lunch with grandma

by Stacy

As many of you know, I have been spending a lot of my non-working time helping out my grandma lately. Some of this assistance is physical, some is minor housework, but most of it is related to food. Grocery shopping, meal prep, clean up, leftover storage and management…

It’s been a bit of an adventure. For the last 15 years or so, her menu plan was fairly limited by what she was physically able to prepare for herself (no heavy pots or long periods of stirring). I’m mostly vegetarian other than a little seafood, but she isn’t a huge meat-eater. The biggest issue? Grandma doesn’t eat garlic. None. We were both worried at first!

After a few months, she says I am her favorite lunch chef. When I make lunch, she asks if there are leftovers or if I can make something for the next day when I won’t be there. She even tells other people how much she likes my lunches! It’s a bit more of a fun challenge, now, and I have introduced a number of new foods that she really likes (tilapia, kale, new cheeses).

Today’s menu: tuna melts with roasted asparagus! There was also some leftover salad in the fridge (corn, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese) that was tasty, but I didn’t make it.

lunch with grandma

Grandma’s Tuna Melts (serves 3)

Ingredients:
3 English muffins
1 packet tuna in water (~6.5oz)
1-2 Tbsp minced onion
1-2 Tbsp minced celery and/or green or red pepper
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

– Split English muffins and toast lightly. Place on toaster oven tray or baking sheet.
– Drain tuna and combine with minced veggies, mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper. You may need to add more mayonnaise depending on how much additional minced veggies you added. Stir in cheese until mixed.
– Spoon mixture evenly onto each toasted English muffin half. Place tray in (preferably toaster) oven and broil 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

tuna melt

We had a little leftover asparagus, so I roasted it up as a side dish. Roasting it gives a little different flavor to the spears. It’s also a nice way to treat thicker asparagus that may not be as tender.

Roasted Asparagus (serves 2)

Ingredients:
8-12 asparagus spears
olive oil
salt and pepper
lemon juice

– Preheat (toaster) oven to 425F. Wash and dry asparagus. Snap off the woody ends of each spear.
– Place asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Roll to coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
– Bake at 425F for 10-15 minutes until the spears are tender. Sprinkle with lemon juice (and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired) before serving.

roasted asparagus

We eat some pretty good lunches! I will try to take more photos so I can post some favorites. Maybe I will try to explain to her what a blog is. heehee.

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