Polenta and tuna lunch

What to get: 1 packet Sunkist Tuna, 1 avocado, 1 roll of cooked polenta
Where to get it: your close to home chain-type supermarket is very likely to have it all; I got my polenta roll at Trader Joe's

Why we approve: This meal takes only minutes to assemble, since all the ingredients require zero cooking. Tuna in a package is very convenient and always delicious. If you opt for the packed in water, you get a whooping 18 g of protein in a very small amount of calories. This may be all a girl needs for lunch, for heavier individuals, go for one of the larger pouches and get 4 instead of 2 oz of tuna. 

Avocado has healthy fats and is very filling, and polenta is a great, satiating and delicious precooked source 

of carbohydrate. 

 

You can get polenta precooked in a roll (kind of like salami) at the store, or you can get dry polenta and cook it according to directions on the package. All you need to do after is to place it in a container where it can solidify and you have enough cornmeal for a few lunches or dinners that you can pull out of the fridge anytime.

So let's recap: this meal has polenta for the carbohydrate, tuna for protein and avocado for the healthy fats. You can serve it with some vegetables or grab some carrots or cherry tomatoes out of a bag and you have a meal.

Preparation: cut two slices from the cooked polenta roll and heat in a pan. You can use a touch of butter and salt and pepper if you wish to spice it up. Feeling adventurous? Use lemon pepper. After you heat up the polenta, serve on a plate, top with the fish and cubed 1/2 avocado and enjoy.

Variations: You can use other types of tuna, not necessarily in a pouch. You can try salmon or sardines, instead, especially if you are pregnant or nursing. Sardines have a lot less mercury than tuna, and are a safer choice for all of us if we eat fish regularly. You can top polenta with turkey breast or roast beef, pastrami or prosciutto. See, you just built so many different meals with just changing the meat! Of course, you can also use sun dried tomatoes, pickled peppers, and olives, to make that meal more interesting. Overall, this is a very good option when you can get to a plate and knife and can even be office friendly if you are willing to eat it cold.

Pros: high in protein, and good fats, no actual cooking involved, you can eat it cold, too
Cons: you need some assembly time to prepare it