After a successful leg strength training routine yesterday morning, with a little cardio and abs thrown in here and there, I needed to refuel with an energizing lunch full of greens and protein. For some reason, the first thing that came to mind was tuna. I honestly don’t recall the last time I ate the smelly canned fish but it was all I could think about and I simply didn’t fight it. Instead of creating a fattening, mayonnaise-doused tuna salad sandwich, I decided to make a healthy alternative and ended up wrapping my salad creation in colorful swiss chard. It. Was. Delish.

Ingredients
4 large swiss chard leaves
1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
2 cans of tuna fish (I used Bumble Bee’s Solid White Albacore Very Low Sodium in Water)
1 can of chickpeas
1/2 of a red bell pepper, grilled
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup English cucumber, sliced and cut into quarters
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

To start, place half of a red bell pepper on the grill until lightly browned.

While that cooks, combine the mix-ins for the dressing: apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lemon zest/juice and garlic. Whisk together and set aside.

Time to cut and combine the ingredients! Thinly slice the red onions and chop the parsley. Open and drain both cans of tuna, as well as the chickpeas. (Rinse and dry the chickpeas before pouring in.)

Cut cucumber slices into fourths for bite-sized chunks!

Finely chop up half of the cooked bell pepper after removing it from the grill and add to the salad. Julienne the rest into strips to place inside the wraps. Drizzle the ingredients with the dressing and mix it all up! 

Now for the wrap portion. After rinsing and drying the swiss chard, add strips of the roasted red pepper to the middle of the leaves. The bell pepper provides great flavor, not to mention adds to the contrast of colors. I could not stop admiring the beautiful array of brights!

Last, but certainly not least, add a generous helping of salad and roll it all up! Use toothpicks to hold it all in place.

Mmm, there you have it! The perfect, energizing lunch I was looking for. By skipping on the bread and mayo, you reduce carbs and fat content, amping the entire recipe up with the nutritional value offered by the veggies, beans and fish. Special thanks to my dad for helping me with the pretty presentation and three helpful recipes (found here, here and here), in which I used as a jumping off point. This is definitely a recipe I will be making often this summer.
Have you had a random craving lately you’d like to share?

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren