Jamie says: This is what I craved (and ate for lunch) the day before my triathlon, the Waldo Sprint Triathlon. The triathlon was a lot of fun! I feel I did well (5th female overall, 2nd in my age group), felt great at the end of the race (1 hour, 18 minutes and 22 milliseconds later) and wasn’t sore at all the next day. I believe good nutrition played a key role in my success.
Mediterranean Tuna Salad with Italian Herb Toast
Ingredients:
• 2 slices sesame seed bread (Panera bakery)
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• one 5 ounce can solid white albacore in water, drained (Bumble Bee tuna)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (Filippo Berio)
• 1/4 cup dried tart cherries (Sun-Maid)
• 1 small tomato
• 1/2 cup canned chick peas
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• dash freshly ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Slice bread and place on a baking sheet. Heat for about 6 minutes or until lightly toasted.
2. Pour spinach on a plate. Drain tuna. In a small bowl, mix tuna with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (reserving the other tablespoon) and dried tart cherries. Scoop on top of the spinach. Chop a tomato and add to spinach salad. Drain chick peas and add to salad.
3. When bread is toasted, drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top. Season with sea salt, freshly ground red pepper, oregano, rosemary and basil. Serve on the side of the salad. Serves: 1. Enjoy!
Quite tasty! The cherries add a nice tart flavor to the tuna and spinach salad. The toast was great, too. I liked the toasted sesame flavor combined with the bold Italian spices and olive oil.
• Nutrition note: Since there are many countries that border the Mediterranean, there is no one Mediterranean diet/eating pattern. In general though, Mediterranean diets encourage vegetables, fruits, olive oil, grains (often whole grains) and nuts. This eating pattern is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease. (Dietary Guidelines for Americans)
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