Turkey Pineapple and Pepper Saute

It has recently come to my attention that I will be turning thirty soon.
This phenomenon had been happening to my friends for a while now, and it's been described to me in a number of ways. Most describe turning thirty in terms of an earnest self-evaluation of your twenties, followed by an  honest assessment  of your future as a "real" adult in your thirties, followed by cocktails, followed by tears, followed by going to bed at 10 p.m. on your birthday because you're old now and that's what we do.


 Ugh. It's looking a bit bleak for the moment. 


I can tell I'm no longer as young as I once was when the guy at Target ringing me up calls me "ma'm", and I swear he's older than me. Also, when I just want to dole out unsolicited advice to all the  twenty-one year old girls  at work  because trust me sister, I've been there.  When wanting to lose 5 pounds used to consist of an extra glass of water and a few extra stretches during my morning yoga turned into 5 hours at the gym a week with little results. And last but not least, when two celebratory margaritas  renders me totally useless for a day and a half, confused as to how I suddenly caught the flu, I am not as young as I once was. But I'm sure turning thirty is pretty great in some ways I have yet to hear of, I will know soon enough.
In the wake of my self-pity, I realized it was time to pump the antioxidants to get ready to have a grand decade of life. This is a recipe I made up a few years ago and it always cheers me up.

Turkey Pineapple and Pepper Saute

-1 smoked cooked Turkey Kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

-1 red, green or orange pepper sliced

-1 cup cubed pineapple

-1 yellow onion sliced

-1 T. olive oil

-2 cups cooked brown rice

- 1 T. minced garlic

-2 T. fresh basil

-1/4 cup fresh parsley

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil on medium low. Add chopped peppers, onions and garlic and heat until softened, 8-10 minutes.  Add pineapple and kielbasa and cook until warmed. Remove from heat and add herbs. Serve over brown rice. 4-5 servings depending on the serving sizes.

I use half of a green and red pepper usually, just to brighten it up. This makes for a complete sweet and savory summer meal that's easy to make quick. You may want to wear sunglasses to shade your eyes from the blindingly bright rays from the pineapple.

I usually use brown rice with this recipe, but I'd venture it'd be good on noodles too. I've also made it with sage baked tofu, which was great too. This is one of the recipes I love to have up my sleeve for a really easy healthy meal. 

Whenever I feel a self-pitying moment come upon me I remind myself, at least I'm a heck of a cook, and that can only get better with age, right?