Healthy food of the week: Spicy Tuna Salad
leftover idea: Tuna Cracker Sandwiches

For a healthy meal with a twist, here’s one your family might love, especially when you can create a leftover meal that’s easy to transport and ready to take with you if needed. We hope you enjoy spicy foods because this meal puts a twist on the traditional way of preparing tuna by substituting mayonnaise for mustard and tapatío. Truth be told, the unhealthiest component of tuna as it is typically eaten is the mayonnaise, which has a whopping 100 calories PER tablespoon. If you can cut it out 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). When you throw in a few squirts of Tapatío 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 choice
– 6 tablespoons of mustard
– seasoned salt and pepper to taste
– Tapatío 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 cans of tuna and draining the water completely. You can use a strainer to help with this or press the lid down on the can, hold it firmly, and turn 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 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 spilling over the rim.

3. Add the mustard, a few dashes of Tapatío, a pinch of seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with a fork. Show a bit to see what you think. You can then add more of something if needed.

Four. Wash and chop the lettuce that you are going to use, and also take the opportunity to cut/add any vegetables that you want to include in your salad. Just remember that you will be adding 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 find that no salad dressing is needed. As you eat, try to include a little tuna with the greens salad mix in each bite and you will have an explosion of flavors in your mouth.

Leftover Food Idea:

Here’s a simple gift that you can easily take to work the next day. Better yet, the total for this meal is only about 250 calories or you can add an extra 100 if you plan on having a fruit with this meal, still 350 calories is great for one meal.

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