Seared Tuna Benihana Style

I love benihana's seared tuna and so I decided to come up with a copy cat recipe so that I could enjoy this anytime I would like.

Seared Tuna Benihana Style

1 tuna steak

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 cup minced carrot

1/2 cup edamame shelled

1 cup french fried onions

Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Fresh diced avocado is optional...I did not have any so I did not add it.  It is delicious with or without it.

Melt the butter then add the soy sauce and vinegar and put aside until tuna and vegetables are cooked.

Salt both sides of the tuna

I like my tuna rare so I sear it on both sides and pull it out and slice the steak into strips.

Saute the vegetables until they are tender. Then  add it to the vegetables.  Crush the french fried onions over the tuna and veggies.

Mix veggies together and then add the sauce.

Plate and enjoy.

weekend read--get organized with alejandra

alejandra is nothing new to those who love organization. she is the guru of organization as far as i am concerned. she covers everyone. if you have a family, if you are single, empty nester....she covers it all. 

she has great tips but she has video helps, a blog, and she has been on hgtv's clean freaks. her blog will make for great weekend reading and her videos will be perfect inspiration this weeks cleaning and organizing regimen.  

enjoy and let me know what you think.

top five oranization apps

i love my iphone and my ipad.  i use them for everything and these days there is an app for anything.  sometimes you can get lost in a continued time suck and your phone can just be one big distraction.  i try to use my phone for good not evil.  well the evil of a time suck anyway but i still find myself there from time to time.

i have came across some apps that have really helped me keep it together.

1. paprika--with this app i search for recipes, add them to my collection, and use them in my menus.  i always use a menu and this app makes it so easy to do so. when i am watching sports with my husband i will search for recipes that interest me and save them to my collection. then when i start to plan my menu then i just pull the recipes straight from my collection into the menu.  the menu is a week view at a time and that works great for me. then when i grocery shop i can import the items from the menu to a shopping list.  it is wonderful.

2. tap and track--i like to keep track of what i am eating, how much i exercise, and my weight.  this app is easy to use. it has a data base of restaurants, and grocery items for you to choose from. you can also add your own recipe items with their nutritional values.  i count protein and carbs more than calories and so this app has been perfect for me. i enter my weight and when i turn the screen i can see my progress in a nifty little graph...gotta love a good graph.

3. home routine--for years i followed flylady.net and used her wisdom to keep my house in order. i modified her plan to fit my life and learned to follow it religiously. she does not have an app....i've looked. this app has zone cleaning, daily cleaning, morning and night cleaning routines.  i check things off as i do them and it has been a perfect fit for me. i almost forgot the best part....it has a timer for timing your cleaning. i use this for 10 minute cleanups and my 15 minute daily zone cleaning. 

4. omni focus--i am a list girl. this app will hold my lists in projects and i can place timers, reminders, due dates, anything to help me stay on track. i check things off after they are complete and it feels. so. good.

5. instagram--i bet you are wondering what this app is doing on my list. i used to be a scrapbooker. i am not going to say i loved doing it but i loved having my families memories preserved.  instagram is my easy way to a scrapbook. i snap all sorts of photos and then i go to blurb.com and pull those photos into a book.  easy peasy. i cannot tell you how accomplished i feel now that i started doing this. memories are so important to me and now that is complete with little to no fuss.

you will probably see more about these apps in the future but i wanted to post a quick list. 

 

asian salad

 
asian salad

leafy greens

tomatoes 

cucumbers

cooked chicken

crispy oriental noodles

mandarin oranges optional

edamame optional

top with asian dressing

asian dressing

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. minced ginger

3/4 c olive oil

1/3 c rice vinegar

1/2 c soy sauce

3 tbsp honey

1/4 cup water

place ingredients in a blender until mixed well.

a beautiful day

i was lucky enough to see mt. mckinley today.  even when it is clear here it is not always clear there making it difficult to photograph the mountain.

while i was at the pull out taking pictures of the mountain, a car drives up and this cute girl walks toward me asking me if i was leaca. meet kevyn, she has been a flickr friend for years.  it was so wonderful to meet her in person. i was a little embarassed because i left the house in my sweats and house shoes, no shower anything. i do that sometimes.  it's my dirty little secret. i do not get ready until my morning chores are done.....even if it is afternoon when i do so.  =]

bedrooms--before

master bedroom

_________________________________________________________________________________

guest room

 _________________________________________________________________________________

 exercise room/craft room

bathroom--before

 guest bathroom/laundry room 

master bathroom

living room before

moving to a smaller apartment has been a challenge but one i am ready for.  it is always good to organize and go purge or donate items i do not need or use anymore. the challenge is deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. finding room for the items i can't part with.

i have a sectional and i love it. living in housing that i do not choose sometimes limits my home in many ways.  having a sectional allows me to have seating for others when we have visitors. well this apartment does not allow for all three pieces. in fact it barely fits these two pieces.  we are making it work.

when i first move in i always fill my walls and then move stuff around later. i am not sure why i do this but it is part of my madness.  yikes.

i will have an after photo when i am finished with this room.