Quick, Easy and Cheap Ways to Get Creative with Tuna Fish

Eating tuna is a great way to get some fish into your diet. But opening a can of tuna can get boring, especially if all you are going to do with it is dump it into a bowl and add mayonnaise. There is so much more you can do with a can of tuna. So stock up when your favorite brand is on sale and let's get creative with tuna fish!

MAKE EXTREME TUNA SALAD -- To many people, tuna salad consists of tuna, mayonnaise and maybe a bit of chopped onion or celery and a dash of salt and pepper. That kind of tuna salad is good. But you can make tuna salad great by adding other ingredients. Look in your refrigerator and pantry to see what else you have on hand to turn a boring tuna salad into an extreme tuna salad. Here are some things you can add other than onion and celery to make things a bit more exciting for the palate (of course, onion and celery are allowed too!): chopped olives (black or green), chopped pickles, any type of relish, minced garlic, diced hard boiled eggs (or pickled eggs), chopped radishes, minced carrots (shave them with a potato peeler then chop the slivers), corn, peas, garbanzo beans, and the list goes on and on! Just toss items in and experiment. And instead of using just mayonnaise as the dressing, try using sour cream, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, or any salad dressing. You can even mix and match. There are no rules!

ADD TUNA TO HOT MEALS -- If you are making a pot of macaroni and cheese, try adding a can or two of tuna to the pot. It's a great way to sneak tuna into your children's diet. Tuna goes great with any pasta dish, especially a pasta dish with a cream sauce or white sauce. You can also buy a jar of ready made cream sauce (look in the spaghetti sauce aisle) and add tuna and serve on toast. You can also toss some tuna in any veggie dish or casserole.

MAKE TUNA PATTIES -- Tuna patties are delicious and kids will gobble them up! Mix tuna with mashed potatoes and make little patties and brown them in a frying pan. Or mix tuna with some crushed crackers or bread or any ingredient you would use to make meat loaf. Form the mix into patties and place on a cookie sheet and back at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until they are hot and starting to brown a bit. Serve the patties on the side with veggies or put them in a bun... don't forget the catsup!

ADD TUNA TO COLD MEALS -- You can add tuna to any tossed salad or any pasta salad. It's good in potato salad too! And of course, there is always the good old tuna sandwich. But make it interesting by using something other than white bread. How about tuna on a bagel or tuna in a hot dog roll? You are allowed to do that! And if you are watching your carbs there is nothing wrong with eating tuna straight for the can! It makes a great snack and it's good for you too.

USE SOLID WHITE TUNA -- If you don't like tuna, it might be because you are buying the wrong kind. Try buying solid white tuna in water. It's a bit more expensive but it's worth it. Any other type of tuna will look like mush. It's not pretty to look at and it can taste like cat food. Look for sales or coupons for solid white tuna and stock up. Then start getting creative with tuna fish!