Tuna Rotini Salad Toss for Lunch

I am hoping to write a series of posts about what I have been eating while losing weight.  Sometimes I think half the battle is just figuring out what to eat and what a reasonable serving size is.

One of my favorite diet cookbooks is the Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook.  This recipe comes from this book and it's delicious.  (It doesn't seem like diet food!) Actually, nothing I eat is "diet" food. I eat 400 calorie meals 4 times a day.  That's really all there is to it.  If you are looking to eat a healthier diet and lower your cholesterol then the Flat Belly Diet might be for you.  The recipes are all heart healthy.

6 oz. multigrain rotini pasta
1/4 cup canola mayonnaise (I usually just use regular mayo)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I like to just buy the frozen cubes at Trader Joe's...simple and always on hand!)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cans (5 oz ea.) water-packed solid white tuna, drained
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2" long strips
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 serving (1 1/2 cups) is 404 calories.

After I ate 1 serving for lunch I divided the remaining servings into individual containers for an easy to grab lunch.  I used a glass container for one serving and the other two I put into trays that individual frozen dinners come in covered with Press N Seal.  I make my own frozen dinners this way too.  Often times my family is eating something that either has too many calories or I don't know how to count it so I eat something else.  Pre-prepared meals are perfect for that.

Let me know if you try it and how you like it.