5 Simple Canned Tuna Recipes For Work or a Picnic

Bored of plain ol’ tuna and mayo? Jazz up your tuna sandwiches with these quick twists for a healthy lunch!

I won’t lie to you.

I. love. Canned. Tuna. Fish…With mayo. It’s one of those comfort foods from my childhood…canned tuna (with mayo) on warm toast. As a kid, I HATED when my mother would sneak icky celery, scallions or - heaven forbid - onion in it. I just wanted it plain. With mayo. Did I mention the mayo?

Well, I’ve since grown up to have a more mature palate (perhaps ;) and am aware that slathering mayo on toast probably isn’t the healthiest lunch. And I know the science behind all the heart healthy omega three fatty acids in tuna and why fatty fish should be added to your weekly routine at least twice. (Click here to read my easy guide to cooking fish) So, I’ve come up with a few quick and easy healthy canned tuna recipe ideas to integrate in my family’s routine.

Canned tuna is also a great backup pantry item. It’s always there, just waiting to be opened when you’ve run out of other ideas. If I don’t make a lunch for my husband, he buys lunch out every day. He works in an area with a great selection of restaurants, so I can’t blame him, but this can easily add up to $50.00 per week. Absurd. Even if I can whip up a couple quick lunches each week, it’ll save quite a bit of money. (In case you’re worried about mercury in tuna, read my article on how much fish you (and little kiddos) should, and can, eat safely.) Canned tuna (or other fish) has always made a healthy, quick lunch. (And still does.)

These 5 variations of a quick and healthy tuna salad recipe should keep the boredom down and the omega 3’s up!

Mix 1 or more cans of solid white tuna with a little mayo, or a little extra virgin olive oil, and enjoy experimenting!

Simple, Easy and Healthy Canned Tuna Recipes

1. Fresh, thyme, chopped celery, shredded carrots, chopped scallions

2. Black olives, capers, grated red onion, celery, garlic

3. Dijon mustard, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber

4. Italian tuna (packed in oil), fresh lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley

5. Chopped avocado + halved cherry tomatoes

What's your favorite healthy way to make tuna?

Peach Cobbler Mocktail

Whether you’re looking for a drink the whole family can enjoy or simply a quick, elegant non-alcoholic drink, this peach cobbler mock-tini is perfect!

 After 9 months of pregnancy…twice…and a year of breastfeeding…twice…I started to tweak drinks so I wouldn’t feel left out at alcohol-imbibing events. And to feel a tad more elegant than a messy, burp cloth-wearing mama.

Now I make a mocktail when I'd like to drink something fancy while my kids are still awake and I know they’ll ask for a sip. It also shows them that you can still have fun without having alcohol.

For this drink, I muddled a few canned peaches, but you could very easily use peach nectar. (You may want to add a little simple syrup if you're just using canned peaches for a little extra sweetness.) I also used crushed up graham crackers and cinnamon to rim the cocktail glass, but some crystallized brown sugar with cinnamon might be nice, too.

This peach cobbler drink is perfect for anyone looking for an easy drink without alcohol. It’s refreshing and elegant enough to serve on Mother’s Day. Which I plan on doing for my own mum who rocked a burp cloth better than anyone!

Ingredients:

3 ounces (90 milliliters) peach nectar

1 ¼ ounce (about 40 ml) orange seltzer

Rim: Graham Cracker Crumbs mixed with cinnamon

Garnish: peach slice

Directions:

Add peach nectar to a martini glass. Top with orange seltzer. Rim with graham cracker crumbs mixed with cinnamon and a peach slice. Enjoy!

Healthy Strawberry Bread

What’s the happy medium between fresh baked goods and a quick breakfast? Quick breads.

I have always been a fan of quick bread batter breakfasts. Banana breads, zucchini bread, beer bread…so when I heard of strawberry bread, this was the first thing that came to my mind.

I love me a good quick bread because it’s just that – quick and bread. It’s the kind of quick breakfast you can throw together the night before and assemble in a snap during a harried morning. Just mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. In the morning, combine them and bake.

Or, you can bake a bread (or muffin) and freeze for another time. Simply let the bread cool completely, wrap or place in a zip lock bag and place in the freezer for up to 6 months. To thaw, remove to the counter or refrigerator and loosen the wrapper a bit. It’s perfect for company.

My theory is, if I’m going to go through the trouble of assembling one bread, I may as well make two. I mean, I already have the ingredients out. So, I get a workshop going in my kitchen and I freeze the second bread.

Cook once, eat twice.

Quick breads are not leavened with yeast, but baking soda or baking powder. This is why they can rise quickly. They generally start with the same basic ingredients and other additions can be added as desired.

Quick breads all start with:

-flour

-leavening

-eggs (or flax eggs)

-a fat (oil, butter, margarine, applesauce, plain yogurt or combination of these) and

-a liquid (usually milk).

Then the fun part comes in where you can add a variety of fresh or dried fruits, vegetables, cheeses, nuts, herbs and spices.

It’s strawberry season and a pint of strawberries costs about $1.00 - $1.50 now in NYC, so it’s a good time to stock up on them. I usually buy several pints and, if I can reserve some before they’re all eaten up, I slice and freeze them. I’ll then use the strawberries in smoothies or throw them in plain yogurt, chia seed pudding or oatmeal.

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To up the health factor of my quick breads, I use a combination of whole wheat flour and different fats. By substituting up to 1/3 of the white flour for whole wheat flour and mixing very minimally, this bread can be healthy and moist.

And, because I still had quite a few pints of strawberries left, I whipped up some strawberry cream cheese to top the strawberry bread. I used sliced strawberries that had been frozen, as they thaw with some nice juice. Then, I mixed the berries with some softened cream cheese.

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Strawberry Bread

10-12 servings

Ingredients, Dry:

1 cup white flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients, Wet:

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup chopped strawberries, fresh or defrosted if frozen

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Whisk dry ingredients thoroughly in one bowl. Whisk wet ingredients thoroughly through lemon zest. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. When the mixture is almost completely moistened, fold in the strawberries. Don't overmix. Scrape batter into loaf pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before reverting pan to unmold and cooling completely.

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I think strawberry bread is my new favorite! Try it and let me know what you think!

Want to make this strawberry quickbread another time? Pin it for later!