SugaCity presents...Love Tales: I'm Trying to Love 'Clean Eating'

White Fish Tacos

So I haven't posted a foodie love tale in a long time. But that doesn't mean this SugaCityGyal hasn't been chowing down though! :-)

Those who know me, know that I love my belly! Recently, I celebrated a birthday and decided that I wanted to try to eat healthier. As we get older, the things that we put into our bodies really start to affect how we feel and how we age. I am hoping to age gracefully and comfortably. So I have tried to include some clean eating into my daily diet. Each meal isn't perfect but I'm hoping to get better and better as I progress.

I've been including lots of fish and seafood for dinner. My cousin's wife recently made me king fish with butternut squash one night and then I made swordfish another night. Sometimes I cheat, like last night, I had shrimp with pasta (white pasta). Next time I will try to find a pasta substitute. Just so you know, I'm not preaching like my diet is perfect, 'cause it's certainly not. I'm still a beginner and new to this clean eating idea - so no judgement please! Suggestions are always welcome.

A staple in my house has become fish tacos. I buy the frozen white fish from the supermarket, soak them in water and lemon juice for about 20-30mins. I wash the fish off and then sprinkle with a little Old Bay seasoning, some black pepper, sprinkle a slight dash of Goya Adobo, fresh cilantro, chopped red onions, and scallions. I let the fish sit in the seasoning to marinate for about 20-30mins. I then saute them with a teaspoon of olive oil. Once the fish is cooked, my husband warms the soft tortilla in a pan. He then puts all the fixings like the fish, cheese, romaine lettuce or spinach, and salsa. He wraps them up and turns them until they are well sealed. He will then add avocado and/or sour cream to the plate and transfer the taco onto the same plate.

One night, I made myself some Jamaican-style Red Peas Soup and it was so good to my soul! I had it for lunch and dinner for a couple of days. Yes, I loved it that much! :-) It was basically bringing about 6-8 cups of water to a boil with 1-2 cans of kidney beans (rinse the beans first), turkey necks (my substitute for the pig tail that it's traditionally cooked in), chopped onions, chopped scallions, cilantro, chopped carrots, dried thyme, a small scotch bonnet pepper, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 2 choped potatoes. For dumplings, I use flour, water and a pinch of salt to make dough the dough (depends on how many your making). I usually make about 10 dumplings and unfortunately, I can't share the measurements for the dumplings at this time because I made them by ear! Sorry!

I've been doing a lot better at breakfast. I made egg muffins. I figure if I made them in batches, I could have one a day along with something else like my Quinoa Parfait with fresh fruits. Yes, Quinoa! I'm not a fan of oatmeal but Quinoa for me is a great substitute. I was pretty surprised at how tasty this mixture is. I boil the Quinoa with water, vanilla essence, honey and cinnamon. After it's boiled, I scoop it out the pot and put it in a container and refrigerate. The next morning, I can have about 4-5 tablespoons of it mixed with greek or any kind of yogurt you choose. I then add my berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries) and sometimes, when I'm low on berries, I add finely chopped golden delicious apples. Mix it all up and you have a nice chewy breakfast. No sugar necessary as the Quinoa is already sweetened with the honey and you have the natural sweeteners from the fruits and yogurt (depending on yogurt type).

My Egg Muffins are really very easy. All I do is mix 4-5 eggs with some turkey meat, shredded cheese, chopped red onions, fresh cilantro, scallions, a small dash of sea salt, black pepper or cayenne pepper. I spray the muffin pans and pour the mix into each slot. I bake on 350 for about 20-25mins. There you have it. Next time, I will make these with just egg whites as that is much more healthier than the yokes.

Swordfish and black bean salad is easier than it sounds! I get frozen swordfish steaks (from BJ's Wholesale), soak them in water and lemon juice for about 20-30mins. I wash the fish off and then sprinkle with a little Old Bay seasoning, some black pepper, sprinkle a slight dash of Goya Adobo, fresh cilantro, chopped red onions, and scallions. I let the fish sit in the seasoning to marinate for about 20-30mins. Then I line them up flat in my baking dish them to my baking dish, drizzle melted Smart Balance (about two tablespoons) or us can use melted butter. Place them in a pre-heated oven on Broil (High) for about 20 minutes. For the black bean salad, I just combined 1 can of black beans, 1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas), 1 can of corn, red onion, fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Here are a few items described above that I indulged in.