Grilled Marinated Tuna Steaks

Although I am incorporating more raw foods into my diet, I am a pescetarian and include some seafood. One book that has been very helpful and healing for me has been Diet for a Pain Free Life. The premise is that if we are to reduce pain in our bodies then we need to eat the right foods, exercise, improve our mood and quality of sleep, and lose weight. I've adapted this recipe for marinated tuna from page 125 of Diet for a Pain Free Life, which is quite delicious and easy to prepare.

I'm also going to begin incorporate pH balancing with my recipes, as an imbalanced pH, especially if acidic is a breeding ground for illness and disease. But, acid-alkaline biochemistry is a topic for another post.

I cut the recipe in half for the two of us and served our tuna steaks with steamed red rice, lightly steamed zucchini and turmeric cauliflower. Tuna, the marinade and red rice are acidic, while zucchini and cauliflower are alkaline. Turmeric (mixed with with feta and hemp seeds) tossed with the cauliflower is a potent anti-inflammatory spice.

Ingredients:

4 4-ounce tuna steaks
1 teaspoon
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon Splenda
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2/3 cups porcini mushrooms, sliced (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the tuna in a shallow dish and season with salt on both sides.
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1-1/2 tablespoons oil with the remaining ingredients and whisk.
3. Pour the mixture over the tuna steaks and marinate for 15-minutes.
4. Remove the steaks and put the remaining marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
5. Blot the steaks and brush with the remaining olive oil.
6. Grill the steaks on the stove top or on the barbecue 2-3 minutes each side or until you have achieved the level of doneness you desire.
7. Serve over a bed of steamed baby boy choy (optional)
   
8. When serving the tuna steaks, drizzle the hot marinade over the top of the steaks.
   

Diet for a Pain Free Life's Berry Nice Smoothie

Two weeks and four hours post-op and this is the first time I have been able to sit at my computer for more than a minute or two. So, I have to make this really short.

First I want to thank my daughter Effie for the amazing meals she cooked for us, which nourished us for a week and a half. And thank you to my husband who has taken care of my every need for the past couple of weeks without complaint.

Pain makes you cranky, exhausted, agitated... and did I say cranky?

A couple of days ago, I remembered a book I have on my shelf that I wished I'd thought of pre-op. Diet for a Pain Free Life by Harris H. McIlwain, MD and Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD. Although my current diet pretty closely matches the recommended diet to live "pain-free"... anything I can do to better manage and reduce my level of pain nutritionally is essential.

My husband has been making me the Diet for a Pain Free Life's Berry Nice Smoothies for the past couple of days. Probably the best smoothie I have ever had. I love the zesty zing of fresh ginger.

Ingredients:

2 cups ice
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (or raspberries)
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blackberries or raspberries
1 cup calcium-fortified vanilla soy or rice milk
1/2 cup pineapple chunks (fresh or in juice)
1/2 banana (frozen)
1 tablespoon Splenda
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Directions:

In a blender, pulse all the ingredients until smooth.

Serves 2

Wishing us all better health and a pain-free life!