New take on an old favorite… Try using hummus instead of mayonnaise in your tuna sandwich.

After reading about hummus in @FoodNutriMag this morning,Iwas inspired to add it to my lunchtime tuna sandwich. I mixed a single-serve pouch of light tuna with hummus (instead of my standby canola mayo), dill weed and finely diced red pepper and scallion, and served on top of toasted whole wheat bread.

Ready in about five minutes, this tuna sandwich was delicious!And, the best part… Swapping hummus for mayo not only gave my tuna sandwich a new twist, it also saved me about 120 calories and 12 grams of fat. Rich in omega-3s and protein, this sandwich makeover was simple, convenient and nutritious… gotta love that!

TELLUS: Do you have a secret ingredient in your tuna salad sandwich? Please tell us.We’d love to hear from you!

Written by Rima Kleiner, MS,RD

Jennifer and Iwere in Houston for the Academy of Nutrition &Dietetics Food &Nutrition Conference &Expo (FNCE) this past weekend. If you know any dietitians, you know we love food.

After a long day of eating random airport and reception food on Saturday,I was ready for some nutritious and protein-rich food on Sunday. And between sitting at our booth surrounded by tuna and salmon samples and attending several sessions on eating well, Iwas craving a mixed greens salad with fish for dinner.

Luckily, the hotel had a Make-Your-Own Salad with a couple of seafood choices for the protein. I chose the local grilled blackened snapper on top of a bed of local mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, tofu strips and blackened corn with a vinaigrette. A little southwest, a little Houston. It hit the right spot and was a gentle reminder that it’s easy to eat healthfully while traveling… you just have to make the right choices.

Here are some helpful tips for choosing on-the-go foods:

• Include protein or fat at every meal. Try to include heart-healthy protein or fat at every meal or snack. The protein and fat help to slow digestion of the meal and keep blood sugar levels stable. All seafood contains protein, and fatty fish like salmon and tuna provide heart-healthy omega-3 fats. The snapper, tofu and avocado in this salad provided an ample dose of heart-healthy fat and protein.
• Choose high-fiber carbohydrates. Fiber-rich carbohydrates help keep us feeling fuller longer, which can be important if you’re stuck on an airplane for hours (like Iwas!) or in meetings all day. Plus, crabohydrates rich in fiber–like vegetables, fruits and whole grains–tend to be more nutritious and less caloric than processed carbohydrate-rich foods. The mixed greens, cucumbers, corn and tomatoes all added fiber to my salad.
• Ask for sauces and dressings on the side. Sauces and salad dressings can be heavy in calories, fat and sodium. While we can’t control how much fat, calories and sodium are in these tasty additions, we can control how much we add if we ask for them on the side. I requested the vinaigrette on the side and drizzled less than half of the portion on top of the fish and salad. While I don’t know how many calories were in this particular dressing, this simple act likely saved me at least 200 calories.

Here’s a picture of Jennifer and me at the NFI booth.

If you didn’t attend FNCE or missed our booth, check out our super-handy menu planners. It’s an easy way to plan out the week’s meals, complete with a space to jot down the groceries you need.

TELL US: How do you eat healthfully on the road? Do you think it’s easy to find nutritious seafood dishes on-the-go? We’d love to hear from you!

Written by Rima Kleiner, MS,RD

We are happy to share a new resource to help you and your families get more fish in your fridges, freezers, pantries, and ultimately, bellies a sleek and practical Meal Planner.Meal planning is a cornerstone of eating well, because you cant make a healthful meal without healthful ingredients to work with.But meal planning doesnt have to be a major undertaking.It can be as simple as scribbling in a handful of recipes that you want to make over the course of the week and making a note of the groceries youll need.And here are four easy new seafood recipes to get you started.

Seaside Salmon Sliders

I keep 1-2 batches of homemade pizza dough in the freezer at all times for nights I either dont feel much like cooking and/or have a hodge-podge of produce I need to use up. This week, I didnt have any leftover fresh veggies, but I did have a container of refrigerated crabmeat I needed to use. So I poked around for crab pizza recipes, and sure enough, a delicious-looking one popped right up. It probably wouldnt satisfy a craving for a typical pepperoni pizza, but I generally prefer an olive oil vs. tomato sauce, so I loved this beautiful pie.

Posted by Jennifer McGuire, MS, RD

I am always on the hunt for kid-friendly and adult-appealing recipes (seafood and otherwise). Since I had canned salmon in the pantry, I whipped up some Corny Salmon Cakes from the lovely Meal Makeover Moms ladies, fellow RDs Liz Weiss and Janice Bissex.

Two weeks ago, my family moved into a new house. Last week, we celebrated Rosh Hashanah. Because its already been a busy September and weve not yet fully unpacked (not even close!), I wanted an easy, nutritious meal to ring in the Jewish New Year.

We spent last weekend in Boston. And, Im just going to put it out there: I love Boston.

Having spent my mid-20sand having met my now-husbandin Beantown, the charming town always draws me in and makes me crave walking, cool weather and good seafood. A quick visit to Boston for a friends wedding means we had limited time to enjoy the city. But, we did sneak in some seafood at Legal Seafoods.