Quick and Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is the quickest, easiest, healthiest, and tastiest version of tuna noodle casserole I have ever had. I hope you enjoy this one dish, baked version as much as I do.

printer friendly version

2 1/2 C milk

2 C water

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 box mini rotini pasta

15 oz tuna, drained

2 stalks celery, diced

1 C peas

15 Ritz crackers, crushed

1/3 C Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 F

Whisk together milk, water, cornstarch, salts, and pepper in a large baking dish.

Stir in pasta, tuna, celery, and peas.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes.

Top with crushed crackers and cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!printer friendly version

Supermarket Healthy: a review

I first need to say that if I ever wrote a cookbook, I imagine it would be very similar to Melissa D'arabian's Supermarket Healthy. I remember watching and rooting for her on The Next Food Network Star and was thrilled when she won. Her philosophies on food are very similar to my own and she knows how to feed a family and stay on a budget.

I really love this cookbook. I've found so many practical and healthy meals. The nice thing is that while the ingredients aren't all ones I typically buy, they aren't completely foreign and can be found for reasonable prices.

For a sneak peak at the book, click here.

To test the recipes I made this jambalaya made with quinoa and it was absolutely delicious! The recipe just said quinoa, but I happened to have red quinoa in my pantry, so that's what I used. The best parts about the dish are that it convinced my husband that quinoa can be good and the jambalaya itself wasn't mushy like a lot of recipes with rice tend to get.

The book is full of meals like this that take something familiar to an average family and takes it up a notch in health while still maintaining the family friendliness of the dish.

I highly recommend this cookbook and will be certain to try more recipes from it in the future!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

If you'd like to order the book through my amazon affiliate link, please do so here.

Meal Plan Monday: lunch and dinner week of 3/2/15

I'm rather excited about some of the meals I'm trying this week. I received a new cookbook to review and found so many delicious looking recipes. I'll be sharing more on it after I actually try the recipes. This week I'm sharing most of my lunch and dinner plans, because many of them really could go either way.

• Turkey Reuben Wraps (from new cook book)
• Kale and White Bean Caesar Salad (from new cook book)
• Red Lentils and Quinoa (from new cook book)
• Jambalaya (from new cook book)
• Enchilada Ravioli
• Skillet Lasagna (or as my husband affectionately calls it "Lazy Anna")
• Family Style Nachos
• Spinach and Black Bean Taquitos
• Pizza
• Meatball Sandwiches
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches with apples
• Chicken Nuggets with mixed vegetables
• leftovers
• Potluck @ church -currently undecided on dish

What's your favorite potluck dish?

Easy Homestyle Donuts

A couple weeks ago, when I posted a picture of these donuts on instagram and my private facebook page, I got multiple requests for the recipe. So naturally, I made them again to share on here.

Unlike a lot of my recipes, these are nowhere near healthy, but healthy eating is all about balance and sometimes it's nice to have a treat.

 Start by heating your oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Prepare premade homestyle buttermilk biscuits, by cutting a hole in the middle- this is important to ensure the donut cooks through all the way. You'll need to be very careful with cooking if you don't add the hole.

 Your oil is the proper temperature when a drop of water causes a light sizzle. If it crackles and pops, turn the heat down and wait to add your donuts. Allow for plenty of space when adding the donuts.

 Allow dough to cook to a medium brown (about 1 minute), then turn to cook the other side (about 1 minute more).

 As your donut finishes, the bubbles will get slower, but won't completely stop.

When they are finished cooking, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to cool for about 30 seconds.

After the donuts have cooled enough to handle, coat the donut in granulated sugar or whatever you prefer.

Enjoy (in moderation).

What's your favorite donut flavor and topping?

Meal Plan Monday: winter breakfasts

For this week's meal plan Monday I decided to share our breakfasts, because with all this snow many of us have been getting, cereal just doesn't cut it. I'm very fortunate to have time in the mornings to make breakfast, but I know not everyone does, so I've kept that in mind with this plan.

• Whole Wheat Banana Muffins (these will take about 45 minutes when you factor in preheating the oven, but only about 10 minutes of active prep. Making them the night before could be helpful.)
• Scrambled eggs and Toast
• Classic Pancakes with fresh fruit (These pancakes are ready to cook in about 5 minutes, so the amount of time these take to finish depends on your skillet size.)
• Homemade Instant Oatmeal (It has all the speed of instant oatmeal from a box, but much cheaper and usually healthier)
• Baked Oatmeal (This oatmeal will take about 45 minutes once you factor in preheating the oven, but only about 5 minutes of active prep. If that doesn't work for your morning routine, you can make it the night before.)
• French Toast with fruit, dusted with powdered sugar (Like the pancakes, the speed of these depend on the size of your griddle.)
• Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (These cookies only take a couple minutes to throw together and only take 15 minutes to bake, so they should be ready to eat in about a half hour. I'll be using almond milk instead of coconut milk, because that's what I have, but you can also use cow's milk)

If you're looking for more breakfast ideas, check out my pinterest board.

What's your favorite warm and cozy breakfast?

Take-out Fake-out Egg Rolls

Happy Chinese New Year!
 I love Chinese take-out, but the price tag and I don't always get along. Don't get me wrong, I'll still buy it, but with a little bit of effort, I can make it for less at home and it's fun. As my family gets older and the kids are eating more, I'm feeling more and more inclined to make things at home. Do you have any idea how quickly the tab climbs when six people eat out? It's nuts!

 So here I have these awesome egg rolls, they are a big step-up from the egg rolls I used to make, because I discovered the secret ingredient: oyster sauce. A bottle isn't very expensive and makes a world of difference.

Click here for the printable version.

1.25 lb ground pork, 2 tsp minced ginger or paste, 10 oz angel hair coleslaw, 2 med carrots, shredded
4 T oyster sauce, about 20 egg roll wrappers, and about 1 QT oil for frying (not pictured)

Cook pork and ginger together.

Stir in coleslaw and carrots and cook 2 minutes.

Stir in oyster sauce and cook 2-3 minutes.

Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon into an egg roll wrapper.
Roll up and seal with a little bit of water.

Repeat until filling and/or wrappers are gone.

Preheat oil. It should lightly sizzle when a drop of water is added. If it crackles and pops, it is too hot.

Carefully add a prepared egg roll to the oil and allow to turn golden brown. Turn egg rolls to evenly cook.

Remove from oil and allow excess oil to drain onto a paper towel lined plate.

Enjoy!
 Click here for the printable version.

What's your favorite take-out dish?

Meal Plan Monday: Picking from Pinterest

I was having a hard time picking out meals this week, so I ran over to Pinterest for some inspirations.

• Tortellini Soup (special request from David this week)
• Better-than-take-out Pad Thai
• Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
• Honey Sriracha Chicken w/ rice and broccoli (I made this recently and it was a winner, so we're having it again)
• Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls with rice
• Personal Pizzas -mine being inspired by this one
• Leftover night

What's for dinner at your house?
this post is linked to orgjunkie.com

My Perfect Pantry: a cook book review

I received a copy of Geoffrey Zakarian's My Perfect Pantry from Blogging for Books for free to review and share.

I was so excited to get this book for review, but admittedly I was a little disappointed when I actually dove in. I expected to have a book with a bunch of recipes I could make with pretty much all the same ingredients. Instead, the pantry theme is just an organizational scheme. He gives three recipes that star each of his 50 pantry staples, but the other ingredients vary significantly.
Other than that, the recipes look good and I'd really love to try many of them. A lot of the recipes are a bit more expensive and/or a bit more foodie than my usual. Since my picky eaters are currently making great strides towards eating a more varied diet, I am saving these recipes for later. A lot of the other recipes I thought looked good, are just a variation on something I already make and love. Some of the recipes I'm looking forward to are: Smoky Black Bean Bisque, New England Clam Chowder, and Almond Crusted Pork Chops with Apples.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Spinach and Black Bean Taquitos

I made these taquitos for my mom the other day and she was certainly skeptical when I told her what I was making. As she watched me make them, she still wasn't sure. When they came out of the oven, I gave her a small plate and she hesitantly took a bite. To my delight, she loved them and even had seconds. So if you're not sure about these, I dare you to give them a try, because they are healthy and delicious.

The instructions might seem intimidating, because you have to get out your food processor, but it's really very easy and from start to finish and only takes about 30 minutes (longer if you count oven preheating time.) Click here for printer friendly version.

 Preheat oven to 425 F. Process 1 (15 oz) can drained and rinsed black beans, 2 T salsa, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 T lime juice until mostly smooth.

 Add 6 oz thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach to processor and pulse until incorporated

 Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in 1 C shredded Mexican blend cheese and 1/2 C frozen corn kernels until well incorporated.

 Roll 1/4 C mixture in an 8-in whole wheat tortilla and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture ending with 8 or 9 taquitos.

Spray the taquitos with a little oil and bake 20-25 minutes until lightly toasted. Enjoy!

Click here for a printer friendly version.

Meal Plan Monday: Get More Fiber!

This semester I am taking a nutrition class and I am currently working on an assignment about dietary fiber. I have to come up with a full day's meal plan that will meet my Adequate Intake recommendation for fiber. Just in case you're wondering, it's 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men.

Luckily for you all, I'm a total overachiever and I came up with multiple options and even included a calorie count to share with you. The menu is designed so that choosing any 3 meals (even all breakfasts) will provide you with at least 27 g of fiber and keep your intake under 1,500 Calories. For most adults, that leaves room for snacks and/or dessert. Men: you'll need to eat additional servings to make it up to 38 g of fiber the fruits will help you get there with the least amount of calories. (Please note: calories and fiber content can vary by brand, and even vary depending on which website you use to analyze the recipe, so use these as a general guide instead of a hard fast rule)

Breakfast (all contain 9 g of fiber or more):

• 1/2 C grape-nuts cereal, 1 small banana, and 1/2 C skim milk -350 Cal and 9.6g fiber
• 3 100% whole wheat pancakes* (4-5in diameter), 1 tsp butter per pancake, and 1 C halved strawberries -480 Cal and 9g fiber
• 1 C baked oatmeal, 1/2 grapefruit -496 Cal and 10.6 g fiber

*Follow the recipe using all whole wheat flour instead of both whole and all-purpose.

Lunch (all contain 10 or more grams of fiber):

• Black Bean Quesadilla (1/4C black beans, 1 whole wheat tortilla, 1 T salsa) and medium apple -275 Cal and 10.9 g fiber
• 2 Spinach and Black Bean Taquitos, 2 T salsa -472 Cal and 12.2 g fiber
• 1 egg salad sandwich (2 pieces 100% whole wheat bread*, fresh egg salad made with 2 eggs, 1/2 T miracle whip, and seasoning), 10 baby carrots -390 Cal and 10 g fiber

Dinner (all contain over 11 grams of fiber):

• 1 1/4 C Sweet Potato Chili, 1 serving jiffy corn muffins -472 Cal 12 g fiber
• 2 oz 100% whole wheat spaghetti, 1/2 C Prego brand Roasted garlic and herb pasta sauce, 4 1/2oz meatballs, spinach salad (1 C spinach, 2 T grated carrot, 5 cherry tomatoes, 1 T fat free raspberry vinaigrette) -488 Cal 11.37 g fiber
• Salad with everything except dressing (4 C spring mix, 1/4 C chopped sweet red pepper, 1 medium slice onion, 1/4 C sliced carrot, 1/2 C sliced cucumber, 1/4 whole avocado, 8 cherry tomatoes, 1/4 C chopped raw broccoli, 2 T craisins) and 1 100% whole wheat breadstick (made from my pizza dough -look for the breadstick instructions at the bottom of the page) -410 Calories 12.438 g Fiber 

Have you thought about your fiber intake recently?
this post is linked to orgjunkie.com

Classic Pancakes

My kids love pancakes! They will eat just about any pancake I throw in front of them. I, on the other hand am a little more picky. I have this theory that a great pancake doesn't need syrup. I have also been convinced for quite some time that a great pancake recipe can use either refined flour or whole wheat flour. This recipe does just that. We have enjoyed it numerous ways, I prefer the whole wheat or at least a mix, but admittedly David still prefers the refined flour. He douses it in syrup anyway, so who cares what he thinks, right? ...Actually I do, so that's why I compromised and am sharing this recipe with half of each.

 This recipe yields about 24 medium pancakes. Click here for the printer friendly version.

 Melt 6 T butter and whisk together with 3 C milk and 2 eggs.

If you don't whisk the ingredients fast enough, you might get little clumps of butter that are solidified after touching the cold milk. This isn't a big deal.

 Whisk together 1 1/2 C each whole white wheat and all-purpose flours, 7 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp salt, and 2 T sugar.

 Whisk together the wet and dry mixes until incorporated and the batter begins to bubble (it won't take long). Allow batter to rest while you preheat your griddle.

 Grease the griddle and pour about 1/4 C batter onto the preheated griddle. Allow to set until edges are slightly firm and the centers have bubbles. (The above pancakes are all ready to flip.)

 Enjoy!
Click here for the printer friendly version.

How do you like to top your pancakes?

Meal Plan Monday: beginning of February 2015

I think I'm coming down with something. A little bug has been making its rounds through my family with varying degrees of severity and I'm the last one to start. Wyatt spent all of last week sick, so I've picked pretty basic meals that won't take a lot of effort and won't require any items from the grocery beyond the basics. I'm just hoping I can make it to the store today before I get more than this tickle in my throat. If it turns out to be nothing or I am not sick for long, I'll probably trade out some of the meals which is why I'm not buying anything special.

• no-boil pasta bake
• no-boil tuna noodle casserole (recipe coming soon)
• loaded potato soup
• bean chili
• baked potatoes
• pizza bread
• big Italian salad (recipe coming eventually)

What do you like to eat when you're sick?

Asian Chicken Salad

I have been loving this salad recently. I like to add some chicken to it, but you could certainly skip the chicken and it would still be filling and tasty.

Click here for the printable version.

 You'll need: melted peanut butter (not pictured), rice vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sugar, roasted almonds, sesame seeds, chow mein noodles, napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, carrots, basil, sweet sweet peppers.

Whisk together 1/4 C veg oil, 2 T soy sauce, 2 T rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1 1/2 T melted peanut butter to make the dressing.

 Thinly slice the napa cabbage.

 Thinly slice the romaine lettuce.

 Use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrots.

 Slice the peppers and basil and mix with the cabbage, lettuce, carrots, sesame seeds. Don't forget the almonds and chicken like I almost did when taking these pictures.

 Add prepared dressing to the salad and toss thoroughly.

Top the salad with chow mein noodles and, if desired, mandarin oranges. Enjoy!

Click here for the printable version


What's your favorite salad?