This tasty Chickpea, Avocado & Tuna Fusilli dish only takes 10 minutes to make. It’s perfect for a quick lunch, especially if you are heading to the gym that day or you are so not in the mood to cook. It happens to me too. 🙂
I’ve already mentioned in my previous post that my boyfriend and I work hard on being as fit as possible. And regardless how much you exercise, food has a great importance.
When I first started working out (a looooong time ago), I was tempted to skip the calories before any gym session. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that if I don’t have a “carb loading” that day for lunch and later a pre-exercise meal, my workout isn’t the same and it just feels like a waste.
Bottom line: So if you fuel up correctly, you will be able to workout harder.
Therefore, I started experimenting to see what works best for me in terms of “the kind of before and after workout meals.
I hear all the time how pasta and whole grains are so bad for you. Yes, I do believe that eating pasta, or any other form of carbohydrates, right before you head out to the gym or for a run does little or nothing to increase the amount of glycogen that you burn for energy during your session.
It kind of makes sense that eating a large meal immediately before any kind of exercise actually can have an adverse effect as your body is trying to digest it (consuming all your energy). However, pasta is good for you, but like any other food, only in a regulated quantity and at certain hours.
As I have made this pasta a few times now, I highly recommend to have this dish a couple of hours before heading to the gym.
You could also probably make this recipe with your eyes closed, it’s that easy! Please don’t try it, though! 🙂 Besides, it’s also such a great recipe to have at hand for those days when you are so not in the mood to cook.
This recipe is light, nutritious and so quick to make thanks to canned tuna and chickpeas. By adding parmesan, avocado and a splash of lemon/lime juice, you can bring all the flavors together.
I believe in eating food as close to its natural state as possible, but sometimes we are too busy or, let’s face it, just lazy. Canned tuna and chickpeas can make a quick meal filled with proteins.
Don’t avoid the calories as the food you eat before you workout will maximize your efforts and results! Exercise is just part of the equation. Balanced nutrition is also very important to achieve your goals. So go ahead and eat, exercise and eat again! 🙂
- ½ package of tri-color fusilli pasta
- 1 tuna canned tuna (the one packed in its own juice)
- ½ can cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 avocado, cut in big chunks
- a little parmesan, gated
- 1 big onion, finely chopped
- 2 green onions, roughly chopped
- fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- pepper to taste
- a splash of fresh lemon/lime
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the onion and the tuna for approximately 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to a lower level and add the chickpeas, the ginger, the red pepper flakes and green onions and let them simmer gently, stirring occasionally in for 5 more minutes. Season the sauce carefully with pepper.
- After the pasta is cooked, drain it and serve it on the plate. Pour the tuna & chickpeas sauce, add the big chunks of avocado, extra chopped green onions and grate some parmesan over it. Go ahead and squeeze also a splash of lemon/lime juice for an extra twist. Et Voilà! It’s ready in less than 15 minutes.
What an awesome healthy meal!
It’s indeed! Thanks a lot! 🙂
What are green onions? Is it spring onion?
Hi Tatiana 🙂 Yes, green onions are basically spring onions (mainly called in Britain). And there are so many other names used for this vegetable including table onion, green shallot, onion stick, etc. 🙂 The list is pretty long.