free ricotta, black olives, fresh avocado and fennel, a tiny sprinkle of part skim mozzarella, and sea salt.

The fennel gives it a nice crunch. The black olives and avocados add a natural light sweetness. 

I used Mama Mary's ready pizza crusts. There's quite a few good ones out there now. If you want to make your own crusts, that's fabulous. If you don't, that's fine too.

Mama Mary's has 5 grams of fat per serving, 180 calories, 27 carbs, and 4 grams of protein. That's not bad for a bread.

I think these taste fine, and they keep well. It's easy to have a couple of these in the pantry, for whenever I want to whip up some pizzas for company, or just for us.

With fat free ricotta, part skim, and all the vegetables, this is not anywhere close to the high fat high calorie decadence you'd be having at a pizzeria.

I don't know about where you live, but there are no pizza places in our area that have avocado or fennel, and none that offer part skim or lower fat cheeses.

You're better off getting into the habit of preparing your own food. Save the eating out for a special occasion. Take control of your weight, your health and your life. Take control of the food you choose.

Vegetable Pizza

There's a lot you can do with a nice big skillet full of saute'ed fresh vegetables. Use them in an omelet. Serve them cold in a salad. Serve them hot as a side dish.

How about a veggie pizza?

This is super easy. Take one pizza crust, smear it with ricotta cheese, top with your vegetables, sprinkle a little mozzarella on top, cook for 8 - 10 minutes. That's it!

I used a few root vegetables this time. When you're making pizza with other vegetables like broccoli or fennel, you don't even have to cook them at all first. You can just put them raw on the pizza if you want. But with root vegetables, you do have to blanch them at least a little first. So when ever I'm doing a saute of the pizza veggies, I always use some roots.

This time I used red bell peppers, fresh parsley, mushrooms, turnips, rutabaga, fennel, and tomato. I used sea salt, and rosemary from the spice cabinet. I used an olive oil since I didn't cook this for too long, or too high. (Please always remember to be careful about that.)

You really can use whatever you have, whatever you like, whatever you can, in a mix like this. You don't have to over cook the vegetables. They will cook a little further when the pizza is baking. Plus, you probably want there to be a little crunch in them when you're eating the pizza.

I have a few do it yourself pizza ideas I'm going to post for the rest of the week. This is just the first one.

Don't forget, there's a ton of mouth watering flavor in the vegetable saute. You do not need to overdue it with the cheese.

I posted a pretty detailed piece about pizza not too long ago. If you can keep the cheese under control, you can keep this meal a smart choice instead of a needlessly decadent one.

For this and all my white pizzas, I use fat free ricotta as the base. I also use a part skim mozzarella on top. I think with dairy products that's the one time you should consider the fat free, low fat options. Especially when you're cooking it into a dish like this packed with delicious ingredients, you just don't need the extra fat or calories in the whole dairy products.

You might even want to consider not adding any mozzarella at all. My husband doesn't like melted mozzarella, and says the little bit of ricotta is more than enough. Try it without. Don't just dump the cheese on out of habit. Try cutting back, and using interesting toppings like this instead.


Be sure to practice portion control. Cut the pizzas into proper sized slices instead of large ones. 

Cut into wee-small pieces, this would also make a great finger food appetizer at a party.

I'll post more pizza ideas you can make at home. Keep checking back. And enjoy the food you choose!

Tomato Surprise! Improve On Hamburger Helper

I've posted before about making some simple changes to the easy dishes you're making, in order to create healthier meals.

I often specifically reference and work with Hamburger Helper brand boxed meal kits. I do this because
1 - I know you're using them.
2 - They're cheap & easy. They're usually between 99 cents and $2.25 a box no matter where you shop.
3 - They're easily modified while still maintaining a level or portion control. Leave this out, add that. No biggie. It's simple using these mixes to create something a little healthier that doesn't suck. And, not too much of it.
4 - Kids. If you're cooking for a family, you're always thinking about what they'll eat. Kids love HH.

There is a #5, and I'll tell it to you later.

General Mills Hamburger Helper was introduced to supermarkets in 1971. Ever since then it has consistently placed high on all kinds of magazine lists for Favorite Comfort Food, Easiest Meals, Most Cost-Effective Meals and What America Eats.

I've been telling you to make the easy substitutions. Use 1/2 the amount of meat it asks for, and substitute fresh vegetables like broccoli in for the rest. Leave out the butter. Use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.

Have you tried to do that? If you're someone that whips out the HH, and you've already figured out you can make it much less bad for you by making those simple changes, here's the next step in the Hamburger Helper progression for you.

This is still super-easy, but it does involve some more changes than I've talked about before.

BTW I doubled up here because I was cooking for a herd. This should feed 8 people. 

Ingredients:

2 boxes of Hamburger Helper Cheesy Italian Shells
1 lb very lean ground chicken
1 small can Hunts Tomato Paste
2 1/2 cups skim milk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 can kidney beans
4 - 6 tomatoes

The reason I use very lean ground chicken is because it saves me the step of having to drain it after browning it. There's nothing there to drain. Go ahead and brown the ground chicken (or turkey, or whatever you're using) in the skillet. Drain the grease off when you're done, if you have any.

Add the tomatoes, chopped,
Add the water and the skim milk,
Add the pouch of cheesey sauce and the pouch of uncooked pasta from each box.
Add the can of tomato paste.
Add the (drained) can of kidney beans.

Bring it to a boil, keep stirring it up good, and then cover.

You want to let this simmer covered a good 10 - 15 minutes or so.

Then remove it from the flame and uncover it. Let it cool 5 - 10 minutes.

Taste it! If you think it's too thick, add some more water. If you think you'd like the pasta and beans softer, put it back on the flame uncovered for a while.

This is a very rich, chewy tomato dish that eats like a chili or a beefy macaroni. But with this, you've made some good food choices.

By only using half the meat two boxes calls for, substituting in beans and fresh tomato, you've significantly lowered the fat and calories of this dish. The tomato paste adds a lot of thick tomato flavor and consistency. There's not a lot of pasta here. There's more tomato, kidney beans, and sauce than pasta.

 I have a sister in law who prefers this with only 1/2 the can of paste. I think that's great. Make adjustments, taste and try. See what you think.

Once you've made this, I want you to think about something.

All that's in one of these Cheesy Italian Shells Hamburger Helper boxes is a packet of powdered cheesy sauce, and a pouch of uncooked pasta.

Makes you think, doesn't it? The ingredients you brought to preparing this meal outnumber the ingredients provided for you. Do you know what that means? It means you could have made this on your own, without the HH box. You could have added your own pasta, you could have added a little sauce and a little cheese.

And there you have #5 on the list of why I keep using/referencing Hamburger Helper. I'm using it as training wheels. Go ahead and make it. Make some changes. Make some more changes. You'll see; you can cook! If you can whip up a box of this, in no time you can whip up the whole thing on your own.

You can cook. You'll see. Just take it slow. Put one foot in front of the other, take one step at a time, and take control of the food you choose.

Tuna & Potato Mix-Up, Serve Hot or Cold

The great thing about this low-cal low-fat low-carb recipe is that you can serve it hot or cold. This can be a great warm side dish, a fantastic warm lunch, or a terrific cold potato tuna salad alternative to serve all summer.

This perfect combination of root vegetables that I used are:

Turnips
Rutabagas
Radishes
Baby White Potatoes
Scallions
Celery
Fresh Parley
Rosemary (I didn't have fresh, I used from the jar this time.)

The herbs are good for you and good for flavor boosting. The celery is the only non-root vegetable, but I feel it adds a natural salt flavor and a special something.

Chop 'em all up small, put it all in a skillet, and cover it with broth. I prefer a chicken broth for this but vegetable broth is fine too. Add salt to taste.

Here's some tips for the vegetables. For this dish, I don't choose any of the sweeter sweeter root vegetables: I did not use carrots or parsnips. You could go the sweeter way, but be aware that it will be a different tasting dish. Use what you have, what you like, what you can. But for this dish. I really think this combination compliment each other perfectly.

Keep simmering until the potato and harder vegetables are at the consistency you like.

Many people prefer potato salad to be pretty mushy.

I'm one of those. I cooked the crap out of this mix, until it was good and soft.

Add a can or two of tuna. That's it!

Canned chicken will work too. Of course fresh or left over fish or chicken would be just as great if you happen to have some. 

Vegetarians, make this in vegetable broth and don't add the tuna. You have a wonderful potato/root vegetable side dish here. 

Onions would have been good in this. So would black pepper. If those are things you like, go ahead and include them.

There is a ton of flavor in this. You do not need mayo or any dressing at all. I add a squirt of lemon juice sometimes, but really this doesn't need anything.

Rutabagas, turnips and potatoes are energy dense low calorie foods. They are very filling. You do not need bread or pasta or any other empty carb with this one, I promise.

A serving of solid white albacore tuna fish in water from the can contains 70 calories, 1 gram of fat, no carbs, no sugar, and a whopping 16 grams of protein. Woo-hoo! This is a win.

The broth you're cooking this in will probably have around 20 calories per serving, 1 - 2 grams of fat, no carbs, no sugar, and a a - 2 grams of protein. Again, this is a win.

All the rest is fresh produce. These root vegetables have a ton of antioxidants, fiber, potassium, Vitamins A and C, phytochemicals, folate, and more. They are all fantastic for you.

A hearty serving of this should come in around 150 calories,  2 grams of fat, no carbs, no sugars and and 21 grams of protein. It should give you a boost of energy, plus it should be very satisfying and filling. 

It's crazy-easy to make. It's inexpensive. You just have to keep an eye on the vegetables as they cook. It could take 15 - 30 minutes depending on how much you're making and how mushy you want to get your root veggies. 

Have fun with this! Cook! Try it! It's easy, it's smart, and it's the best way to control the food you choose.