When I was got my first clinical job as a new RD, I found myself packing my lunch (and breakfast) for the first time since high school, when I’d realized that saving my lunch allowance meant more money to spend on CDs. That’s how long it had been—CDs has still been a thing back when I’d been brown-bagging it to the senior caf.

True, I could have bought lunch from the cafeteria of the long term care facility where I worked, but, well…Let me put it this way: if I was going to be spending money on food, I wanted it to be on things I knew would fill me up and taste good and not contribute to the development of chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. I consider myself very open-minded when it comes to food, but I have my limits.

Because a girl can only take so many salads with chickpeas, I found myself getting creative with protein options. These sealed pouches became a desk-drawer staple because they were satisfying, cheap, and super-convenient. I still like to throw one in my lunch bag every now and then on a day I work at the hospital. If I ever relearn how to be a good driver, I could even see myself bringing a few of these on a road trip.

My favorite way to enjoy this is over an arugula salad with cucumber, roasted peppers, a hard-boiled egg, olives (I dig Oloves as another great to-go item) and balsamic vinegar. Voila: almost-nicoise salad. Easy and delicious.

Not feeling the salad thing? This is also great in pasta or on toast with sliced tomato and a drizzle of olive oil.

Are you a tuna lover? What are some of your favorite ways to eat it?