I just wanted to share a few things that I ate this week that are hits for me.
1. Tuna + pico de gallo mix
This is a favorite “quick healthy eats” option for me. Last night Ivan had plans to meet an old co-worker for drinks, there was just enough leftover pasta for 1 (and Ethan claimed it), and Asher said he wanted a frozen turkey burger. So, I whipped up a batch of my favorite tuna dish for myself.
Not sure it’s actually a “recipe”, but it includes:
- 2 cans of tuna (I buy the “tuna light”, in water, not oil)
- chopped tomatoes (I used…. maybe 3 Roma tomatoes)
- ~ 1/2 white onion, chopped
- chopped jalapeno (I used 3-4 I think)
- chopped cilantro (sprinkle in)
- touch of salt and pepper
Mix it all together and done. I honestly can just eat this plain, with a fork and I find it delicious. It’s super yummy, super healthy, super high in protein! It’s even better if you add in some chopped avocado, but I didn’t have any on hand.
I chose to top some romaine lettuce with it for a little “tuna salad” of sorts last night. I also enjoy scooping it onto some Triscuits or salted type cracker. Yummy.
This leads me to #2…..
2. Butternut Squash soup
I also made a pot of soup. Ivan doesn’t really love butternut squash or soup in general that much, but I do, so, it’s a perfect thing to make and then keep for lunches, etc. for me.
The recipe I always use is this one from thriftyjinxy.com.
Ingredients
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
- Add the diced onions and cook until they are tender and translucent.
- Add the squash, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the squash is tender.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
- Stir in the heavy cream and season with tarragon.
- Add additional salt and pepper as needed.
*Note- I tried just baking the squash this time and then adding instead of chopping it raw. It worked ok, but still kind of messy to peel the hot squash, since I was in a hurry and didn’t want to wait for it to cool. I also have mixed feelings on the immersion blender- I sometimes find it just as easy to pour a few batches into my blender, blend, and then return to pot.
*Other note- I have no idea what tarragon is, and I don’t have that. I always sprinkle a little nutmeg in mine. Is tarragon similar to that?? Someone educate me. haha.
*Third note- I didn’t have heavy cream, and I often don’t, so I just used 1% milk. Seemed fine to me!
*Final note- I love to sprinkle red pepper flakes on my butternut squash soup!
And finally, another dish I made earlier this week:
3. Shrimp alfredo with red pepper
I always use this recipe for my alfredo sauce from the Creme de la Crumb website. (Actually it’s a recipe for shrimp and BROCCOLI alfredo, but we had broccoli last week, so I made it with red pepper instead.) I really just use the recipe to make the basic alfredo sauce, and then I do the pasta/ protein/ veggies part however I feel like.
A big family hit on Wednesday night. Ethan especially loves this one.
And, on an unrelated note, something I saw that I really liked:
☺☺
Love that. Have an amazing, laughter-filled weekend!
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for my 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon meeting getting cancelled!
*It’s completely possible that I’ve already shared any or all of these recipes in the past. haha. I honestly can’t remember, and I’m too lazy to search my site and find out. I figure if I can’t remember, you probably don’t either. lol. 😜
GRATEFUL KAE 
We are having butternut squash soup for dinner tonight! I’ll admit that we bake the squash beforehand and spoon the hot squash into the stock. It is a pain, but I think it takes too long for the squash to cook otherwise and too much stock boils off if we do it the other way. We don’t add cream, but a little sour cream never hurt anyone!
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When I’ve done it the other way, I just boil the chopped raw squash in water until soft, and then I blend it in my blender, and THEN add to the pot with separate broth and all the rest! I feel like it’s kind of a bit of a pain either way when dealing with a squash or any other vegetable that has “inner parts” that need to be removed. lol.
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I always leave tarragon out of the recipe when it is called for. I can not describe the taste but I HATE it! If I see it listed in a sauce at a restaurant, I steer clear of that dish. I don’t have such strong dislikes of things but that is one herb/seasoning I don’t care for!
Mmm, I love soup. Phil does, too, but typically only if it has a protein in it. I am happy w/ soup even if there is no protein! Especially something like butternut squash soup!
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Good to know! I do not think I’ve ever tried it- or if I have, I am unaware! I’ve made this recipe multiple times before and never bothered to look up what it was! Ha.
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I love anything that involves tuna – have you tried it on pizza? I still can’t get over the fact that tuna isn’t a staple on pizza here (as you probably know, it’s a staple in Italy).
The shrimp pasta looks delicious, too! Thank you for sharing – if you did before, no harm in posting a reminder 🙂
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I actually have never tried it on pizza!! I’ll admit I’m a pretty basic pizza girl- I like the traditional American favorites (pepperoni, supreme, etc.) But tuna is so yummy! I am intrigued now by the idea of tuna on pizza. Haha. I do recall seeing all different options in Italy but I never tried anything too outside of the box for me…
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Tarragon is super common in French food. It is a long and skinny green leaf. I kind of think it has a licorice taste to it? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarragon for a photo and more info.
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Thanks for the info! Like I told Lisa above, I’ve made this recipe a bunch of times and apparently never bothered to question what tarragon was… I’ve always just left it out and figured it wasn’t essential to butternut squash soup! haha.
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yummy food! I’d love to try the tuna salad combo, my girls love tuna salad with chips, and yours look more healthy. i need to up my game with meal planning so we get out of the food rut.
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I know… I’ve been really trying to do more meal planning lately. Even just knowing a few meals I’ll make in the week takes some pressure off of having to figure it out each day.
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Yum. I LOVE tuna and haven’t been eating it much lately. This needs to change and I hope this post reminds me to dig out some cans on Monday. I love putting tuna filling inside mini sheets of Nori. So delicious!
The kids have been sick this week and today a friend dropped off a dish of…butternut squash soup! I haven’t made any pureed soups yet this fall, but they’re delicious.
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I’m so sorry your kids have been sick!! Yucky!! How amazing to have a friend that drops off soup! I’m sad to say, I don’t think I really have any current friends that would drop off soup for me. haha.
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Yum, butternut squash soup is so delicious! Like Kat said, tarragon is an herb that comes in long ribbons. It has a very subtle licorice flavor that goes really well with some dishes, but I cannot really imagine how it would taste in butternut squash soup. I like tarragon, but it can definitely be a little overpowering.
That alfredo with shrimp and peppers looks yummy!
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