Happy drizzly-damp Monday! I chose to forgo the freezing rain and run on a treadmill today= sweaty face. Running on the treadmill just is so much harder because you know exactly how far you are and there aren’t many distractions. Speaking of running I officially broke my running distance record on Saturday. Chris and I went for a run and I hit 6.4 miles (previous record Maggie’s Place 9k 5.6 miles) Woooo.
And this happened on Sunday, BEST THING EVER. The canonization of 2 popes: John Paul II and John XXIII:
He is now a SAINT! St. (Pope) John Paul II pray for us! I’m not exactly sure if you’re supposed to keep the pope in there when you say his name…#newsaintprobs.
Anyway, so in honor of my upcoming Medical Nutrition Therapy Exam on Cardiovascular Disease I made a tuna salad full of MUFAs and omega-3’s. I used avocado for mayo, because it is so creamy and…because it is a MUFA and fit into my themed lunch so I could call it studying (procrastinating at it’s finest).
Heart Healthy Diet 101: As I have mentioned avocado is a MUFA (mono-unsaturated fatty acid). Why are these guys important in our diets? Good question, because they can lower LDL or the “bad” cholesterol in our blood when eaten instead of saturated fats like butter, red meats, and whole milk. LDL cholesterol contributes to the plaque formation in arteries.
Yummm avocado. Now to the omega 3’s…introducing Tuna! Omega-3 fatty acids are called heart healthy because they have anti-inflammatory qualities.
So put avocado and tuna together and you have a winning combination! Ok don’t be scared by the greenish tint to this salad, it is a quite delicious.
Ingredients:
Directions:
First smash half an avocado, and dice 2 green onions and mix them into the avocado. This is pretty much guacamole, (note: store-bought guacamole can definitely be substituted). Then add a can of tuna, diced celery, greek yogurt and mustard. **If you’re making for Chris you must now add pickled jalapeno or banana peppers and garlic.
Mix it all together and enjoy on a sandwich, with a side of crackers, or if you want to be a super over achiever on top of a bed of spinach.
Super easy, delicious, and you won’t be able to tell there isn’t mayo in there (pretty sneaky don’t ya think?)!
~Alyssa
Faith, Hope & Quinoa 