A Lazy Pantry Dinner

It's 7 pm. You're tired and feeling lazy about cooking.  You have no plan for dinner. What do you do?  There was a time when this meant picking up the phone and a pizza flyer and calling for delivery. But as part of my efforts to eat healthier, this is not really a good option any more.  Let's face it, we all feel lazy sometimes and cooking is just not on the agenda.  Instead of turning to unhealthy delivery options, I've started stocking my kitchen with "easy dinners." Some of this includes frozen meals or cans of veggies or microwave sides. Fresh is better. So is home-made, but when it's between pizza and a microwave dinner, the microwave dinner is the better choice. 

I was in this lazy mood this evening and turned to the cupboards and the freezer for an easy meal.  I threw this together in under 10 minutes! It was easy, healthy and filling!

Lazy Tuna Surprise

Ingredients
1 packet of tuna
1/2 bag of egg noodles
2 boxes of frozen veggies (I'm really into the Health Blends, especially since they were only $1 the other day)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Boil water in a medium pot and add the pasta. While the water is getting to a boil, microwave the veggies. 

2. When the pasta is done, combine it with the tuna and veggies in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, herbs and spices and mix well.

Note: the veggies I used already had a light sauce and seasoning. If yours are plain, you may want more seasoning and olive oil.

3. Scoop onto a plate and top with parmesan cheese.

Makes 2 servings; calories will depend on the frozen veggies you use; my meal was 522 calories. To lower the calories a bit, you could probably use a light Italian salad dressing instead of olive oil.