Yesterday was 2nd Man's birthday! So we had some good food for sure.
Regular readers might know this but new ones might not, his favorite meal that I make for him every year on his birthday, is a tuna casserole. Don't judge, we know it can have a negative connotation, but I do make a really good one...problem is (now) we have to eat heart healthy. We're cutting back on salt, trying to reduce saturated fat to as little as possible and staying away from white flour in lieu of wheat/whole grains.
So, I had to reinvent it using healthy ingredients. This is made with no fat cheddar cheese, vegan mayonnaise that I found and we LOVE it, Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream, heart healthy cream of mushroom and whole wheat pasta! Oh and organic tuna in water two cans to add the extra Omega 3's. It's just about as healthy as it can get.
It tasted wonderful and he loved it!
He made his birthday cake and it was a regular cake...but we limited ourselves to one slice each and the rest will be taken to work. It was a white velvet cake with vanilla cream filling and mascarpone frosting.
Delicious!
Gotta have some celebrating with sparkling rosé wine.
Hobart laid there while we ate and celebrated in his own way. By sleeping.
And check this out. You know me, I could NOT pass this up! My goal is to have an old farm truck to represent every holiday, ha! Too cute!
"May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full Moon on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door..." - Irish blessing
Happy St. Patrick's Day to all and especially a Happy Birthday to 2nd Man.
#notspoiled
A day late but Happy Birthday to 2nd Gentleman, 🍀 Happy St. Patrick's Day to you both, and another delicious Sunday at your place!
ReplyDeleteWhat are the negatives about tuna casserole? They are easy to throw together and a very budget friendly meal! I've not made one in a long time, but still ... 🤷
Ingredients:
Delete2 cans tuna in spring water, drained
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 cups shredded cheese blend (3/4 cup reserved for topping)
1 bag of frozen peas, thawed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 lb fettucine noodles cooked/drained
Mix all together, top with remaining cheddar and bake in greased casserole dish for 20 mins at 425. We like it crispy on top so we turn on the broiler until we like the color.
Now that was the original recipe, all I changes was using heart healthy soups, a vegan mayo, Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream, fat free shredded cheddar and whole wheat pasta. You can make it as original for the full appreciation or modify as you like to make it more healthy. :-)
Your recipes reads "delicious" ... both versions would be creamy and delicious!
DeleteThank you!!! :-)
DeleteWe've recently "discovered" chick pea pasta which we prefer over the whole wheat ... you might want to give it a try .. plus ... I love artichoke hearts (we get ours at Trader Joes but all stores seem to have them ... TJs just happens to have a good price ) as well as a packet or two (depends on size) of ranch dressing seasoning. So there ya go .. I think you are better than me about watching sodium though, so maybe to ranch for you.
DeleteYes, we've had several things with chickpea pasta, so good!! 2nd Man even made some using chickpea flour. Will have that in an upcoming post. TJ's is near my office, I'll have to look for those. We are watching our sodium but trying not to be too over the top with it. Thanks for the info!
DeleteHappy
ReplyDeleteSt. Patty's Day to you both. The rain we received yesterday kinds put a damper on the Mansfield St. Patrick's Day Pickle Parade.
Happy Birthday once again to you 2nd man . Hope you had a fun and enjoyable day.
That look looks delicious. Looks like it came straight from a bakery.
Cool looking truck
Enjoy the races and have a wonderful evening to you both.
Sorry you didn't get your parade. Houston as able to pull their big one off, the rain did eventually come. Thank yo use much and the race was pretty good!!
DeleteHappy Birthday, Second Man!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of whie velvet cake. Can we have the recipe?
I had never heard of it either. He found in online and I will make a post with the recipe soon. It is, as the name implies, a cousin of red velvet, so similar texture and taste. And he said thank you!!
DeleteBesides the white, you can also make a Pink, a Lemon and Chocolate Velvet cake.
DeleteWhite with a raspberry filling is also delicious
Oh wow, cool, I don't know if I should let him know that or not, LOL!!!! Kidding, I will make sure he checks those out too. thank you!
DeleteBelated birthday greetings to 2nd Man. Cake looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteHe said to tell you thank you! The cake was great. it was hard to resist eating more, but we each had one small slice and that was it. My office will get to enjoy the rest, ha.
DeleteHappy Birthday to 2nd Man! Your birthday cake looks scrumptious! Like something from a fancy restaurant.
ReplyDeleteTuna Casserole, although a humble dish, is delicious. I had it often as a kid. It’s wonderful how y’all are adapting your recipes to be heart healthy.
Hobart really knows how to enjoy his life of leisure.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I love your green Farm Truck for it!☘️
LOL you are too sweet, he said thanks!!! Yes, that's a great way to describe tuna casserole, humber but delicious. It has such negative connotation to many but if it's done right, it's yummy! Thanks, Hobart is definitely enjoying life, ha.
DeleteWow that cake looks amazing, like store bought only better! Hey, you can splurge every once in awhile. My hubby has heart issues (and stents) and we changed the way we eat, he's doing great and our doctor just said to just keep it up but enjoy what you like in moderation on occasion. Janie
ReplyDeleteThanks, yes, that's what we've learned and been told and read in forums. Stay to your healthy eating but don't fret if you have to have one slice of cake a couple times a year. It's really all about moderation. Thanks again and all the best to your husband!
DeleteBirthday salutations to Second Man. The cake looked fantastic and I could almost taste it. Now, about the St Patty’s Day truck. Absolutely adorable. Can you share where you got it?
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed this comment, for some reason it was in the spam folder. I found it at Big Lots! And thanks for the birthday wishes!!!
DeleteBest birthday wishes to both of you since I'm so bad at keeping track. Just think y=how much you will have to be thankful for this year!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a great year to be thankful for sure. Appreciate it!
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