Day 3

A funny thing happened...

So, I was talking with my mom about this challenge.  She was very enthusiastic and encouraging about the whole thing.  This was a good sign because she often recognizes my crazy impulses at the onset and is more than willing to tell me when I'm being a dork and getting in over my head.  You should know that I am extremely impulsive- like the time I decided I was going to run a marathon even though I hated running and would do everything in my power to avoid doing so.  Or the time I decided I was going to make a craft every day for the next year even though I was well aware that I had a toddler at home.  See?  Ridiculously impulsive.  She had one question though :

Are you just doing dinners at home, or is it all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)?

Leave it to moms to ask the hard questions.  I thought about it for a moment and came up with this answer:

I was thinking I would just focus mostly on dinners. 

Here's my reasoning: Some days it's just easier to grab something while we are on the run, and besides dinners out are often more expensive and more time consuming than lunches on the go.  Albeit lunches and dinners out are probably equally unhealthy, I just figured the dinner thing would suit the challenge (and lifestyle) a little bit better.  Mostly making excuses so I'd still be able to go to Taco Bell every now and then.  She invited me to meet with her stitching group for lunch. 

Now, I am a firm believer in Karma.  You know, the force that smacks you around when you're feeling cocky.  So when the appointed time rolled around, the kiddos and I packed up in the car and set off to the designated food stop for lunch.  We had a lovely lunch with the ladies, my boys were particularly charming.  When it was time to leave, we loaded up in the car, got our seat belts on, then... nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  The car wouldn't start, wouldn't click, the lights wouldn't even turn on.  The battery was completely dead.  I don't know about you, but having a dead car battery at naptime is not my idea of fun.  This was definitely a sign that we needed to be eating at home as much as possible.  Sigh, I guess I can live without Taco Bell. 

Last night's dinner was a really quick and easy one.  Although it isn't the prettiest, my family devours this in no time flat.  It is really quick and is perfect for when you have leftover fish (I think fish tends to get a little funky when you re-heat it, so this is a great way to use it up without wasting the leftovers).  Using canned tuna makes it even faster- I can get this on the table in no time with a can of tuna!  We had:

Tuna and Potato Pancakes

Ingredients...

(will make about 8 patties depending on size)

16 oz frozen shredded hashbrowns thawed
8 oz cooked and cooled fish (salmon works really well with this) or 2 cans tuna (well drained)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Minced garlic
Pepper
Any variety shredded cheese

Directions...

~Flake fish (or drain your tuna) and mix with the thawed hashbrowns and fresh cracked black pepper. 
~Form patties and make sure to squeeze out extra liquid.  Both the hashbrowns and tuna will have a lot of water, if there is too much in the patties they won't stick together and will make your pancakes soggy. 
~Warm oil (just enough to coat the bottom of your pan) and garlic over medium high heat, stirring often so the garlic doesn't burn.
~Once the garlic is fragrant, add the patties to the oil.  Cook for about 5 minutes on each side (or until hashbrowns are brown and crispy).  On the second side, top the patties with about a tablespoon shredded cheese and let melt before taking out of the pan. 
~These are really great with katchup, sour cream, or a squeeze of lemon- whatever you prefer. 

My 3 year old LOVES these and often out eats my husband and me.  Enjoy!