Starkist Tuna Salad - Albacore

After I tried the Starkist Tuna Salad and was told they had an Albacore version - I went on the hunt. I finally found the Starkist Tuna Salad - Albacore one day in Wal-Mart so I picked up 2 packs. If I make a tuna sandwich - it's always with albacore so I figured this would be a good convenience food to have on hand at my desk at work.

 

One afternoon I was in the need of a protein boost, so I opened a package and put it over a very small garden salad. The tuna salad I found to be rather plain with no flavor. The plus side was that it has mayonnaise in it and was a solid white tuna fish. This can be jazzed up with a little sprinkle of salt and pepper ... and if you enjoy a little pizzazz with your tuna, a little crushed hot peppers or even banana pepper rings. I can't say it's one of my favorites but it's good to have on hand as a purely convenience food.

A pouch is 100 calories or 2 points plus values.

Starkist Ready-To-Eat Tuna Salad Original Deli Style

Convenience foods are one of those items I like to keep on hand for the occasional "just in case" type of moments. When I saw the Starkist Ready-To-Eat Tuna Salad Original Deli Style posted on Instagram I knew I had to pick up a pouch to give it a whirl.

 

This tuna fish is actually all whipped up and ready to go. It's not like the other tuna fish pouches that house plain tuna. This actually has mayonnaise and seasonings in it. The great part is it's portioned,  ready to eat however you may enjoy it and there's no getting your hands dirty.

 

Admittedly, tuna fish is one of those foods I enjoy from time to time. It's filling, it's a protein you can bulk up with vegetables and it's perfect on a sandwich, salad or even crackers (if you're into that sort of thing). Truthfully, I enjoy albacore tuna fish merely by choice because it's what I've grown up eating. This tuna fish ... is not albacore, it's your standard chunk light tuna.

 

That aside ... I find it to be a decent on hand dish - but it's certainly not my favorite. It's a good way to get a protein punch as a snack or even a meal. I've heard there's an albacore deli style available and once I can find it and get my hands on it I'm sure that one will become an instant favorite.

 

A pouch is 100 calories or 2 points plus values.

Macaroni Salad

My grandmother made one of the best macaroni salads I’ve ever had. I find when I try similar macaroni salads … nothing quite matches up or compares to my grandmother’s. Her recipe is quite simple, but it’s one that I love.  With summer upon us I’d wanted macaroni salad for weeks. Since we were having a Fourth of July BBQ I decided to pick up green pepper to ensure I could whip up a batch for the barbecue.

Since I try to recreate dishes with lighter ingredients, I opted to use light mayonnaise and I included some light sour cream into the dish. The sour cream is only used to really stretch the creaminess in the dish and to refrain from using extra mayonnaise.  I’ve always called this macaroni salad.

The amount I made is enough to serve at a barbecue or a large family/friend gathering. You could easily cut this in half if it’s being made for a few.

Serves 16. 5 Points Plus values. 2/3 cup serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 cup light mayonnaise
• ½ cup fat free sour cream
• 1 can solid white tuna fish packed in water, drained, shredded
• 1 medium bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 25 Spanish olives (roughly 4 oz), stuffed with pimentos, sliced [OR salad olives]
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)

 Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over a medium-high flame. Add in macaroni and cook pasta until al dente.

Open can of tuna fish, drain well and add to a bowl to flake/shred.  Toss tuna fish with onion and green pepper.

When pasta is done, drain in a colander and run cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking process. Add pasta to bowl with tuna fish and vegetables.

Season with salt and pepper and begin to fold in the mayonnaise and sour cream. When all combined, add in the sliced olives and fold in to combine.

Set macaroni salad into the fridge to chill at last 1-hour before serving.

Tuna Salad on Salad

Lately I’ve been going for tuna fish to be a staple lunch or even dinner for myself.  With it being summer, tuna salad is one of the dishes I find myself enjoying more than normal. My tuna salad I used to make was 5 points plus values, but I had been looking to cut back on the points to make a tasty tuna salad for half the points.  I was fiddling with the recipe and came up with a concoction that I totally love and find to be very appealing on the palette.  It’s great on top of a bed of salad, while it’s also great on bread or pita as a yummy sandwich (with some added tomato and lettuce to bring it home).

3 Points Plus Values. Serves 1.

• 1 can tuna (weighed out 3 oz), drained, shredded
• Onion, diced (adjust to your liking)
• Pickle, diced
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp crushed hot peppers

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on salad or on bread (adjust points plus values to reflect bread choice.

Open Faced Tuna Melt

The other day I had a real hankering for a tuna fish sandwich.  Since I am not the biggest fan of seafood I’ve always incorporated vegetables into my tuna fish.  I also switch up how I eat my tuna (sometimes over a bed of lettuce, sometimes on bread, etc.).  This time I decided to just reach for my craving and make me exactly what I was looking for.

To make my tuna fish I use:

• 1 can of solid white tuna fish (albacore), flaked
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced & chopped (note: this was excluded this time because I did not have celery in the fridge)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• Pickles, diced (note: again optional, but I incorporated these into my mixture because I was without celery)
• 1 slice fat free american cheese
• 2 slices light Italian bread, toasted

After all my ingredients were mixed, I layered it onto each half of the bread and split the cheese over the top.  Typically you could toast the bread and melt the cheese on a warmed skillet with spray butter, or you could slide the open faced sandwich into the toaster oven to melt the cheese.  I put this into the microwave for 10 seconds just to soften the cheese and I was happy enough with the result because it did not make the tuna warm it just made the cheese gooey.

Points Plus wise the whole sandwich was 8 points plus values – the tuna mixture is 5 points plus, the cheese was 1 points plus and the bread was 2 points plus.

QUESTION:

Do you like tuna melts?