Pesto Tuna Lettuce Wraps

Hi All!

For lunch today I decided to combine two things that I really like: tuna fish and pesto. It sounds kind of bizzare to some I'm sure, but I thought it was easy and quite tasty! Also, I decided to ditch the excess carbs of a wrap, bread or even an english muffin by using romaine lettuce leaves as the base.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (5 oz) tuna in water, drained 
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (low-fat)
• 1 tablespoon basil pesto (I have a can of pesto in my fridge that I can use in a pinch)
• 1/8 teaspon pepper
• 2 Romaine lettuce leaves
• 1/2 sliced bell pepper (any color, I used orange)
• 1 teaspoon lemon (OPTIONAL)

Step 1: Open and drain tuna can into small bowl. Remove lettuce leaves and run under cold water to wah off any dirt, dry and place on plate. 

Step 2: Measure out rest of the ingredients and combine with the tuna until mixed to your own satisfaction; try for taste and add ingredients as you see fit. 

If you don't like pesto, then I wouldn't recommend this recipe for you because pesto has quite an overpowering flavor. Also, since I don't consider any meal complete without cheese being incorporated, I sprinkled some shredded cheddar on top. You can top the tuna with anything really; tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, literally any type of vegetable or fruit you want. 

I like this simple and fun lunch because it takes a classic (tuna) and vamps it up a little bit, plus it takes less than 10 minutes to put together. Using the lettuce leaves in place of bread is also a neat alternative and such an easy way to cut out unneccesary carbs. Try it out and enjoy!!

STAY HEALTHY AND HAPPY!

Ants on a Log

Snack. People often get confused by this word and usually associate it with something unhealthy or boring, but that does not have to be the case! Personally I am a HUGE fan of peanut butter and celery, but I became a little bored with just dipping the celery into the peanut butter. So I did some research on simple and quick snack ideas and came across this idea called "Ants on a Log".

Ingredients:

• 1-2 stalks of celery (cut into finger-length strips)
• peanut butter (however you like it)
• raisins

As you can see from the ingredient list, there isn't much required to make this fun and quick snack.

Step 1: Wash and trim the celery stalks. Then cut the stalks into smaller strips (about finger-length).

Step 2: Dry the strips and load each strip with a generous amount of peanut butter.

Step 3: Place as many raisins as you want on each strip of celery.

Step 4: Put in your mouth and enjoy!!

Simple right? This snack also goes over great with younger children, as you can imagine. If you are not a fan of raisins you can substitute them out for some granola or even blueberries. Also, if you want a little more sweetness from your snack you can sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top. There are tons of ways to re-create childhood snacks to have an updated and more fun look! 

ENJOY!!

HELLO AND WELCOME BLOGGERS!

Hi everyone! My name is Cortney Baviello and I am super excited to be starting my own blog! I am an Exercise Science student at Towson University with a passion for fitness, health and of course..food. This blog will be used specifically for posting workout tips and advice, healthy recipes for snacks and meals as well as interesting things I find and want to share with you.

A little bit about myself, I am from the great state of New Jersey (bring on the comments, I'm sure I've heard them all) but currently attend Towson University in Maryland. I plan on graduating from Towson this May with a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science as well as minors in Health Science and Spanish. I have played sports my whole life and have always had a soft spot for fitness as well as a passion for food.

I don't consider myself a 'foodie', but I do consider myself to be pretty knowledgable when it comes to healthy options and amazing taste. One of my favorite types of food is Mexican; I LOVE spicy foods. I always say, the spicier the better! I also can't forget my Italian and German roots...I guess you could say my favorite food is probably the stuff that tastes good :).

One of the main reasons I am starting this blog is I believe that a good fitness routine paired with a healthy diet can do wonders not only for your body, but for your mind as well. In today's world all we hear about are the negatives about obesity, heart attacks and death; if you ask me we need to take control of our lives and make small, manageable changes, so why not start with yourself?!

Hopefully you enjoy what I have to say and start making small, healthy changes to better yourself!

THANK YOU!