Tuna Salad with White Beans and Artichokes (#Tag4Cancer)

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of BeeWell for Life for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Normally I just chat about food here at My Kitchen Addiction, but today I want to chat about exercise and staying healthy… It’s something that’s important to me, and is actually a pretty big part of my daily routine.

Last July I decided to start running… My husband has been running for a while, and watching him get fit and trim inspired me to give it a go (in those crazy Vibram shoes, even!).  Granted, I haven’t dropped the pounds quite the way he did, but I do feel a lot better about myself.  I started with the Couch to 5K program, and I’ve since graduated.  Now, I’ve joined my hubby and his running group and I’m embarking on a marathon training program over the summer! Oh, and did I also mention that I’m doing P90X at the same time? I plan on being in the best shape of my life in a few months!

BeeWell for Life

Recently I found out about the BeeWell for Life program that is being sponsored by Bumble Bee. It’s a program that’s all about being healthy – from exercising to eating well to supporting one another! I highly suggest creating a profile, because there are lots of great features… More than I can adequately cover here! A few of my favorites include the ability to map out running routes, track meals, track workouts, and even check out music recommendations for your workouts! Did I mention there’s also a free iPhone app? You can even follow them on Twitter and Facebook for lots of healthy tips and information!

Here’s the best part, though… In addition to tracking your own progress, you have the opportunity to Walk and Bee the Difference.  When you log miles (either walking, running, or cycling!), $0.10 is donated to the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization for each mile! While you are taking the time to make yourself feel better, you can be doing good for others at the same time.

Plus, I think everyone one of us knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer… I can think of a few! We all have women in our lives – mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, wives, and friends… And, we don’t ever want to see them suffer from breast cancer.  While some things may be out of our hands, the ability to raise awareness and support breast cancer research is something that we can do to help…  For me, it’s a must!

#Tag4Cancer and iPad2 Giveaway!

In addition to the BeeWell for Life program, Bumble Bee also has another campaign going on right now that is helping to raise awareness for breast cancer research… It’s called Tag4Cancer and it’s kind of like a game of Twitter tag (and we all know how I love my Twitter!)… As if that wasn’t exciting enough, by participating in the virtual game of tag and helping to raise breast cancer awareness you could win an iPad2 (and, for the record, I love my iPad almost as much as Twitter!). In fact, Bumble Bee is giving away two of them!

All you have to do is go to Tag4Cancer.com and tweet the #Tag4Cancer message and “tag” one of your twitter friends in your message.  It’s real easy if you go to their site!  Each tweet increases your chances of winning an iPad2 and helps to spread the message about breast cancer.  It’s a win-win.

Another Chance to Win an iPad2!

In addition to the #Tag4Cancer campaign, you can also have another chance to win an iPad2 right here on my site!  A third iPad2 will be given away to a lucky blog reader of one of the blogs helping to spread the word about the #Tag4Cancer campaign and the BeeWell for Life program.  Here’s how to enter…

Simply leave a comment on this blog post letting me know how one of your friends inspires you to be fit or to make a difference for others… Simple enough, right? Be sure to “tag” your friend by linking to their Facebook profile, blog, or Twitter account!

Need an example?

My friend Merry Jennifer ( @merrygourmet) inspires me to keep running because she just ran her first 5K a few weeks ago!

Please Note – I will not be the one selecting the winner (so, unfortunately, being super nice to me won’t help!)… The iPad2 giveaway will be handled by Izea. Here are the official contest rules.

Fuel for Your Workouts…

Since this is a food blog after all, I thought I’d share a quick recipe for tuna salad (since we’ve been chatting about Bumble Bee!).  Tuna salad has always been one of my favorite go-to healthy lunches, and it’s especially great with all of the running and weight training I’ve been doing lately.  Since I’ve added beans to this tuna salad, it is not only loaded with protein, but it has some extra fiber to keep you feeling full longer!

This salad is fast and easy to make.  It’s delicious served on whole wheat rolls or a bed of lettuce with fresh tomato slices!

Tuna Salad with White Beans and Artichoke Hearts

(Serves 2 – 3)

• 2 – 5 ounce cans of tuna (I like white albacore tuna packed in water), drained
• 3 artichoke hearts (about 1/2 of a 15 ounce can), drained and chopped
• 1 cup cannellini beans (about 1/2 of a 15 ounce can), rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar (either white or traditional)
• Pinch of dried thyme
• Pinch of dried oregano
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl and add seasonings to taste.  Serve on whole wheat rolls or on a bed of lettuce.