Tuna Casserole

When I was a little girl my parents worked different shifts - my father worked the afternoon shift and my mother worked the day shift. For as long as I can remember my father has been the cook of the house - my mother rarely cooked if my father was around. During the week though, when it was time for dinner and we were on our own, my mother would make one of three meals. Dinner was either Kraft Dinner, Rice-a-roni and some kind of meat, or tuna casserole. As a child I HATED tuna casserole. I have memories of my mother nearly having to force feed it to me. Then, years later when I was a teenager, I started really enjoying tuna and wouldn't you know it, my mother would rarely ever make it. Oh well... Anyway, I decided to forgo the Tuna Helper mix and made it from scratch the other night. Oh how I've missed homemade tuna casserole. I made enough for about four servings but it was so good we ate it all.

Pretty simple to throw together:

Pasta of choice
2 cans of tuna
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
2-3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese of choice shredded over top
350F for 20 - 25 min.

Weekend

Breakfast - Vegetable egg scramble (serves 1)
2 brown eggs
1 cup chopped raw spinach
1/4 cup chopped raw mushrooms
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
Olive oil for the pan
A dash or two of ground black pepper and paprika

Sometimes I add some grated cheese on top but this morning I opted not to.

For lunch, I actually made another weekend breakfast choice...

Lunch - Whole grain pancake with stewed fruit (serves 3)
Pancake
1 cup whole grain pancake mix
1 cup skim milk
1 brown egg
1/8 tsp olive oil for the mix and a bit for the pan

Stewed fruit
4 small gala apples
1/2 cup rhubarb
1/2 cup mango (optional)
1-2 tsp unrefined granulated sugar or Agave nectar
3/4 - 1 cup water

Peel and dice apples (the smaller, the less time it will take), place in small pot with the water and sugar of choice. Cook on medium-low heat - I have never timed this process but I would estimate around 30-45 minutes. Once the fruit is nice and soft, spread a generous portion on top of the pancake.

Dinner - Spinach salad with mini pita tuna melts (serves 2)
Spinach Salad (per serving)
1 cup raw spinach
1/8 cup chopped mushroom
1/8 cup diced green pepper
1/8 cup diced red pepper
1/8 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup sliced zucchini
1-2 tsp poppy seed dressing
Grated cheese (optional)

Mini Pita Tuna Melts
6 mini whole wheat pitas
1 can low sodium tuna
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/8 cup diced green pepper
1 tbsp mayonnaise
Grated cheese

Mix up tuna, mayo, onion and pepper. Spoon portion onto each pita evenly. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake at 350 F until cheese is melted (5-10 minutes).