Tuna Casserole

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day with no rain, 75 degree weather, so no comfort food needed here. I wanted something easy, light and delicious, especially since I was having dinner alone tonight.

Tuna casserole it is!

It's so easy to make this with WAAAY too many calories by adding too much cheese or mayo and milk. So skip all of that. I aimed for an easier method that would contain the calories by using a mixture that premeasures my calories. Cream of something soups!

Achieved a perfect creaminess, added veggies, and had enough room to have seconds. YUM!

Ingredients

12 oz noodles (I actually used a little less as I was combining the leftover noodles from other dishes. I had elbow macaroni and rotini/spiral pasta. Both enriched with nutrients.)

2 cans tuna fish (packed in water, not oil. Oil adds too many calories and makes the fish too fishy tasting.)

2 small cans of peas and carrots

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup (Actually if you want to skip this and do two cans of mushroom soup, you can cut some unnecessary calories without skimping on taste.)

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Boil the noodles according to the directions on the package.

3. Meanwhile, heat up the cans of condensed soup. Season a bit with salt and pepper. Be careful not to bring to a boil, but just simmer at a low heat while the noodles boil.

4. When the soups begin to bubble, add the peas and carrots and the tuna fish. Stir together.

5. After the noodles finish, drain, rinse, and return to the pot.

6. Add the soup and tuna fish mixture and stir completely.

7. Put the noodle mixture into a glass baking dish and put in the oven. (If you're not worried about calories and want the taste to be a bit richer, you can add cheese on top at this point.)

8. Bake for 30 minutes.

9. Serves 8. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information (8 servings)

Calories: 170

Total Fat: 4.4g

Saturated Fat: 1.2g

Cholesterol: 28mg

Sodium: 623mg

Total Carbs: 19.2g

Dietary Fiber: 2.0g

Sugars: 0.5g

Protein: 13.6g

Vitamin A: 39%

Vitamin C: 4%

Calcium: 2%

Iron: 8%

Parmesan Tilapia

First thing's first: I fit into my skinny jeans! After one month of being on this diet, I've managed to drop one size. Basically, I estimate that to be about 10 pounds. So yay! Eating healthy and watching everything I eat is really helping.

I am understandably proud of myself, and really enjoying coming up with new recipes to try.

Now on to tonight's dinner:

Husband and I fended for ourselves tonight, which meant I could make fish! I love fish. It's so good for you, so easy to make, and so tasty.

I discovered this recipe a couple weeks ago on Caloriecount.com and made it for one of my first diet dinners. I've adapted it slightly, and I make only single portions of it. Regardless, I'm repeating this excellent recipe tonight and posting here so you can also enjoy this delicious Parmesan Crusted Tilapia.

Ingredients:

1 tilapia fillet (Buy frozen and defrost by leaving one or how ever many you want in the refrigerator for a day.)

1/8 cup bread crumbs (You can actually estimate downward on this and the cheese, as you won't use a full 1/8 cup. I just shook some crumbs and cheese out onto a plate as much as I thought would be needed to cover my tilapia.)

1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

pinch of Paprika

1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Rinse the defrosted tilapia fillet to get rid of excessive fishiness or any skin.

3. Beat egg in a small bowl.

4. Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and paprika on a plate.

5. Dip tilapia in the egg mixture and coat on both sides.

6. Roll the tilapia in the bread mixture, being sure to coat both sides with the bread crumbs and cheese.

7. Set tilapia in a greased glass dish and then back it for about 12 minutes. Be sure to watch your oven, because tilapia cooks quickly. Leave it too long and it dries out.

Enjoy!

I served mine on a bed of spinach with Sun Dried Tomato vinaigrette dressing. Soo good! I have to convince my husband to like fish one of these days.

Nutritional Facts: 1 tilapia fillet

Calories: 218

Total Fat: 6.5g

Saturated Fat: 3.1g

Cholesterol: 113mg

Sodium: 346mg

Total Carbs: 10.6g

Dietary Fiber: 0.8g

Sugars: 1.1g

Protein: 29.2g

Vitamin A: 8%

Vitamin C: 1%

Calcium: 19%

Iron: 12%