Sometimes You Just Need a Quick Fix

I try to keep a few frozen or quick-cook meals on hand for lazy days or days when I'm in a hurry. Usually this consists of a quick cook rice/vegetable dish or stir fry vegetables. I found this lurking around the freezer and decided it was time to use it up. 

This is a red/white quinoa blend with vegetable melange and it's prepared so it's just heat and serve (yay!). I liked this because even though it wasn't organic it was preservative free so I don't fee like I'm sacrificing quality for convenience. 

While it was heating (on the stove because we don't have a microwave), I chopped up some onion and cucumber. When it was warm, I added the onion and cucumber and... I ate it.


In Hubby's I added half a can of tuna to give his bodybuilding muscles and bottomless stomach an edge. 

All tuna is not created equal, however. As worldwide fish consumption is rising, fish are becoming endangered and irresponsibly farmed in response. 


Bluefin tuna is considered critically endangered - but you won't find it canned. It's typically used in restaurants and sushi. Yellowfin is available in a can, is not endangered, and is relatively low in mercury content. 


Mercury comes from industrial pollution and the runoff ends up in fish. The bigger the fish, the more potential it has to contain dangerous levels of mercury simply because: big fish eat a lot fo smaller, mercury-containing fish. This is called bioaccumulation and it happens with all poisons, in all food chains. The same thing happens to your body when you eat pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables; those pesticides build up in your body. Hopefully nobody wants to eat you. 


Tuna is relatively safe in the mercury department but purchasing "light" skipjack or yellowfin tuna instead of "white" albacore tuna, will be the safest bet. 


It's important to read labels and packaging. BPA is commonly used to coat the inside of aluminum cans. Over time, this can leach nasty cancer-causing chemicals into your food. It's also important to find tuna that is line caught or troll caught as opposed to net caught. These are the most sustainable options according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program, with the blue certified sustainable seafood label. 


So, sometimes healthy and quick meals are delicious, as long as you read labels and packaging at the store. 


More info on healthy, sustainable fish here and here.


On a completely different topic: my blog now has a twitter account! You can follow me (@SneakyTofu) and I'll follow you back. I'm posting more day-to-day stuff on there, food, activities, workout stuff, cool finds... it should be a good time.