This bright and flavorful Thai tuna power bowl is a healthy lunch recipe you can prepare during the weekend for nutritious lunch during the work week.

Confession time.

I rarely ever eat lunch anymore. Many people have this conception that food bloggers must eat really good food all the time. This is both true and untrue when it comes to dessert and baking bloggers. We tend to be elbow deep in cake and pie and that’s usually what we end up eating during lunch. At least that’s what I end up doing. And although cake is delicious, it isn’t exactly a real lunch.

My daughter is easy; she wants the same things every day. A protein, usually chicken or fish, white rice or quinoa, and carrots of broccoli. That’s what she wants every day for lunch and dinner so it’s pretty easy for me to prepare food for her in advance.

I tend to not even think about what I will have until I look up and it’s already 2:30pm and I haven’t eaten anything besides yogurt 6 hours ago. This year one of my guiding words is intent. So I am trying to be more intentional about what I do. This includes being intentional with making sure I eat a healthy lunch that isn’t smothered in chocolate (but I usually do have a taste as a lunch dessert kinda situation).

I’ve taken to trying to do some lunchtime meal planning and have been loving power bowls which are bowls filled with whole grains, veggies, protein, and lots of delicious flavor. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, although I am sure I have, but Thai is my favorite food. I go crazy over Thai food, especially chicken satay and pad thai.

My house is obsessed with tuna. We always have cans and pouches of tuna in the house and heaven help us if we ever run out of tuna. Before when I wanted a decent lunch, I would eat tuna with crackers, but I wanted something more, so I decided to use it to make a Thai tuna power bowl.

And guys, It’s delicious.

It’s the kind of bowl that I can eat for lunch and dinner and not be tired of it. And I am only saying this because that’s exactly what I did for a week. I ate this Thai tuna power bowl for lunch and dinner for exactly seven days straight – and that’s only because I ran out of zucchini.

I’m only slightly embarrassed about this cause it’s just too good. It’s got so much texture and crunch and the Thai peanut dressing is creamy and a little spicy and has a nice balance of flavors to bring umami to the bowl.

What really makes this bowl is the Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore. We usually buy Bumble Bee tuna because the quality is really great, especially with their solid white albacore. This is actually the tuna that I tend to reach for at the grocery most of the time because I love the way it tastes.

It’s fresh and meatier and doesn’t have an overpowering scent that I find many other tuna brands have. And honestly, I just prefer the way it looks. I love the white chunks of tuna when you open the can. It is so much more appealing to look at and makes eating tuna feel cool again.

Below is the main recipe for the Thai tuna power bowl. I also included recipes for the garlic roasted chickpeas and the Thai peanut dressing. Both of these additional recipes will give you enough to be able to make this Thai tuna power bowl all week. Provided you don’t have it for dinner all week, too!

Yield: 1 bowl

Thai Tuna Power Bowl

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A deliciously irresistible Thai tuna power bowl

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup cooked quinoa, cold or room temperature
• ½ cup spiralized zucchini
• 1 small carrot, spiralized or cut in matchsticks
• ¼ cup chopped red cabbage
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 1/4 cup roasted chickpeas (recipe below)
• 1 5.5oz can Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore, drained
• Cilantro for garnish
• Juice of one lime
• Simple Thai peanut dressing (recipe below)

Instructions

1. Place the quinoa at the bottom of the bowl.
2. Top with the spiralized zucchini noodles, carrot, cabbage, onion, chickpeas, and albacore tuna.
3. Top with cilantro, then squeeze the lime juice over the bowl. Add as much Thai peanut dressing as desired.

Notes

If you are prepping this recipe for lunch later in the day, I recommend keeping the chickpeas and dressing in separate containers to keep everything tasting fresh and crisp.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 457 Total Fat: 12g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 12mg Sodium: 260mg Carbohydrates: 67g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 12g Sugar: 14g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 24g

Yield:

Garlic Roasted Chickpeas

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Crunchy, garlic roasted chickpeas

Prep Time 4 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 24 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 14oz can chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat dry and place in a bowl.
3. Mix together the chickpeas, oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Place the chickpeas in a single layer and roast for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a nice golden brown.
5. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to three days. You will have enough for a few more Thai tuna power bowls.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4 can
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 199 Total Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 318mg Carbohydrates: 23g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 4g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 7g

Yield: 2 /3 cup

Thai Peanut Dressing

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A creamy and delicious thai peanut dressing

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• ¼ teaspoon fish sauce
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water as needed

Instructions

1. Mix together all of the ingredients except the water together and whisk well.
2. Slowly add the water to the peanut butter until it reaches a nice creamy consistency about the thickness of heavy cream.
3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You will have enough to make enough Thai tuna power bowls for the week!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1/3 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 230 Total Fat: 33g Saturated Fat: 6g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 21g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 412mg Carbohydrates: 26g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 14g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 15g