A heartful menu for today, for ever.

Breakfast: one whole-wheat pancake, half a sausage, fruit, coffee.

Lunch: salad greens with feta and lemon vinaigrette, tuna and crackers.

Dinner: lentil soup with cheesy toast.

My secret logistic:

1. Make enough soup to last a few meals. Freeze individual servings for another day.

2. Never, ever skip breakfast! I offer variety and balance each morning. Hubby never ate breakfast until he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. This is an important meal for keeping him healthy.  We used to have two pancakes, two eggs, sausage and toast.  Look how breakfast has been slimmed down to a MINI MEAL.

3. Serve as much salad as you can.  I combine fresh greens and cooked ones.  I've talked about how I pickle eggplant, peppers.  I fish these out and chop and sprinkle on top of salads to add color and contrast.  The cherry pepper on the tuna is a good example.

4. I use a variety of breads, crackers, muffins, for the starch component.


Valentine,  everyday!


(p.s. notice that I vary the serving pieces too!)

Food Rule Number Two: Know the Origin of your Food!

I have no qualms eating this trout! I know this lake, what flows into it, how it is being monitored. How often do we ask ourselves where does this fish come from?

This is albacore tuna season here in the Northwest.  Boats leave  ports for the day to catch the prized Albacore.  Most catch , 80-90%  is shipped to other countries to become sushi in some fancy place. Few tuna become food on our local tables.

These fish are caught one at a time, using what is called a pole-and -line, or troll-and-jig method.  When a fish bites the jig, the fisherman hauls it by hand onto the boat, checks the size, and keeps only the right size.  The by-catch is now back in the sea, where it can grow to full size.  This way, no endangered species is caught accidentally.

The U.S. and Canadian albacore fisheries in the Northwest are mostly small, family operated. Last year, they received a boost from Seafood Watch, located at the Monterey Aquarium, receiving a status of  "Best Catch" , meaning the seafood caught this way is sustainable and well managed.

If you like to read more about this, and to get great recipes of Albacore Tuna, visit  Northwest Palate Magazine, July/August 2010 issue, or go online: nwpalate.com