comfort food

Mom’s Tuna Noodle Casserole – The Recipe

| The Bee Life

For any fellow Lenter’s out there – tis the season of meatless Friday’s and fasting.  And it’s the season of Mom’s delicious homemade comfort food dishes, so I wanted to share one of our favorites, her Tuna Noodle Casserole! Also great for any full-time vegetarians out there to have a nice easy casserole prepped for a winter weekend.
Tuna Noodle - Recipe - the bee lifee
What You’ll Need:
– 1-package of medium egg noodles, Cooked
– 1-can of tuna, white albacore in water
– 1-can of cream of celery
– 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more!)
– Third of a bag of frozen peas
– Mayo – 2-large spoon fulls
– 3-tablespoons of melted butter
– 1-cup seasoned bread crumbs

Step-by-Step:
1. Follow the instructions on the package of noodles to cook.  While the noodles are cooking cook a third of the frozen peas in the microwave, follow instructions on bag.  Preheat your oven to 350-degrees
2. Strain the water from the tuna and mix the tuna, cream of celery, cheddar cheese and mayo into a large bowl.
3. Add the cooked peas and cooked noodles (drained from hot water) to your tuna mixture, mix together well and then evenly spread mixture into cookie dish *ADD SIZE.
4. Melt your butter and combine with bread crumbs with a fork – distribute evenly across the top of your casserole, add as much or as little as you may want. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the topping is browned.
5. Serve up with some garlic bread and enjoy!

This is such an easy, quick meal to pull together on a Friday night and will last you through the weekend with leftovers!

3 Dairy Free Recipes for Fall

| The Bee Life

As the days cool, the nights darken and the full effects of comfort food and fall hit us – I can’t help but look for recipes that fit the void of comfort food, while being diet-friendly. And by diet friendly, I don’t mean some strict diet I’m on, just the diet of agreeing with my stomach, aka no dairy! I’ve definitely become more strict on my no dairy, and feel much better without it. We’ve also been trying to eat low-carb, and have surprisingly been able to stick to that fairly well, also!
Dairy Free Fall Recipes - the bee life
Baked Almond Feta with Rosemary (dairy free): This not only looks easy with minimum ingredients, but looks delicious and the perfect dish for appetizers and upcoming holiday parties! Plus all the dairy-free party goers can enjoy it too. Enjoy the full recipe here. 

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash: We’ve already enjoyed this dish a few times, and all I can say is YUM! Not to mention, you don’t feel as guilty but can still indulge in buffalo chicken dip tastes without eating a million chips! The ranch and hot sauce are areas where I air with caution (and the best part about BCP) but this recipe offers great substitutes for the dairy free eaters.  Enjoy the full recipe here.

Lasagna (gluten + dairy free): This is a must-try for this cool season and fits within our low-carb and dairy free diet restrictions! Although this has a bit more prep-time, it isn’t anything new when it comes to making lasagna – just a different kind of prep to get that cashew cheese substitute.  Trina’s full recipe is available here.

Have you conformed your favorite comfortable foods to fit your dietary needs? If so, share them below!

Mom’s Chili – The Recipe

| The Bee Life

Looking for something easy and low-key to through in the crock-pot this weekend so you’re relaxing or getting things done around the house? Well have no fear, my mom’s chili recipe is here; with some of my modifications for any of you vegetarians out there.

moms-chili

What You’ll Need:
– Ground beef (or turkey!) – 90% lean
– Half an onion – chopped
– 2 Cans of beans
– 1, 20-oz. can of tomato sauce
– 1, 20-oz. can of diced tomato
– Chili powder package or seasoning
– Other spices for flavor

Toppings:
 – Shredded cheese
– Sour cream
– Cilantro chopped
– Tostito’s scoops
– Cornbread

Step-by-Step:
 – Cook the ground beef and onions on flat top until browned
– Put call canned ingredients in pot and add the cooked beef and onions.  Stir together, place on stove or in crockpot  on low and cook for next 2-hours (or longer).  Stir frequently.
– Serve in a big bowl with your favorite toppings

If you want to do a vegetarian route switch out the ground meat with some cooked mushrooms, you can also add some chickpeas to the mix to add some color to your chili! The toppings are also key, I recently discovered cilantro as a topping – it’s such a game changer!

Happy Fall Y’all!