Lunch in a Box: Chickpea Lettuce Wraps

After a weekend of indulgent eating, it's back to basics M-F. I scribbled out a quick weekly meal plan yesterday morning and am excited about some new dishes we'll be trying out. I looked to the Happy Herbivore website for inspiration since we'll do our best to eat plant strong this week. Her recipes are low fat, easy to make, and totally plant strong. The few exceptions I'm making will be for cottage cheese and non-fat greek yogurt. I just can't seem to make it without a little bit of dairy!

This lunch box has 2 chickpea lettuce wraps, homemade roasted corn and jalapeño hummus with a whole grain cracker and carrots for dipping, and 1% cottage cheese. I also brought a side of cantaloupe for dessert later. Totally calorie count for this meal is about 500. Since I ran this morning, I'll probably have a snack later today just so I'm not too hungry before dinner- most likely an apple with a little almond butter.

Chickpea filling:

1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup corn (I use frozen- cheap and easy)
1 can Rotel (pick whatever flavor works best for you)
seasoning (I used cumin and Mexican oregano, but the Rotel might be enough)
romaine lettuce leaves
garnishes (diced bell peppers, pickled onions, cilantro...whatever sounds good to you)

**I avoid adding salt when I use this many canned items- I don't think it needs anymore.

Throw everything but the lettuce into a medium saucepan and heat through. Store in a container until ready to use. I should be able to get at least 6-8 wraps out of this (depending on how much I fill them with). When you're ready to serve, cut a romaine leaf in half and spoon the filling in. I topped it with some diced red bell peppers, but cilantro would have been really nice too.


Roasted corn and jalapeño hummus:

1 cup corn
1 jalapeño (seeded and sliced)
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
lemon juice
1/2-1 cup vegetable broth

Roast the corn and jalapeño for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Toss them in a food processor with the chickpeas, and add about 1-2 T of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of broth. I add liquid as I go to get the consistency I like. You can also season with a little salt and pepper if necessary.

Let me know what you think, and if posting lunches is even helpful. I know I get tired of eating the same old things, so hopefully seeing these ideas help.