I love re-vamping a classic!

I think it is so fun to take a classic recipe, such as Tuna Noodle Casserole, and give it a healthy update! I really don't use many canned foods (Soups,sauces,etc), so this recipe is completely from scratch. It's one of my husband's favorites- and I actually enjoy it as well.

I used Baby Bella Mushrooms, Yellow Onion, Celery, Green Olives, Tuna in Water, Low Fat Mozzarella, Fresh Grated Parmesan, Skim Milk, Olive Oil and Healthy Harvest Egg Noodles (Whole Wheat).

I cooked my mushrooms first to get a little color on them. Cook in 2 tsps of olive oil over Medium heat until they just start to brown.

Chop 2 ribs of celery (leaves too) and 1 small onion. 

Add to the mushrooms and cook until soft.

In a separate pot- boil the water for the noodles. I used 3/4 of the bag.

To the mushroom/onion/celery mixture, I add an additional tsp of olive oil and 2 TBS of flour. Cook 1 minute and slowly stir in 3 cups of skim milk. Drain and add 2 cans of tuna (in water) and 1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan. Most classic recipes call for Pimentos- we just use green olives with the pimento :) I added about 12 Queen sized olives, sliced.

Grease a 9x13 pan and add the pasta and mushroom sauce. Stir to combine and top with 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

This recipe makes a lot- but it freezes really well and my hubby can eat it for days!

Admitting my love for Fried Green Olives!

Years ago, my parents traveled to California to visit wine country. They stopped one afternoon at a roadside bar, and ordered a few appetizers. My dad came home raving about the stuffed and fried olives they had, and he set out to perfect the recipe. They quickly became a family favorite. I don't eat a lot of fried food, but I would have to say...these are my absolute favorite "junk food". This is my version of Dad's Bar Olives!!


It all begins with a jar of Queen size Green Olives. 21 oz...which for me, translates to 60 olives.


Drain olives and remove the pimentos (reserve in a dish). If you are lucky enough to find Queen size olives un-stuffed...go for it. I however, am not willing to pay $7 for 20 un-stuffed olives. So I buy the jumbo jars at Sam's Club and remove the pimentos. If you use a sharp knife, you can pull them out easily. 60 olives took me less than 5 minutes.

Keep the olives on a paper towel to remove the moisture. Save the pimentos for use in Pimento Cheese Spread!!


Mix together 4 oz of cream cheese (I use low-fat) with 1 cup of finely grated pepperjack cheese, and 1 tsp of tabasco sauce. Put into a doubled up sandwich size ziploc bag (I one bag inside another for a little added strength, could also be done with a pastry bag).

Snip the corner of the bags and pipe into each olive until it is filled to the surface. Do not overfill or they will explode when frying.

After all the olives are filled- place the plate of olives in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Crack two eggs and mix with 1 TBS of water. Beat until combined. In a second bowl, mix 1 cup of bread crumbs with 2 TSB of flour, and 1 tsp of black pepper. Dunk each olive into the egg and then the bread crumb mixture and place on a clean paper towel lined dish. (I put about 4 olives in the egg and then crumb mix at a time, using one hand for wet and one for dry...this takes about 12 minutes)

After they have one coat, place in the freezer for another 30 minutes. Refrigerate the egg mixture.

Coat olives a second time and return to the freezer. (You may need to add a little more of the bread crumbs). Once the coating is set, you can transfer them to a large ziploc bag and store in the freezer.

When ready to eat, heat your frying oil of choice and add about 6 olives at a time. (I use a sauce pan with about 1 cup of vegetable oil over medium high heat). If you have a deep fryer, you could fry more than 6 at a time.

Place on a paper towel to drain and cool for a few moments before consuming.


Yummy oozing olives!!! This recipe is also wonderful with blue cheese instead of pepper jack :)