In Search of: The Best Meat, Fish, and Poultry in Orange County

Amazing Meals Begin with the Best Ingredients



My Regular Weekly Catch from
McCall's Meat and Fish Company
before I moved to Orange County 

When I have the opportunity to cook with the freshest ingredients, I do not have to work hard to make the meal amazing. All I usually have to do is add a little heat, maybe a little salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs; assemble on a plate with a nice assortment of fresh veggies, and a delicious complex carb; breakfast/lunch/dinner is served!  

Sadly, since I moved to Anaheim, CA aka “The OC” I no longer have instant access to my favorite butcher, McCall’s Meat and Fish Co.

From McCall's Meat and Fish Company's Website

 I am finding it impossible to get a good cut of meat, a super-fresh piece of fish, or poultry here in Orange County.

If anyone has a suggestion of a place that can compare to McCalls, please let me know.

Thanks!

-Melissa Adylia Calasanz
J



Day after LA Marathon Dinner for Mister AC at Chez Calasanz

Mister AC ran the LA Marathon
on Sunday for his 40th Birthday

We followed up his run with wonderful friends
and his favorite treats of pizza and chips and other goodies.
So on Monday, I decided to cook him up something healthy, and nutritious.
This meal is packed with protein, fiber, and nutrient rich goodies.

Sauteed Super-Garlicky Shrimp and Shallots

Mister AC loves pasta
All kinds of pasta.
Any shape, size, hot, cold, with sauce, without sauce...he loves pasta!
He also likes spinach (lightly steamed and chopped), and cheese (little mozzarella balls), so I decided to toss them all together with roasted baby tomatoes (in the oven at 350 with just salt and pepper till they looked good to me), shallots (raw and diced), white kidney beans (canned, thoroughly rinsed), sage (fresh coarse shopped), a hint of olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper.
The combo made an excellent pasta salad that was both nutritious and delicious.
Had to throw in a side o Green Beans for color and texture.

Served with love
and a bottle of Prosecco from our dear friend Jessica S
(Thanks Jessica S for the Bubbly!)
A wonderful home cooked meal for my wonderful man.
Cheers!
: )
3.21.11

Quality vs Quantity

You'll find the best quality Meats and Fish at

McCAll's Meat and Fish Co.

And you'll leave with a really cute bag filled will amazingly delicious treats.

This bag had the prettiest piece of Salmon and a split Marrow Bone.

Some of you know that salmon is my least favorite fish.

I have the hardest time finding High Quality, FRESH salmon, so I am usually turned off by salmon...

If Salmon is even a hint low rent

it tastes and smells like broke-down-stripper-a**!

And it's usually hard to tell if you're really getting good salmon because, just like "broke-down-stripper a**", many sins can be covered with good lighting and all kinds of other smoke and mirrors...you can't always tell till it's too late.

I was in the neighborhood today

visiting the gang at A Runners Circle to pick up my "Potty Like a Rock Star Pass", courtesy of Brooks, for the The Los Angeles Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon when the gang from Heartbeat House called me and asked if I could teach the 4pm Contemporary Dance Class.

I had been thinking of grabbing marrow bones from McCall's

for the last 3 weeks

but time and traffic just hadn't been on my side.

Today was my lucky day!

I was going to have a little extra cash in hand from teaching the class

so I had to go to McCall's.

I was really craving a piece of fish for dinner tonight.

I was feeling hopeful and was praying that they'd have the best of both worlds:

Marrow bones

and

Fish

and they did!

Even though Salmon rarely makes me smile,

I was smiling the moment I saw it in the display case...the skin looked so good.

Sorry there is no pic of the skin

I toasted it and ate it before taking the pic...what can I say, I have no restraint.

I had to keep it simple

Crisped up some of my favorite ingredients

Placed the pretty fish on top

and baked it at 325degress with a sprinkle of flake salt and freshly ground pepper.

I forgot to take a pictures after adding the heirloom tomatoes

they were baked with the fish

Served the fish over Jade Pearl Rice

and sprinkled with fresh chives

Topped it off with one of my favorite Cavas

which I picked up from my all time favorite boutique wine shop

Silverlake Wine

A perfect meal for the evening before a 1/2 Marathon

Cheers!

: )

What is your favorite meal the night before a big run?

BTW

The Salmon was

AMAZING!

I wish I saved some for breakfast!

Garlic Chicken, Carmelized Onions, Fresh Vegetable Pasta, and Ghetto Garlic Bread

Amazingly Easy Sunday Dinner
with lots of garlic and onions

5 Bulbs of Garlic, 5 Yellow Onions, 3 Carrots, 4 Stalks of Celery,

and some Rosemary from the Garden
That's pretty much all I had in my vegetable drawers and bowls so I decided to put them to work

Had a 1/2 of stick of butter so why not chop up 3 cloves of garlic,
mix it with the butter, then spread it on the chicken
Got the chicken at 99Ranch for $0.69 a pound for their
Anaheim Location Anniversary Celebration

I'm a little frightened to think of where it came from and how it was raised

but wow was it fresh and delicious

Couldn't figure which was a better view

Mmm, baking at 350 degrees and getting crispy

Done
and ready for eating

Gotta have the freshly grated Parmesan for the pasta
there is no better tool than the Microplane-Everyone should have one!

Plating it Up!

Hey, Chicken, the caramelized onions are waiting to meet you at the table

along with the "Ghetto Gourmet" garlic bread

Dinner is Served
How many bottles do two people need for one simple dinner

As you can see, there is work looming in the background
Mondays usually begin at the studio at 6am, that means I have to get on the road by 4:30am to drive from Anaheim to Glendale-had to get their programs finished and printed for the early morning

But work would not keep me from enjoying a wonderful meal
Fuel the Body. Fuel the Mind

Notice the addition of the caramelized onions?
They were amazing! 

Looks like Mister Andrew C enjoyed the meal too
What better way to finish off a great meal
than with some Nutella and Pan DeLeche!

I chose to skip dessert...I prefer savory snacks for dessert and sweets at breakfast time

Here's lunch for tomorrow!

I'll post the pasta dish at a later time.

It's filled with tons of fresh mushrooms, carrots, spinach, roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic!

Mmmmm,
this dinner made it possible to make 3 completely different meals.
Stay tuned
: )

Magic Tuna?

"Magic Tuna" isn't really magic

and it doesn't come out of this totally cute can

But it really is good, good for you, and tastes great!

As the Owner/Personal Trainer of The Controlled Burn Fitness Studio

it is may passion to share with my clients that health and fitness go hand in hand with what we eat.

My dear client and great friend Kelly Turgeman...

...is the Owner of  The Pilates Body in Glendale...

We find ourselves talking about food quite often when I'm kicking her booty in a Personal Training Session.

We both know the importance of a meal that will fuel our body to endure intense workouts; but both of us don't have much time between clients to prepare an elaborate meal; we also know how hard it is to workout if a meal leaves us feeling stuffed, heavy, bloated, and uncomfortable; and we both love fresh and delicious meals that have flavor and are good to eat at any time of the day or night.

So what does the above have to do with "Magic Tuna"?

Since Kelly and I are committed to include delicious, balanced meals that will  nutritionally fuel/replenish our body to to help us stay focused and energized throughout the day and during our workouts, it's no wonder that we both came up with our own version of a dish that includes tuna and many similar ingredients.

That's where the Magic Tuna comes in

and this is how my "Magic Tuna" begins.

Yes, a can of ghetto tuna, which can be purchased at Target for cheaper than anywhere other than Costco.

The large bowl is filled with 3 stalks of diced celery, a diced English cucumber (sometimes a whole one if I am out of celery-sometimes a half), and some chopped purple cabbage.

Kelly likes to put curry and other delicious spices in her recipe. I love curry in mine too, along with red onions and all the other goodies, but then my clients wouldn't really like me if I ate that before seeing them.

She also puts a bit of a "Mediterranean" spin on hers too. When you visit her at The Pilates Body, ask her for her recipe.

There is

NO SHAME

when it comes to my love and use of

MAYO!

"Magic Tuna"

and egg salad are the only things I use mayo for, since I rarely ever eat sandwiches, and what else is mayo good for anyway?

I usually put 1 big tablespoon in mine, then mix it up along with some salt and freshly groun pepper.

Kelly HATES mayo...not for any dietary reasons, she just thinks it's gross so she sometimes uses plain Greek yogart (yum!)

I love to serve it with a few slices of toasted Millet and Rice Mana Bread

So, getting to the point
"Magic Tuna" got it's name over the years of training Kelly. Some days she would come in with such amazing energy and she was unstoppable. I began to see a pattern when I looked at her charts-I always ask about my clients meals to see how their energy level and mental clarity are affected by their food choices.
On the days where she completely kicked A**, she had eaten some tuna salad.
I told her how when I make my tuna salad, I have the best days too.
We started calling it "Magic Tuna" after that.

I would love to hear about the "Magic Dish" that helps you stay fueled, focused and ready to work hard.

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy Day!
-Melissa

5 Favorite Ingredients and then some...

I've been accused of many things, but boring is not one of them.

My choice of flavors can also never be accused of being boring thanks to the 5 ingredients that always seem  to find their way into my dishes.

The 5 Usual Suspects for Flavor

From left to right:

Garlic; Ginger; Green Onions; Shallots; White or Yellow Onions

I love to use all these wonderfully flavorful ingredients for almost all of my favorite dishes.

I love them raw in my quinoa salad (minus the ginger); I love to saute or sweat them when I make my shrimp dishes; I use them in soups; they are the ultimate ingredients in many of my baked fish dishes, or chicken dishes; they are excellent ingredients to add to any salad dressing.

The options are endless.

I love Cucumbers!

I Can't get enough of them!

I eat about 4 cucumbers a week.

They add crunch, they are so refreshing, and the have a high water content and loads of potassium.

I add them to my salads, to my quinoa, to my tuna, and I love to have them nearby to cool off my mouth when I've made an exceptionally spicy dish.

Tomatoes are Wonderful!

They add color, flavor, and possess many health benefits.

You'll notice that tomatoes make an appearance at almost all of my dinners...you should invite them to your dinners too!

 :)