Prepare Ahead Snacks for the Unexpected Craving 6/16/21

You have good intentions, but mid-day and late-night cravings hit you unexpectedly and can also add unwanted pounds. Save yourself some heartbreak by enjoying time with friends and family while making snacks for your future cravings. As my stepdaughters used to say when they were younger, "Sharing is Caring”; so today I am going to share my updated recipe for Tasty Tuna Salad.

Before Bobby and I married, I asked him, "Are you just looking for someone to cook and clean?" He laughed and said, "If you cook; I'll clean." That may be why we eat out so often. Seven years later, when I begin cooking, he often steps in and wants to help. He has become an awesome sous-chef and this development has brought us closer together and strengthened our partnership.

I love cooking with others, sharing recipes, and sharing the dishes afterward. If you want to have some fun, have a couple of friends over and have them bring a recipe to prepare and share for take-home nosh. Prepare each recipe together as you chat and nibble as you go. This activity creates strong bonds, lots of laughs, a new repository of recipes, and a delicious outcome.

The goal in this house is to always have prepared nosh. Presently, we have cut watermelon, homemade salmon dip, stone fruits, and a snow pea and asparagus pasta salad. Oddly enough that means we are running low in this house, because there is usually tuna salad, egg salad, and fruit salad in the frig, too. Three growing girls can raid the refrigerator in one night and leave it bare when stocked with goodies.

Upon getting the wake-up call about my health, I went and purchased these three books: Good Housekeeping: 400 FLAT-TUMMY Recipes and Tips, Better Homes and Gardens: Eat Well, Lose Weight, and TasteofHome: Diabetes COOKBOOK. I have used recipes from each and tweaked recipes as needed for our family palate or pantry ingredient supply. Below is one of the tweaked recipes that is a perfect mid-day and late-night snack to satisfy those cravings.

Kim's Tasty Tuna Salad

June 16, 2021

3 Tbsp. Real Mayo

2 Tbsp. Plain Greek Yogurt

12.5 oz. White Albacore Tuna or Chunk Light Tuna in Water (well drained)

1/2 c. Celery (chopped and well dried)

½ c. Red Pepper (diced and well dried)

3-4 oz. Black Olives (sliced)

1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon juice

1 tsp. Dried Dill

2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley (chopped)

½ tsp. Black pepper

Mix mayo, yogurt, lemon juice and pepper together. Make certain you remove excess liquid from the tuna, celery, and red pepper, by pressing with paper towels. Add all ingredients to the mayo mixture and gently stir. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Great served in lettuce leaves with tomatoes and sprinkled with additional dill.

#recipes #healthycooking #snackrecipes #cravings #salad