Ideas to Help the Tuna Fish Sandwich

Growing up a tuna sandwich was tuna mixed with mayo slapped on some bread.  I have since discovered it does not have to be so boring or tasteless.

I have learned adding things to the tuna really helps it out. Besides Miracle Whip some of my favorite spices to add are:
garlic
onion
salt
pepper
ranch dressing

Other things to add:
pickles
lettuce
celery

I like the crunch these add.

However, one of my favorite ways to prepare a tuna sandwich is to mix the Miracle Whip and tuna with peeled and diced apples. Serve it on toasted bread.  This makes it a sweeter sandwich and you still get the crunch.

An easy lunch for the kids on a hot summer day. 

Double the Rice

We had the opportunity to get brown rice for very cheap.  I hear its healthier than white so I bought it.  Well, here is some things I did not know.  Because it has more moister in it, it has a shorter shelf life, much shorter than white.  You'd think that might make it cook faster, turns out it takes about three times as long. So, now I have this rice that needs eaten and I don't want to have should be quick meals slowed by the eternally slow cooking rice.  That's one reason I cook a lot at once and eat rice twice.

The first night we might do something like Chicken Fajitas with rice and beans and the second night we will eat Ham Fried Rice.

When I buy ham all cubed and nice like that it usually means we had/or will be having homemade pizza in the near future.

Truth be told, I don't really follow a set recipe for either of these meals.

Chicken Fajita
Cook chicken a little bit of oil- cut into strips.
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
cut peppers into strips (I have onion pre-chopped in my freezer, but you can cut it into strips too.)
Saute it all together.
Add a can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
Add 2 cups of cooked rice

Add a little soy sauce and heat through beans and rice.

While heating add spices (I add some while cooking chicken)
garlic
onion
ginger
cayenne pepper
season salt

Whatever you'd like- I just throw stuff in. Sometimes I add a can of Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup.  Sorry, that's not a set recipe. It one of those things that changes every time I make it based on how I feel or what we have at the time.

Once heated I serve in a tortilla.


Fried Rice

This one is a little more organized.

4 cups rice
bag of peas and carrots (thawed)
1/4 cup dehydrated onion (estimated)
ham
soy sauce
onion
garlic
turmeric
any other spice you'd like to throw in
1 beaten egg

Heat rice
Throw in the peas and carrots, stir
Add onion, ham, soy sauce, and spices, stir until heated through.
Once heated slowly add egg in the center of rice while stirring until all egg is cooked.

If you want this to be easier, instead of all the spices and onion you can add a packet of dry onion soup mix.

Two Meals at a Time

Okay, I feel I kind of cheated you with the burritos.  Almost too easy and certainly too boring (although still popular at our house).

Here is two cheap meals to make one after the other to save some time. This idea came from Apreparedhome.com


Two Pasta Meals

On the first night cook Spaghetti (or another pasta dish).  Make lots of noodles, you will want extra.  Some of our favorite sides with Spaghetti are green beans and homemade garlic bread.

On the second night use the leftover noodles to make stir fry.  Fry noodles in a frying pan with a little oil.  Add thawed stir-fry vegetables and a whole lot of soy sauce. Cook until heated through. Quick, easy, and yummy.

Bean and Cheese Burritos

Burritos are simple and cheap.

On a tortilla shell put a large spoon full of refried beans and half a handful of cheese.  Microwave or fry until cheese is melted (and crisp if frying).

How easy was that!

Spice it up with salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, or whatever else you'd like.

Cream Cheese Chicken Crock Pot Meal

Got this recipe from a coworker


Cream Cheese Chicken

3-4 chicken breast
8 oz soften cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet dry italian dressing seasoning


Place ingredients in a Crock Pot and cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 3, or until chicken is completely cooked. Serve over rice.

Yummy!

Tuna Cassarole

A girl staying with my parents made up this recipe when we were very young.  The best tuna casserole recipe I have found.  Season Salt is what makes this amazing.


Tuna Casserole
2 cans Tuna (drained)
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip to moisten
1 8oz sour cream
1 can mushroom soup
Mix together and season with seasoned salt

1 lb pkg egg noodles (cooked and drained)
1 lb pkg. Frozen mixed vegetables, any variety (cooked and drained)
Mix with tuna mixture.
Put in casserole dish, top with grated cheese (Monterey jack or mozzarella is best)
Then top with seasoned bread crumbs or crushed barbecued potato chips. Make seasoned bread crumbs by frying 3 to 4 slices of bread, torn into small pieces, in butter and seasoned with seasoned salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 until heated (about 20 min)
Use seasoned salt at table for additional seasoning.

Meal in a Pumpkin

A family favorite Halloween tradition.  Every Halloween as a kid we would have this meal.  Of course often we were so excited about getting candy we didn't want to eat dinner.  My mom became wiser and started making it the day before.  Best of both worlds.  And a tradition I plan to continue.

Meal in a Pumpkin

1 medium pumpkin, cut off top, clean out, can draw face on pumpkin with permanent marker if you want

1 medium onion chopped

2 T oil if needed

2 lbs hamburger

2 T brown sugar

4 oz can sliced mushrooms

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 ½ cups cooked rice

8 oz can sliced water chestnuts

2 T soy sauce

Brown meat, sauté onion, add oil if needed, add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup. Simmer 10 minutes. Add rice and water chestnuts. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin shell. Place pumpkin on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until tender.