Healthy meal of the week: Spicy Tuna Salad

Leftover idea: Tuna Cracker Sandwiches

For a healthy meal with a twist, here’s one your family will love, especially when you can create a leftover meal that’s easily transportable and ready to take with you if needed. Hopefully you enjoy spicy foods, as this meal puts a twist on the traditional way of preparing tuna by substituting mustard and tapatío for mayonnaise. In fact, the least healthy component of tuna, as typically eaten, is mayonnaise, which has a whopping 100 calories PER Tbsp. If you can eliminate it or use the bare minimum, tuna has the potential to be a great eating option.

So instead of the amount of mayonnaise you usually use to mix with tuna, you can substitute mustard (only 5 calories per serving) instead. When you add in a few squirts of Tapatio Hot Sauce (or another preferred brand), you really won’t miss that fattening mayo anyway, as your taste buds will enjoy the spiciness too much.

Necessary equipment

– medium mixing bowl

– can opener for tuna

Time to cook

– 10 minutes of preparation

Ingredients

(6 servings)

– 4 5 oz. cans of tuna (in water)

– vegetable salad of your liking

– 6 tablespoons mustard

– salt and pepper seasoned to taste

– Tapatio hot sauce to taste

For the leftover tuna cracker sandwiches:

– pretzels

– slices of low-fat mozzarella cheese (optional)

Addresses

1. This is a really simple meal to prepare. Start by carefully opening the tuna cans and drain the water completely. You can use a strainer to help with this or press the lid down on the can, hold it tight, and flip it upside down over the sink. Most of the water will drain away leaving the precious tuna in the can. Just be sure to hold it tight and watch out for the sharp edges so you don’t cut your fingers.

two. Put the tuna (minus the water) in a bowl large enough to mix well without the contents spilling over the edge.

3. Add the mustard, a few squirts of Tapatio, a splash of seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with a fork. Give it a try to see what you think. You can then add more of something if necessary.

Four. Wash and chop the lettuce that you are going to use, and also take the opportunity to cut / add the vegetables that you want to include in your salad. Just remember that you will add 1-2 tablespoons of tuna later, so keep that in mind.

5. Once your salad is prepared just the way you like it, add 1-2 heaping tablespoons of your spicy tuna concoction. You will see that no salad dressing is needed. As you eat, try to include some tuna with the lettuce mix in each bite and you will have an explosion of flavors in your mouth.

Leftover food idea:

Here’s a simple gift that can easily be taken to work the next day. Better yet, the total for this meal is only around 250 calories or you can add an additional 100 if you plan to eat a fruit with this meal, still 350 calories is great for a meal.

All you need to do is place 2-3 heaping tablespoons of spicy tuna in a plastic travel container and seal with a lid. Put your crackers (or equivalent) in a ziploc bag and put both packages in your fridge until you need them. You’ll be ready to go in no time!