Welcome back!
Avocado Tuna Salad: A Fast & Powerful Meal for New and Expecting Moms
Guest Blogger Lauren Hale is back with a repeat performance! After joining me for a special episode on surviving postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder on The Mommy-Muse Is In: Empowering Your Journey into Motherhood, she heard my twitter plea for nutritious, delicious, easy-to-prepare meals for mamas! (And yes, I do know that mercury concerns require that tuna be eaten no more than once a week by pregnant women and children. That said, it is amazingly nutritious and perfectly appropriate for occasional enjoyment! ) Once you’ve tried Lauren’s recipe, I know you’ll want to hop over to her blog, Unexpected Blessing.
“As a mother, expecting or new, one of the most important ways to care for yourself is to start with what you eat. Nutritious foods that really give you a punch yet are affordable are sometimes difficult to throw together or even figure out.
I am not a dietitian, just a mom like you who discovered this happy combination one day quite by accident. Want to hear a secret about this recipe? I hate canned tuna. As a child, I remember my mother forcing me to sit at the dining room table for hours as I refused to eat the tuna casserole in front of me. I’ll gobble down seared tuna or sushi with tuna in a heartbeat. Put the canned stuff in front of me and I want to gag. But I crave this recipe. I look forward to the routine of preparing the dish because I know I’m doing something good for myself. And I think once you try it, you will too.
The recipe itself is simple. The benefits are outrageous. Put that together and you’ve got a quick meal that is kind to your body, your soul, and your budget.
RECIPE:
1 avocado
1 lemon
1 can tuna, in water
¼ teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground pepper (optional)
2 or 3 Cups Fresh Salad Greens
Whole Wheat Wrap or Pita (optional)
Kitchen Items needed:
Medium Bowl
Knife
Can Opener
Grater or Zester
Fork
Spoon
Open can of Tuna. Drain. Place Tuna in medium bowl. Slice the Avocado in half, removing the pit. Scoop ½ of the avocado into bowl with tuna. Zest Lemon. Add Zest to bowl with Tuna and Avocado. Cut lemon in half. Juice one half over Tuna and Avocado. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Using Fork, mash Tuna, Avocado, Lemon Juice & Zest, Salt & pepper together until Avocado is smooth.
Place Salad Greens on plate or in large bowl. Scoop Avocado Tuna Salad on top of Greens. Cube other half of avocado while still in shell by gently running knife lengthwise and then across avocado flesh. Gently use spoon to scoop out cubes over Tuna Salad. Juice remaining lemon half over salad and serve.
May also be served in Wrap or Pita. Reduce Greens to one half cup and juice lemon into bowl to control amount put on wrap. This method lends itself well to those one-handed meals!
The outrageous benefits of this combination include Omega 3’s, Selenium, Vitamin D, Protein, B vitamins, folate, potassium, fiber, iron, Vitamins E & C, lutein, and beta-carotene and many others. Did you know avocados can contribute up to 20 vitamins? One avocado counts as two fruit servings and 6 fat servings (but it’s the healthy kind so don’t freak out here). Omega 3’s benefit not only mom but baby as well. While pregnant, Omega 3 will provide brain power for the both of you and if you choose to nurse, it will continue to do so. Omega 3 has also been shown in several studies to have a positive effect on mood. Selenium may protect your immune system when it’s been worked to it’s max – childbirth is certainly a strain on your system. Vitamin D aids in building strong bones while Protein provides energy and aids in the development of lean muscle mass. B vitamins may help with anxiety and nerves as well as with circulation. Fiber keeps things moving while iron lends itself to providing us with oxygen rich blood. Have I mentioned that Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron?
You can read more about the benefits of Tuna by clicking here.
The next time you’re at the grocery store give this recipe a spot on your list. It may just surprise you. ”
For more Lauren Hale goodness, see her article Five Secrets to a Happy Mama!
-
Diary of a Single Mom on The Mommy-Muse Is In! Hello Readers! I've just returned from the outstandingly successful Seattle debut of the Motherhood From Egg to Zine (and everything in between) literary performance group! Join me tomorrow on The Mommy-Muse Is In: Empowering Your Journey into Motherhood for a chance to meet my Mamapalooza co-founders, Christina-Marie Wright and Corbin...... -
Mommy-Muse.com™ Favorites: Gonzo Parenting Zine Check out the newest addition to my blogroll! Gonzo Parenting is a print zine published and edited by one awesome mother of seven, Christina-Marie Wright. It provides a must-read forum for sharing stories about parenting in the real world. Four times a year, Gonzo Parenting prints true stories from real moms...... -
Creating Time for Fitness! Finding time for fitness is one struggle that all moms seem to have "“ there just never seem to be enough hours in the day to get a good workout. On a recent interview with "The Mojo Coach" on The Mommy-Muse Is In: Empowering Your Journey Into Motherhood, Debi Silber...... -
Guest Blogger Lauren Hale's "Five Secrets To A Happy Mama" Today's Guest Blogger, Lauren Hale, is joining me on the air on The Mommy-Muse Is In: Empowering Your Journey into Motherhood . Once you've listened in and read "Five Secrets to a Happy Mama," I know you'll want to check out her blog, Unexpected Blessing. Enjoy! "Over the past five years I have been on...... -
Your Story can Win the Official "If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny" Cap! Get ready for the If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny Blog Tour! On April 27th, we will have a virtual visit from syndicated humor columnist, Lucy Adams. She is a mother of four who blogs, teaches second grade, and manages to breathe and wash clothes in her "spare time."......
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
please guys add more resipesto this cause i need them for child development for a couple planning a baby but it cant take more than 30mins to make and cook and its a dinner meal and a deseart please guys please i might fail if i cant find anything
I’ll see what I can come up with – thanks for asking for more!