My very first recipe on the blog is something I’ve had for lunch no less than four times in the past week. It might be fair to say that I’m stuck in a lunch rut, but I think it’s a testament to the simplicity, ease and tastiness of this particular dish (I should mention at this point that I pull longer-than-average office hours in a cubicle and I bring my lunch in a pretty, striped insulated lunch bag every day – a habit going all the way back to the hard-shelled plastic lunch boxes my mother lovingly packed for me and my brother when we were in grade school. Thanks for the napkin notes, Mom!). You might think that after years (literally decades) of bringing my lunch to school or work every day that I would finally want to break out of my comfort zone (or blandness zone, as some people think of brown-bag lunches), or that I might have *finally* saved enough pennies to splurge on a restaurant lunch. But I get excited with all of the POSSIBILITIES when I am preparing my lunch the night before, and I try to make sure that my choices have me excited about what I’m going to be eating that day. I’m often the envy of my co-workers!
Also, it is worth noting that I was just finishing up a pretty intense powerlifting 12-week strength training block and I needed my meals to be protein-packed and bursting with nutrients to help my muscles recover from my intense noon-hour (or noon-two-hour) workouts.
So what was I eating? Let’s get to it!
Ta-da! Let me present to you, Tuna & Spinach Dijon Stuffed Peppers. If you can make tuna salad, you can make this (but I promise it’s much better and probably even better for you).
Tuna & Spinach Dijon Stuffed Peppers
This simple, high-protein meal is a low-fat and sophisticated take on tuna salad.
Author: The Golden Graham Girl
INGREDIENTS
1 large bell pepper, any colour
1, 7-oz (198g) can of white tuna, packed in water, drained
1/4 cup (57g) plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp (15mL) whole-grain Dijon mustard (or other preferred mustard – you may need to adjust the quantity to taste) – make sure this is gluten-free, if you require
1 cup shredded spinach leaves, washed
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut the bell pepper in half and remove the pith (the white “ribs” inside), seeds and stem to create two “bowls” for your filling.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the remaining ingredients. As an option, you can wilt the spinach first by briefly steaming it for a softer texture and stronger flavour.
3. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
4. Scoop half of the mixture into each half of the bell pepper.
5. As an option, you can bake these in a shallow baking dish filled with 1 cm water for 15-20 minutes at 350F (185C) until the peppers soften OR eat cold. These store and travel better uncooked and can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Note the recipe easily multiplies.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 333 Fat: 5g Carbohydrates: 16g Sugar: 2g Fiber: 3g Protein: 53g
Enjoy immediately or refrigerate in a covered container.
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