FRIDAY - Intro & Tuna Casserole

I'm a little late in the update, but last Friday marked the day I began my mission to prepare low-budget yet healthy meals taken and modified from the SNAP-Ed (food stamp program) recipe finder. To give a brief intro about what I'm doing, I'm interested in learning what it take (and how it tastes) to prepare meals that a) are low-cost (affordable for individuals living below the poverty-line, or for college students like me)and b) provide adequate nutrients while cutting out the excess fat, salt, and sugar one typically finds in cheap processed or fast foods. Check out and LIKE my facebook page called "Heather's Page - Pick Your Points, Make Them Healthy" to learn about this project. So, without further adieu (and I'm a bit OVERDUE with this one..sorry), here is my first recipe - TUNA CASSEROLE (pictures to be added at a later date due to technical difficulties)

What the Recipe calls for:
4 Cups Water
5 ounces wide egg noodles
10 ounces low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
1/3 Cup Skim Milk
1 can (6.5 oz) tuna, packed in water, drained
1 cup frozen green peas
1 Cup fresh bread crumbs

Modifications I made:
I realized as I was preparing this that 1 cup of bread crumbs seemed like alot, so I cut it down to 1/2 cup instead.

Prep - Preheat over to 350 F
- Bring 1 qt of water to a boil in a large pot and cook egg noodles for 2 mins
- Cover the pot, remove from heat, cook 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, mix the soup & milk together in a bowl. Combine tuna and peas with the mixture and pour into a small (~1 qt) casserole dish
- Drain the noodles and combine with the mixture
- Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs, and bake for 30 minutes


Notes and Thoughts:
SNAP-Ed indicates that the cost per recipe is $3.44 and serves 6. The price seems about right, but I definitely thought that the recipe could only comfortably feed about 4 people. I felt like I had the right amount of bread crumbs (1/2 cup), but the recipe was still a little bland. I added a pinch of shredded mozzarrella cheese to my portion, and that definitely seemed to help. Next time I would sprinkle about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese before putting the casserole in the oven. Overall, I give the recipe a 3 out of 5.

Why this recipe is great: Tuna is a good source of protein and good fats like omega-3's that are important for cardiovascular health. The egg noodles are enriched with iron and B vitamins, and the peas are a natural source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! For more information about nutrition facts and this recipe, visit: http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/index.php?mode=display&rec_id=946