Reality Bites....they sure are delicious!

Reality has set in. Of my myriad objectives when starting this blog, only one has been realized: I am cooking from scratch more. I am not shopping at the grocery store more effectively, and I am not doing a better job of maintaining kitchen inventory -- as shown in the post below -- but I am cooking more healthy foods, and keeping better tabs on what it is I'm eating.

The "King of Pancakes" was home for lunch today, and I had to scramble around to figure out what to have. Knowing that he was having a light week, I didn't concern myself with having bread or lunch meat for sandwiches...or anything else lunchy for that matter. I normally have leftovers enough for one in the fridge, or I can put together something "unique to my own tastes" without worry if I'm alone.

When I took stock of the fridge and pantry, I found the following:
Pasta, but no sauce.
Tuna, but no salad greens or bread
A few cherry tomatoes that were on their last day
One lonely egg in a carton
Frozen meats and vegetables.

After a moment of head scratching, I had it! Tuna pasta salad!

To save dishes, I first rinsed the egg off and gave it a light scrubbing with some vinegar....you'll see why in a minute!

Ingredients

1 2 quart saucepan, filled halfway with cold water
1 egg, rinsed in a little bit of water and white vinegar
1 1/2 c. dry bite-sized pasta
1 can of tuna packed in water, drained
6 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size.
2 T. fat free mayonnaise
1/4 c. shredded light cheese
1/4 small onion, chopped finely
Salt and Pepper

Place the saucepan on the stove, and carefully drop in the egg. Turn the oven to medium high heat. Once the water starts to boil, add in the pasta, and allow the egg to continue to cook for up to 10 minutes while the pasta cooks. Remove the egg, and drain the cooked pasta. Add a few ice cubes to the saucepan, with enough water to cover the egg. Cool the egg quickly in the ice bath, adding more ice if the ice melts. Once the egg is cool, dump the water. Peel the egg, and chop into small cubes. Add chopped egg and pasta back to the pan, and mix in the remaining ingredients. Allow to sit in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 15 minutes so that flavors can mingle. Stir again before serving. Serves 2 to 3.

Optional add ins: chopped olives, chives, cayenne pepper, celery, bell pepper