Macaroni Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

8 oz. Macaroni Elbows

3 cans (7 oz each) Tuna

1 1/4 cup Nayonaise by NaSoya

5 stalks Green Onions, chopped

3 stalks Celery, chopped

1/2 Red Pepper, chopped

Instructions:

Step 1) Cook macaroni as directed. Drain and put in the refrigerator to cool down for 10 minutes

Step 2) Combine all of the ingredients together; macaroni, tuna, Nayonaise by NaSoya, green onions, celery, and red peppers.

Step 3) Eat immediately or put in the refrigerator (covered) until you are ready to eat and enjoy.

Notes:

I like tuna, but not always in a sandwich…so what a refreshing way to enjoy tuna! Try as a delicious lunch, or as a side dish. It’s nice to try something new, and I think your family will like this new addition to your recipe book!

I  use Nayonaise by NaSoya as a Mayonnaise replacement. I decided to make this replacement because Nayonaise is a Non-Cholesterol Food. If you do a side-by-side comparison between the two products, you will find Nayonaise to be a much better choice.

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Tags: celery, green onions, Healthy Food, healthy lunch, healthy meal, healthy side dish, macaroni, macaroni tuna salad, Nayonaise, red pepper, salad, tuna

Nuts about Berries: Large vs. Half size

Anyone who is lucky enough to live in an area with a Cafe Zupas, knows that an all time favorite specialty salad is Nuts about Berries. As much as I love food for its taste…what about the nutrition and calories involved? I can only estimate, but I wanted to give an approximate calculation on what the calories were in the Large and Half sized salad.

I have picked this salad apart with the ingredients involved, and I give you some pretty good estimates on how many calories are in this salad – the Half and Large size.

Nuts about Berries: Half Size

4 cups Romaine Lettuce  = 32 calories

1/2 cup Mixed Berries = 50 calories

1 scoop Cinnamon Honey Almonds = 38 calories

1/4 cup Poppyseed Dressing = 254 calories

Total Calories: 374 calories

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Nuts about Berries: Large Size

5 cups Romaine Lettuce = 40 calories

1 cup Mixed Berries = 100 calories

2 scoops Cinnamon Honey Almonds = 75 calories

1/2 cup Poppyseed Dressing = 507 calories

Total Calories: 722 calories

Now that you know how many calories are in your salad, you can be sure to make a wise choice with your next trip to Cafe Zupas. My main concern comes from the Poppyseed Dressing. Something I have done to help with the calories in the Poppyseed Dressing is to use only half of the amount of  Dressing provided. Soon,  I hope to master a healthier (homemade) version of the Poppyseed Dressing to add to my salad.

Take it easy with the amount of Dressing you use, and enjoy your Nuts about Berries Salad!

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Tags: Almonds, cafe zupas, calories, Cinnamon Honey Almonds, Dressing, Healthy, Mixed Berries, Nutrition Facts, Poppyseed Dressing, Romaine Lettuce, salad, salad dressing

Cafe Zupas anyone…?

Looking for a new place to eat out for lunch or dinner?  Sometimes, we eat things that are not too healthy or good for us when we are pressed for time, want something quick on the go, or have a lunch meeting or what not. I have discovered Cafe Zupas. They have Salads and Soups- gourmet style (They have panini sandwiches too, but I haven’t personally had them).

Salads

I usually tend to lean towards geting the “Nuts about Berries” salad. At first, I wasn’t too sure if I would like berries in my salads since the salads I usually make for myself are an all-veggie type of a salad. If you are a salad lover, you are seriously going to love this Salad. It tastes great with the added fruit, with a bit of sweetened nuts for a crunch texture, and they have this amazing poppy seed dressing goes perfectly with the rest of the salad. I am not sure what is all in the dressing, but my guess is that you might not want to put too much on your salad for health and calorie purposes.

Soups

If I am getting the soup, the Thai Lobster is one of my favorite. It just has this different taste to it (probably the curry?), and if you want to try something that is a little bit of out of the ordinary and not just your average plain soup, I say it’s worth a try. With this soups esquisite tastes, you will feel like you are dining in a deluxe restraunt- without the high price tag attached.

This is just touching the surface of what they have. My only “warning” is, it tastes really good and you might just get addicted. Also, just because it is salad and soups, you still need to watch out for portion control and calories. The great thing about Cafe Zupas, is that I dont feel guilty when I am done with my meal.

If you want to check out the company’s site for the menu and locations: www.zupas.com

If you have tried Cafe Zupas, any other recommendations?

*Sorry all, no official serving size or calorie count on these dishes, but here is my estimates on how many calories are in the Nuts about Berries salad.

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Tags: cafe zupas, dinner, gourmet salad, Healthy, lunch, nuts about berries, poppy seed dressing, portion control, salad, soups, tastes great, thai lobster, zupas

Salad: Diet Friend or Foe?

When people first try to start a diet, they seem to run to the grocery store and plan on eating the healthiest thing they can think of. A Salad. Though a Salad can be quite healthy and nutritious, we are getting drenched in Calories and Fat by all of the things we are adding to the Salad- which in turn makes our Healthy intentions for Lunch and Dinner…well…not so healthy after all. So if you are going to eat a salad to be Healthy, do it the right way!

The Salad Trap

A lot of people will add on one thing after another to their salad for added color, flavor, or texture, and I will go over exactly what that meanswhen it comes to calories in your Salad bowl.

Bacon Bits – serving size is about 1 tablespoon, and it is anywhere from 25-35 calories per serving.

Craisins – serving size is 1/3 cup, and the calories is about 140 calories. Not only is this high in calories, but high in Sugar which is not a healthy thing!

Croutons – The average serving size is about 0.5 oz, and the Calories is about 50 Calories

Cheese – If you go with 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese, you are looking at 240 calories. If you are trying to maintain a low calorie diet, Cheese is something you might want to try and avoid all together.

Salad Dressing – The average serving size is 1 tablespoon, and the calorie count is an average of  50 Calories. If you think about it, most people use way more than 1 tablespoon of dressing! Can you imagine how much you actually use, and how many calories you are putting on top of your Salad? It all adds up pretty quickly.

Healthy and Low Calorie  Salad toppers

Carrots – 1/2 cup chopped carrots is 26 calories

Peas - 1/2 cup of peas is 56 calories

Tomatoes – 1 cup cherry tomatoes is 27 calories

Cucumbers – 1 slice ( about 7 g) is 1 calorie

Mushrooms – 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms is 22 calories

So next time you are headed over to the Salad Bar, be sure to watch out for the Salad Traps, and think about what you are adding to your Salad Bowl.

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Tags: bacon bits, carrots, cheese, craisins, croutons, cucmbers, diet, Health, Healthy, high calorie, low calorie, mushrooms, peas, salad, salad dressing, tomatoes