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October 6, 2009

Leftovers Made Awesome: Part 1

Fish + Seafood
10 comments
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Happy Tuesday friends!

So, I really hate to waste food. But, probably like many of you, I also really hate to eat the same exact meal a number of days in a row. Enter my new series: Leftovers Made Awesome!

Today’s segment features the leftover whole wheat pasta from Saturday night’s carbo loading dinner before the race.

Tuna and Veggie Pasta Salad

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (overflowing) leftover cooked whole wheat pasta
  • 1 single serving packet of water-packed chunk light tuna
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 massive handful fresh spinach
  • Plain, fat free yogurt
  • Dijon Mustard
  • (optional) Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Instructions:

Start with your plain, boring, leftover whole wheat pasta. Get ready for tastiness. I’m not sure if tastiness is a word.

Add 1 overflowing cup of the pasta to a large bowl.

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Next, in a separate, smaller bowl, prepare the tuna mixture. I used a single serving packet of chunk light tuna packed in water. Dump the tuna in the bowl, and then mix in a spoonful of plain, plain yogurt, and a couple squirts classic Dijon mustard to it — I’d say use about 2 parts yogurt to 1 part mustard. Mix it all together. You want the tuna to be very coated in both since this will also be the pasta’s “sauce”.

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Once complete, add the mixture (which may or may not look like cat food… disregard) on top of the pasta. Sorry… no picture, per the cat food comment. 😉

Next, prepare the peas. I’m super lazy and did this in the microwave. Take the frozen peas (which I can finally open and eat since I no longer need to save the package to ice my knees with!), and pour about 1/2 cup into a microwave safe bowl. Pour in enough water so that the peas are covered, and microwave on high for about a minute.

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Strain the peas and add them to the pasta/tuna mixture.

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Next, prepare the spinach. Take a massive handful of fresh baby spinach and put it on a plate. Again… I am lazy so it’s microwave time. Wet your hands with water and shake a few droplets on top of the spinach. Microwave on high for about 45 seconds and viola! Steamed spinach!

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Add the spinach to the pasta/tuna/pea mixture…

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…and mix it all up so that the tuna and its sauce coat everything. Yes, it may look kind of gross, but trust me, it doesn’t taste gross.

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Now… for the optional final ingredient. For a little extra kick, add a drizzle (about a teaspoon, not much) of balsamic vinaigrette on top of the mixture, mix it all up again, and enjoy!

I enjoyed my tuna & veggie pasta salad for lunch today with a nice side of grapes, and a not-so-nice side of Organic Chemistry.

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Off to school I go! Tuesdays are a busy day class-wise — Organic Chem lecture from 3-4:30, and Organic Chem Lab from 5-8! Ick. At least I made it to my favorite Pilates class this a.m. 🙂

Enjoy the rest of your day, and stay tuned for tomorrow’s Leftovers Made Awesome: Part 2! Yes, I STILL have pasta left over… and I have a perfect idea for how to use it.

What’s your favorite way to re-vamp leftovers?

- anne
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BRINNER!!

The Dole Food & Wellness Blogger Summit – Part 2!

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10 comments
  • Morgan @ Life After Bagels
    October 6, 2009 · 7:05PM:
    Oh I think I'm going to like this new series, I always have leftovers for lunch at work but would LOVE to eat them differently cause it makes me bored bored bored!
    Reply
  • Maggie
    October 6, 2009 · 7:29PM:
    I love this idea :) Making leftovers yummy is great. Sometimes the leftovers are even better than the original meal!
    Reply
  • amanda @ fake ginger
    October 6, 2009 · 8:37PM:
    I hate all things tuna but that actually looks really good! I look forward to the rest of the series!
    Reply
  • intheskinny
    October 6, 2009 · 8:43PM:
    Sounds yummy! I can't wait to try it.
    Reply
  • missyrayn
    October 6, 2009 · 9:11PM:
    I love to add leftovers on top of my salad. I've had chili or couscous or other leftovers to create a different salad flavor each time.
    Reply
  • Niki
    October 6, 2009 · 10:23PM:
    Love the idea!! That sounds so yummy too!! I'm not good at revamping my leftovers so this will be great for me!!
    Reply
  • Brittany
    October 7, 2009 · 1:00AM:
    I really liked reading about your adventures in the Czech Republic! I was just wondering if you went through a certain program or school?
    Reply
  • Kath
    October 7, 2009 · 1:06AM:
    Looks delish! Love seeing the Chem in there ;)
    Reply
  • Kate
    October 7, 2009 · 4:57PM:
    Yum- that looks amazing! I make a lot of tuna/pasta salads, so will have to steal your ideas :)
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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