Lemon Pepper Tuna Bake

Well, it's official...I am obsessed with making different Tuna Casseroles/Bakes!!! My mom used to make them when we were little but with Velveeta and always the same! I like to make them healthier and mix them up with different flavors.

I made this one with 2 lemon pepper tuna (from Starkist) pouches pictured below!



Directions:

Cook 2 cups dry pasta-I used Dreamfields Rotini (just under cook it according to the directions because you  are then going to bake it) I love Dreamfields pasta-it is a smart way to eat pasta because it is high in protein and fiber too!

Add the drained pasta to your casserole dish filled with tuna, 1 small can reduced sodium cream of celery, one c skim or almond milk, 1/2 c chopped green pepper, 1/2 c chopped celery, 1/3 c chopped onion, the juice if one half lemon, season with parsley, garlic powder, pepper, add 1/4 c parmesan cheese-Mix all together well. Top that sparingly with 3 tsp whole wheat breadcrumbs or panko bread crumbs, more parsley and pepper,  1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese and last finish off with the zest of the half lemon you juiced!

***As a rule I always go easy on the cheese and also the breadcrumbs-this is how you can still eat what you want by just tweaking it to make it more figure friendly!! I also try to use almond milk or skim to cut some fat out there too!  Eat smarter!!

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min



ENJOY!! A

HEALTHY ITALIAN TUNA BAKE

Directions & Ingredients:

6 oz Greek yogurt

8 oz lite sour cream

2 tsp tomato paste

1/4 c parmesan cheese

1/4 c white or spanish onion chopped

1/2 c chopped mushrooms

1/2 c chopped yellow, green or red peppers (or a combo)

2 cans white albacore tuna

2 cups dry mini penne or rotini whole grain pasta

1 c shredded mozzarella

1/4 to 1/2 c Italian breadcrumbs (whole wheat)-depending on your taste (go easy)

First, boil pasta just under what the directions tell you to because you are going to bake it for additional time.

At the same time in a pan on the stove on med heat mix the yogurt, sour cream and tomato paste with the following seasonings: garlic powder, basil, oregano, pepper, red pepperflakes and paprika. Mix well and let sit for 5 min until warmed all the way through.

Pour the cheesy sauce mixture into the baking dish-I used a 9x13. Strain the pasta and also pour into baking dish.

In the same pan add the veggies along with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and let cook down for 5 to 7 min.

Lastly, combine all ingredients into the baking dish-finishing off with the shredded mozzarella, parmesan and breadcrumbs. (I also added fresh parsley and more black pepper at this point)

Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 min.

Enjoy!!!
A

Cucumber tuna salad with Greek yogurt, soy sauce and wasabi mustard

 

Great source of protein!!!! Are you eating enough protein??? Tuna and Greek yogurt are 2 great and affordable sources. I eat Greek yogurt every day at some point whether it is in tuna salad like this, with granola or alone with berries or fruit. Try just adding Greek yogurt to something you are maybe already eating daily and watch what happens!!! It is an awesome and healthy substitute to mayo or even  cheese when called for in recipes.

2 4.5 cans of white albacore tuna (StarKist selects if you are feeling fancy!) Great source of omega 3, low sodium, high protein, low carb)

3/4 c Greek yogurt (my favorite healthy food in the whole world)

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp wasabi mustard

3/4 c chopped cucumber

2 tsp chopped onion

1 stalk chopped celery

salt, pepper and parsley to taste

Options to eat:

Alone with whole wheat pita chips

On a flatout flat bread with more veggies

With hard-boiled eggs, cheese and tomatoes on a platter

Be creative and sneak other veggies, herbs or spices in there-you don't have to do it exactly how I posted it!

Enjoy!!!!
xoxoxo-A

 

 

 

 

Twice baked sweet potatoes w/Greek yogurt, ricotta, black beans and blue cheese

 

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes-maybe my favorite thing to eat in the whole world!

Step 1: Microwave sweet potatoes until able to cut in half and scoop out 3/4 of the inside.

Step 2: Add scooped sweet potato to 1 heaping tbsp plain Greek yogurt, 1 heaping tbsp skim ricotta cheese, 1/4 c almond milk (optional), 1/4 c black beans and 1/4 c  crumbled blue cheese.

Step 3: Mix together with hand mixer until well blended and slightly fluffy

Step 4: Bake for 15 to 20 min at 375 degrees

Other combos to try for the stuffing:

Spinach, black beans, Greek yogurt and feta cheese

Ricotta cheese, tuna, red onion and Greek yogurt

Enjoy!

xoxo-A

Wasabi, soy and lime tuna pasta salad

 





So simple to make, so good for you and so yummy!

2 cups of your choice of noodle-I used tri colored radiatore-cook , run cold water over and set aside in bowl

2 pouches Starkist white albacore tuna in water-add to cooled pasta

1 avocado-chopped-smother in lime juice after you cut it so it can keep its green color-add to dressing then pour into pasta mix

1/4 c chopped red onion-add to pasta mix

Dressing:

2 tsp honey

4 tsp olive oil

1/2 c lime juice

2 tsp hot sauce

2 tsp wasabi mustard

2 tsp soy sauce

whisk together then add chopped avocado to dressing then add to pasta mix

salt and pepper to taste

finish off with lime zest

yields about ( 4) 1 cup servings

Enjoy!

xoxoxo-A

Tuna Casserole-cheat meal!!!

[caption id="attachment_425" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Delicious!!! Sort of a cheat meal-10 on the scale of 1 to yummy, 6.5 on the scale of 1 to healthy! Enjoy!!![/caption]

Yummmm!!!!

10 oz of white albacore canned tuna

Gia Russa brand Wide Egg enriched  noodles-about 3 cups to feed 3 people

1/2 c finely Chopped celery

1/4 c finely Chopped red onion

Cream of celery soup-small can

Small can of milk-fill the can of cream of celery up with milk

6 oz of Velveeta cheese-cut into 6 1 oz pcs and spread throughout the mixture

Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp italian breadcrumbs and 1 tbs of chopped parsley-used as the topping halfway through the baking process.

****Cook noodles about 3 or 4  min  shy of directions on package and pour into casserole dish with all other ingredients-give them a big stir around before placing in oven.

Bake at 350 for 20 min, give the entire thing a big stir and top with parmesan, parsley and breadcrumb mix-bake for 15 more min. Let cool for 5 min and serve with a beautiful side salad!

Enjoy!!

xoxoxo-A

Meals made EASY all week!

In this post I want to try to show you how easy and quick it can be to eat healthy.....

On Tuesday I chopped my veggies-tomatoes, zucchini, red onion and green onion-about 2.5 cups total

I cooked 1 package of chicken and cubed it so I can easily throw it in a pita pocket, salad or mix it with some rice or quinoa.

I boiled 2 eggs so I had them ready for when I wanted to add them too!
I had on hand already brown rice, quinoa, tuna, feta and mozzarella cheeses and lettuce.

If you take a little time 1 or 2 days a week to prepare your meals or part of your meals you will be more inclined to throw together something healthy quickly rather than stopping and grabbing something quick-that rarely ends well!! Try it this week and see if it works for you!! 

This is what I ate all week for lunch and dinner. I spent maybe 5 min at the most putting it together and making a little homemade dressing each time if I wanted to add it. Below are pictures so you can see how I basically ate the same thing over and over again BUT I never got bored with it.....