Lunch in a Box: Almond Flour Chicken Bites

I'm on a serious roll with healthy lunches this week, but this one is probably my favorite of all my recent lunches. The best part about it is that it doesn't necessarily "feel" healthy, if that makes any sense. The chicken bites and dipping sauce almost made me feel like I splurged and went to Chick-Fil-A (not that I ever would these days).

As I was working on this recipe in my head, I decided I needed to do some research on the health benefits of almond flour. I read some good and some bad things, but decided it was worth a shot. Because it's ground up almonds, you do have to watch the fat content (which is why I paired it with fruit and veggies). And it's also not very heat tolerant, so I used a lower temp in my oven when I baked these. But the end result is absolutely delicious, and this is one chicken dish that I don't mind eating at all. Plus, you can add whatever dipping sauce you happen to like. I made my own honey mustard because it's my favorite, but anything would work.

For this lunch, I added leftover asparagus from dinner, Garlicky Zucchini Ribbons, and mixed berries for dessert.

Almond Flour Chicken Bites
(6 servings)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
1 cup almond flour (I found this in the bulk section at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1 T chili powder
1 tsp turmeric (I swear I use this in everything these days)
1 tsp season salt

1 egg, whisked
1/2 cup rice milk (or some other liquid)

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Brine chicken bites in salt water while you get the rest of your ingredients assembled. (You can skip this step if you want, but I do it when I have time because I feel like it results in a more moist chicken.)

3. Combine almond flour, flax seed and seasonings in a large bowl or plastic bag. I ended up coating several batches in a large bowl.

4. Drain chicken if brining, then pour the egg and milk mixture on top of chicken to coat.

5. In batches, coat chicken pieces in almond mix. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray or lightly oiled.

6. Bake for 15 minutes on each side. Check to make sure they are done before letting cool.



Honey Mustard
(6 servings)

3/4 cup dijon mustard
1 T honey

1. Mix and portion out. I love the Easy Lunch Box Mini Dippers because they fit in my lunch container.


Per my trusty Lose It app, below is a best guest of nutritional information for the chicken bites:

Calories: 253
Fat: 16.7g
Cholesterol: 36mg
Sodium: 31.3mg
Carb: 6.7g
Fiber: 4g
Sugars: 0.7g
Protein: 20.4g

Lunch in a Box: Thai Beef and Mango Salad

Yesterday I hosted our latest Cookbook Club gathering, where we enjoyed a great meal and reviewed dishes we made from two different blogs- Post Punk Kitchen and Eating Well. I wanted to serve something light, fresh and "summery". I knew a salad would be great, but I didn't want it to be a boring salad. Luckily I came across a recipe for Thai Beef and Melon Salad. With a few adjustments, I was confident that it would be perfect for our meal. It tasted great yesterday, and even better today, and of course I was excited to have leftovers to make my lunch.

I did make a few tweaks to their recipe (like replacing the melon with mango), and was really pleased with the results. You can check out the original on the link above if you want to compare. I added cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and some fresh berries to round out the meal.

Thai Beef and Mango Salad
(serves 3-6)

12 ounces of beef sirloin, about 1 inch thick
salt and pepper to season the meat
1 tsp oil

1/4 cup lime juice
3 T low-sodium soy sauce (I can't stand the taste of fish sauce, so I subbed soy sauce and Hoison)
1 tsp Hoison
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper (less if you don't want the heat)

6 cups of mixed greens
3 mangoes, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 cup thin cucumber slices, halved
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 cup mint, chopped

1. Heat a pan over medium, and place the seasoned steak in when it's hot. Cook about 5 minutes on each side for medium pink. (Alternative would be to grill the steak.)

2. Meanwhile, whisk the lime juice, soy sauce, Hoison, garlic and red pepper together.

3. When steak is done cooking, let it rest about 5 minutes before slicing it into thin strips.

4. Assemble the lettuce and remaining ingredients, toss with dressing, and then serve steak on top.

Lunch in a Box: Curried Chicken Salad

After a year of minimal meat eating, I appear to be recovering from a severe aversion to chicken. I'm taking baby steps and slowly introducing it back into my diet. So far, so good. The timing is pretty perfect considering how hard I'm trying to lower my carb intake. Making low fat dishes with chicken is a really good substitute for some of the carb heavy vegetarian meals that I had come to rely on. I still have strong feelings about not eating meat, but it appears that this is the best thing for me right now, so I'm not going to fight it.

I was really excited about my lunch when I put it together this morning. I made the chicken salad on Saturday and had already tried it out and loved it. You can do a lot with it, but I went simple and just put a dollop on top of a bed of spinach- no dressing needed (though I did add a spoonful of mango chutney on top)! Just add a few spinach leaves to each bit of salad, and you've got a really healthy bite on your fork.

For this lunch, I added a few cherry tomatoes to round out the salad, and included a side of homemade cilantro jalapeño hummus with veggie sticks for dipping. I also fixed two snacks for the day- a 1/2 cup of 1% cottage cheese with a 1/2 cup of strawberry slices, and a 1/4 cup of Women's Vitality Nut Mix from the bulk section at HEB. My overall carb intake (according to my handy LoseIt app) is just 36% for the day- below my 40% daily goal. So far I haven't felt the least bit hungry after a green smoothie and a scrambled egg for breakfast. And we're eating vegetarian for dinner (tofu, kale and brussels sprouts), so I feel like I'm getting a good variety of food throughout the day.

The chicken salad was pretty easy to make, and is easy to adjust the spices to suit your tastes. I love curry, so it's not possible to overdo it in my opinion. But I definitely recommend using the turmeric powder. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and helps reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes, helps maintain mental health, and also halts fat cell expansion- fighting weight gain! I have started using it as much as I can recently, and love the mild taste of it. You should know by now that when I experiment with a recipe, I rarely remember the exact measurements of what I use. Be sure to taste as you go and make this dish work for you!




Curry Chicken Salad:

1 T olive oil (or other mild oil- like canola or hemp)
juice of 2 limes
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (preferably organic and free range)
1-1/2 cups of 0% fat greek yogurt (I used Oikos for this, but also love Fage)
1-2 T apple cider vinegar

3+ T curry powder (you will use some to season chicken first)
1 T turmeric

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds

salt and pepper to taste

1- Pour oil and lime juice into a baking dish, then coat chicken breasts. Sprinkle both sides with a little bit of curry powder. Bake at 350 for 25ish minutes- until done.

2- While chicken is cooking, mix yogurt, vinegar, and spices in a large bowl. Taste and make adjustments.

3- Once the chicken has baked and cooled, shred it using two forks and add to the yogurt mix. Stir to mix well, and then add the raisins, celery and almonds. Taste again and make any necessary adjustments.

4- Store in an airtight container. Makes about 6-8 servings.

Lunch in a Box: Curried Salad with Egg and Cashew, and Cauliflower Pizza Bites

This weekend I researched the heck out of vegetarian, low-carb recipes. And while the title of this particular lunch sounds really odd, it's packed with lots of good (and good for you) food that just happens to be low carb. I spent a reasonable amount of time menu planning, but didn't want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen prepping food for the week. So I found a few interesting salad ideas, and some easy to put together dinners, and headed off to HEB with my list. What I thought would only be about a $70 grocery bill turned into $128 by the time I checked out. It just kills me how expensive it is to eat healthy, fresh food. About 3/4 of my cart was filled with produce, and the rest was things like tofu, fish, coffee, cat litter, and a few bathroom items. I can't imagine how expensive it must be to buy groceries for more than 2 people. But we do prepare breakfast/lunch/dinner at least 4 days out of the week, so in reality that comes out to about $5 per person, per meal. I guess it's not so bad when you look at it that way.

But..back to my lunch. I found the recipes for the Curried Salad with Egg & Cashew on the Eating Well website (a current selection for our cookbook club), and the recipe for the gluten free Cauliflower Pizza Bites on the Damy Health website. I'm interested in trying a few of the other cauliflower recipes on her site, as it's a great way to sneak in some serious fiber in your diet. Plus, it masks the taste that I'm not a huge fan of.

For the salad, I used the following ingredients:

1 cup spinach
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1-inch piece of cucumber, chopped (with skin on)
1-inch piece of celery, chopped
2 T cashews, lightly toasted on the stove
1 hard boiled egg
2 T dressing (I used 1 T. of real mayo in place of the 1/2 cup of low fat)
**I omitted the cranberries because of carb count


For the cauliflower pizza bites, I pretty much followed the recipe exactly. But the only hot sauce I had was Valentina's Mexican hot sauce, which apparently is loaded with calories. So for the next batch I'll use something else like Cholula or Tabasco. Other than being a little messy (I had grated cauliflower everywhere), these were really easy to make. And now that I know they are worth the effort, I'll make a double batch to freeze the next time. I paired it with some spicy red pepper pasta sauce that I had in the pantry, and it made for a satisfying side dish to the salad.

I've been using the LoseIt app to track calories and carb percentages for each day, and my goal each day is for my overall carb percentage to be under 45%. Right now I'm at 34% (that's including all the meals I plan on eating today), so I'm doing really well. But it's really hard to feel full when all you're eating is salad, which is why I like these Cauliflower Bites so much. It feels like I'm eating something starchy when I'm really not!

Is there anyone else who is watching their carb intake, and have found any go-to recipes that you really love?! It has been a bit of a struggle for me, considering how much I love all things bread, but I'm slowly making progress.

Lunch in a Box: Veggie Bento

This is my first true Bento lunch (at least based on what I think the definition of Bento is), making spectacular use of leftover veggies and some pre-made items. First, I whipped up a batch of Egg White Frittata Muffins on Sunday, and used one of them to add protein to my lunch. I need to tweak the recipe on the next go around (adding one whole egg to the egg white mix), but these are such an easy item to make, and they are also great to pull out for any meal of the day. I love that you can add just about any toppings that you have, and are great for using up veggies from the fridge.

Next, I used roasted vegetables that I made with dinner (I cooked extra just to use for lunches) and leftover tofu from dinner as well, along with the White Bean Hummus from HEB. (A- this hummus is delicious, and B- it only has 70 calories for a 2T serving.) I wish I had a little more color range in my vegetables, but this box includes: okra, red bell pepper and brussels sprouts. The peppers are raw, but the others were tossed with a little bit of olive oil, kosher salt and fresh chopped oregano from our garden. All around a totally delicious and outrageously healthy lunch, that only took a few minutes to assemble thanks to a little early preparation!

Estimated nutritional info for the entire lunch (please note that I eat 2 small snacks during the day to supplement my calorie intake):

261 calories
9g fat
24.7g carb
7.6g fiber
19.3g protein


Egg White Frittata Muffins (makes 9 muffins)

1.5 cups egg whites (I used the HEB brand in a carton, but next time will add one whole egg)
1/2 cup rice milk (you can substitute any kind-of milk)
1/4 slice from a small log of goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
4 T chopped sundried tomatoes

1. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray, and heat oven to 350º.
2. Mix egg whites and milk together, then pour into muffin tin.
3. Sprinkle toppings, and bake for about 12 minutes (until mix has set and top is slightly browned).

Lunch in a Box: Greek Chickpea Burger Wraps

Since my Asian Black Bean Burger Wraps were such a hit last week, I thought I'd try it again with a more mediterranean flare to it. I modified the Chickpea Burger recipe from the Tone It Up eating plan, and am really pleased with the results. Now that I have 2 good protein burger recipes, I plan on making them in bulk batches and freezing so that I'm not spending quite as much time in the kitchen.

I'm trying to watch my carb intake (still planning on writing about that later), so this lunch is my attempt at getting enough protein without upping the carb count. After trying collard greens and iceberg lettuce, I've decided that romaine makes the best "wrap" by far. It tastes better than collards, doesn't break as easily as iceberg, plus- it's a darker green color, so it's better for me. I rounded out my lunch with a 1/2 cup of 1% fat cottage cheese, and a really yummy Cucumber Pear Salad.

Greek Chickpea Burger (makes 8 patties)

2 cans of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used white, but any onion would do)
1 tsp each: turmeric, paprika, cumin
1/4 ground flaxseed
2-3 sprigs of dill, chopped

1. Heat oven to 350°. Spray baking sheet with fat free spray.
2. Mash chickpeas in a large bowl (my pastry cutter worked perfectly).

3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

                                         

4. Form into 8 balls, and then press into flat patties. Bake for 12 minutes on each side (until slightly browned and crispy).

This is roughly the nutritional information (per 1 burger):

123 calories
2.9g fat
341g sodium
19g carbs
5.7g fiber
2.7g sugar
6.7g protein


Tzaziki (makes 6 servings)

1 cup 0% Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp chopped garlic
1-2 sprigs of dill, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and store in fridge.


Cucumber Pear Salad (makes 4 servings)

1 cucumber, halved and seeded and chopped (you can keep the skin on)
2 pears, peeled and chopped
6 T rice wine vinegar
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sugar (I used 2 packets of Nectresse)
dash (or two) of red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients in a bowl- will store in fridge for up to 5 days.

Lunch in a Box: Asian Black Bean Burger Lettuce Wraps

Today's lunch is nothing short of healthy, tasty perfection! I came across the recipe for Asian Black Bean Burgers on the Lean Green Bean blog, and knew I would have to make them. Healthy protein with a punch of flavor- sounded like a winner to me. After getting a little off track with eating last week, I wanted to pack a lunch that I was excited about, but wouldn't feel guilty eating. So the Asian Black Bean Burger Wrap was born!

I pretty much followed the recipe to a T, minus the Sriracha, and was able to make 6 good sized patties out of the mixture. I left out the Sriracha because I used Thai Chili Garlic sauce, which has a pretty good kick to it. I also wanted to make a little sauce to pour over my wraps, so I saved that ingredient for later. Per my loose calculations, each burger has the following nutritional info:

168 calories
3.8g fat
59.5mg sodium
25.3g carbs
6.6g fiber
.9g sugar
8.3g protein


For my lunch, I kept the burger separate, and heated it up before assembling. I divided the burger in half, and then wrapped it in iceberg lettuce leaves, and topped it with julienned red bell pepper and fresh cilantro. Then I poured my sauce on top- which truly made the whole dish! Recipe below:

Asian "dipping" sauce (adapted from PF Changs)

2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1ish tsp Sriracha (depends on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (that's what I had on hand- plain or hot mustard would do, too)
1 T rice wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients in bowl, and adjust taste to your liking. I probably used slightly different measurements than above as I added...but that should be pretty close. It also made enough to use for a total of 4 wraps.

I served the wraps with a side of slaw that I had made for dinner (more on that in an upcoming post), and a clementine cutie for dessert. I loved the vibrant colors of the overall dish, and was very satisfied after my lunch. Will definitely be making this one again (and again, and again!) Other than the prep work on Sunday, this is an easy dish to put together the remainder of the week.

Do you have any "go-to" lunches that are quick to prepare, but more exciting than a sandwich and an apple?

Lunch in a Box: Edamame Hummus

We eat a lot of hummus in our household. It's a relatively healthy snack and is easy to grab on the go, or fill up the extra space in my favorite lunchbox container. But store bought hummus often has more oil than we really need, so I try to make it at home so that I can control the ingredients. I'll be honest- it doesn't always taste as good. But I'm convinced that one day I'll find the perfect combination that does, and when I do, there's not a chance in hell I'll share it with you because that will be my ticket to getting rich I'll be more than happy to let you know.

I usually use garbanzo beans, or maybe cannellini beans, when making hummus. But I have not tried edamame until now.  I almost like the texture better using edamame, and the taste is phenomenal. I found a recipe on Oh She Glows, and tweaked it just a bit for my tastes.

Edamame Hummus
makes about 8- 1/4 cup servings

1 bag frozen edamame (thawed, or simmered in boiling water until thawed)
1 T tahini
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1-2 lemons
salt and pepper to taste
dash (or 3) of Sriracha (depending on how much spice you like)
water for thinning (I used about 1/2 cup)


Throw everything in a food processor and hit the button. Process until it's as smooth as you can get it. I chose not to top mine off with any oil, because I'm getting married in 7 weeks and I seriously need to get this "shaping up" business taken care of soon. I don't think it needs it anyway, so save yourself the extra calories.

I packed the hummus with bell pepper sticks, and leftovers from dinner the night before (roasted tofu and brussels sprouts over brown rice). According to my Lose It app, a 1/4 cup serving has 67 calories, 2.9 grams of fat, and 5.5 grams of protein. My total lunch was around 340 calories (plus snacks of 1/2 a grapefruit and a clementine).

Lunch in a Box: Farro Salad with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

It's a plant strong week in our household! After 3 nights of baking sweets, and overindulging on Saturday, I was ready to get back to the basics. I <briefly> entertained the idea of adding chicken to our diet this week after tasting some really delicious kebobs on Saturday night, but when it came to pulling the trigger, I just couldn't do it. I'm so conflicted about eating meat when I know the conditions it's been raised in. So I pulled a 180 on Hank and went flat out vegan on my weekly HEB visit.

I decided to keep it really simple this week, and rather than pulling together a bunch of recipes, we're just eating a ton of fresh fruit and vegetables, and plenty of beans and whole grains. It really is as easy as it sounds when you throw out the notion that each meal has to have a certain amount of x,y,z. For example, on Sunday night we ate roasted okra and roasted spaghetti squash with an avocado "cream" sauce. Just put a bunch of clean food on your plate, and you really don't have to worry about a thing.

I found the recipe for the Farro Salad on the Cooking Canuk blog, and used it for our lunches on Monday/Tuesday. I had spinach that needed to be used, fresh basil sitting on the counter, and sun-dried tomatoes in the freezer (you never know when they will come in handy), so it was a piece of cake to throw together. I used the whole bag of farro and it made about 5 1-cup servings (perfect for 2 girl, and 2 guy portions).

I modified the dressing and only used 1 Tb of olive oil.
Spread out over 4 servings, it keeps the calorie/fat count down.

I rounded out the meal with leftover roasted spaghetti squash from the night before, and a clementine (on Tuesday I switched the fruit to grapes). The squash is topped with a little dollop of cilantro chutney that gives a good spicy flavor to the squash. This is one of Hank's favorite condiments and comes in handy on many occasions.

Check out the blog post for the actual recipe, and give it a try. I found it tasty and filling, and think it would be good warm or cold (I heated mine up). And please feel free to share any easy, go-to things you like to pack in your lunch.

Lunch in a Box: Vegetable Jalfrezie, and the Wonders of Paneer

I've eaten paneer in restaurants, but never really cooked it at home. Known as "vegetarian meat", it's similar to cottage cheese, but with a more dense texture. It's high in protein, which is helpful when cooking (or eating) dishes that are heavy on vegetables. I believe that you can find paneer at Whole Foods or Central Market, but I grabbed two blocks of it on my recent trip to Apna Bazaar. At only $4 a block, I really liked the price!

Paneer looks like this- in case you were wondering.

Sautéing paneer can often result in a rubbery texture, which is why I'm glad I came across this recipe for Vegetable and Paneer Jalfrezie (from Curry of a Life). She mentions a technique that soaks the paneer in boiled milk/water. I only had rice milk on hand, and didn't notice any funny aftertaste as a result of using it. But what I did notice was how much softer the paneer was after soaking it for 30 minutes. It made the dish so much better!

I chose this recipe because I had 3 bell peppers on their last leg, and I couldn't stand to throw them out. I'm also on a mission to cook as many dishes as I can from this blog (I learn something new every time I make something), and so this recipe was perfect. I had everything I needed (minus green beans and carrots), and other than cutting up all the veggies, it came together pretty quickly. I would always recommend using onions for the base, but you could substitute any other veggies you might have on hand to go with. I would imagine frozen ones would work just fine, too.

I followed the directions pretty closely, but chose to add only 1 tsp of vinegar at the end (it scared me a little, but really did give the dish a nice sharp taste in the end). I also decided to sprinkle on just a little bit of kasoori methi before serving. I used it in the Malai Kofta dish I made recently, and loved the way it made my kitchen smell.

Last night I served dinner over brown basmati rice, and with leftovers today I put some fresh berries and cottage cheese in my lunch box. I realized after the fact that paneer and cottage cheese in one lunch is a little over kill, but I was in a hurry this morning and that was the best I could do. At least it's low fat, and I only put 1/2 a cup in there!

I love dinners that taste equally good, if not better, the next day. This one was a hit for sure!

Lunch in a Box: Costco Zucchini Cakes

I love an excuse to make a trip to Costco. Shopping for two people doesn't always warrant one, but the need for an inexpensive birthday cake for a co-worker certainly does! (Their cakes are fabulous!) So I happily dropped in yesterday after work to grab a cake and see if anything jumped out at me. I saw a box of Handmade Zucchini Cakes for $8.99 (with only 60 calories and 1.5g fat per cake) and knew they would make a great lunch meal. I also grabbed a large container of 0% fat Fage greek yogurt for $4.99 ($2 less than HEB). I figured I could get at least 6 lunches out of this if I threw in a few things I usually have at home, making this about $2.33 per lunch.

We have a ton of spinach right now, so I put a few cakes on top of a bed of spinach, cut up half a tomato, and then made a quick and easy yogurt dressing to serve on top. I would have made tzatziki (which you can also buy pre-made at Costco), but I didn't have any dill. So I just used what was in the fridge (lemon, garlic and some fresh mint).

I also served this with an Israeli Couscous Salad that I made on Sunday, and added fresh strawberries for dessert. I have to say, I'm in love with this lunch! It didn't take a ton of time to put together, and it's still fresh and really healthy!



Yogurt Dressing

1 cup 0% fat greek yogurt (I always prefer Fage for it's tart flavor and thick, creamy texture)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 T. chopped fresh herbs (dill, mint or tarragon work nicely)

Mix in a bowl. Done. If you want to thin out the texture, just use a little more lemon juice.


Israeli Couscous Salad (makes 4 side servings)

1 cup Israeli couscous (uncooked)
2 cups water
1 cup chopped vegetables of choice (I used asparagus spears, jarred roasted red peppers and jarred pepperoncini rings)

dressing:
4 T red wine vinegar
3 T olive oil
1 T pepperoncini juice (lemon juice would make a good substitute)
1 T chopped fresh herbs (I used thyme because it's what I had)
1 tsp mayonnaise (optional- leave it out if you want a vegan dish)

Bring the couscous and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until water is absorbed. Meanwhile, roast any vegetables if necessary ( I chopped the asparagus and roasted for about 15 minutes), and make the dressing. Just whisk the ingredients together and let sit until couscous is ready.

Combine everything in a bowl and toss with dressing.

Lunch in a Box: BBQ Tofu leftovers

This is seriously one of the easiest dinners that makes for great leftovers the next day. I love (metaphorically) killing two birds with one stone, and that's what makes this such a great lunch box!

The idea for the BBQ tofu dinner originally came from a post on Oh She Glows, a new recent favorite vegan blog. I didn't even need to look at the recipe, I just knew I wanted to dump barbecue sauce on a block of tofu, bake it, and call it a meal. Lucky for me, it was pretty much that simple.

Here's what I did to get this meal done in about 30 minutes (with the help of Hank, since I was making breakfast muffins at the same time):

Drain a block of tofu (or don't, if you don't have time- we rarely do)
Slice into 1/2 inch thick slices, not cutting all the way through
Place in a baking dish sprayed lighting with non-stick spray
Pour your favorite BBQ sauce on top (we used about 1/2 a bottle of Stubb's) on top of and in between the slices
Bake in oven at 350° (for roughly 30 minutes)

Meanwhile, chop your broccoli (or any other vegetable) and get it steaming.
Boil water and cook your grains. (I picked couscous because I really don't like quinoa, and it cooks super quick).

When the sides are done, pull out the tofu and put it all on a plate. This also makes a great "bowl of food", one of Hank's favorite things to do. He just layers it all in a bowl and mixes it together. It tasted awesome for dinner, and even better the next day for lunch after the flavors had a chance to really get into the tofu.

I packed my lunch box before we even did the dishes, and added some fresh strawberries for a little dessert. This was by far one of my favorites lunches in awhile. If you don't like tofu, you can obviously substitute baked chicken or other meat.

Lunch in a Box: Quinoa Sweet Cakes

I wrote a post yesterday about getting back into weekly meal planning. I stumbled across a few interesting recipes and am really pleased with the things I have made so far. Last night, I made a Sweet Potato and Kale Pesto pizza that was absolutely deliciously. I used a minimum amount of oil in the pesto, and the result was a fresh and tasty pizza that was not the least bit greasy. It was healthy, without TASTING healthy! It was a winner for sure.

I also made Sweet Quinoa Cakes and a Creamy Tahini Kale Salad for our lunches today and later this week. (You can find links to all of the recipes from yesterday's post). I've had multiple failed attempts at making veggie burgers, so I was a little skeptical of this recipe. But they turned out just fine, and actually taste really good. We often rely on frozen veggie burgers for quick lunches, but I like finding alternatives that are not made with soy. These have a little extra quinoa in them, so they pack a good punch in the fiber department.

Kale is one of the best foods you can eat. It's full of fiber, fights off yucky diseases, and even makes your skin and hair healthy. It puts the SUPER in superfood. It's also ridiculously inexpensive. At my HEB, a bundle costs 98 cents. It does cook down quite a bit, so I usually count on only getting 2 servings out of one bundle. The Kale Salad that I made was lacking some of the zing that I thought it would have, but it's still tasty. The recipe makes a ridiculous amount of dressing, and I only used about a third of it. Any more than that and the kale would have been soggy. I will definitely tweak the quantity, and also find a way to add a little more flavor to it. But I think it's worth making again.

I rounded out our lunches with some carrot sticks with hummus, and fresh grapes for "dessert". I also packed an apple for Hank, and a Cutie for me to have as an afternoon snack.

Sweet Quinoa Cakes:

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup each of quinoa and lentils. I upped the quinoa to 1 cup so that I could get more cakes out of the mix. I left the lentils alone because I'm not a huge fan. For seasoning, I used 1/2 T chipotle chili power (gave it a nice kick), and 1 tsp each of turmeric and garlic powder. But I love that the recipe is easy to tailor to your taste. Once I had all my components in the bowl, I ended up adding about 1/3 cup of cornmeal, just to make it stick together easier. I sprayed my baking sheet with a bit of olive oil, and ended up cooking them for closer to 30 minutes so that they would be a little crispy on each side. I was able to get a total of 12 cakes out of the mix.

Lunch in a Box: Spaghetti Squash with Kale and Chickpeas

I love having leftovers for lunch- it makes packing my lunch so much easier than planning an extra meal! After attending a cookie exchange yesterday afternoon (more on that later), I was in the mood for something light and healthy. Thanks to Pinterest, I came across this dish (Oh My Gosh, Spaghetti Squash) AND the healthy blog it came from. I've now added My New Roots to my Google reader and am looking forward to more delicious dishes.

The dish was super easy. Just go to the link above for ingredients and directions. Aside from splitting open the spaghetti squash, it took under an hour from start to finish. While the squash is baking, assemble the remaining ingredients and start sautéing them when there is only about 10 minutes left to go. It made enough for barely 4 servings, so I would recommend maybe using 2 bunches of kale for a heartier serving. I sprinkled dinner with a little parmesan from the fridge, but you could leave it out for a vegan dish if you wanted.

Dinner last night

So I had already prepared my lunch box last night, but needed to fill the other two compartments. We had gone to a Christmas party on Friday that had a Mexican food theme. Knowing that we would be gorging on tamales, I made a crudite tray with a spicy Chamoy dipping sauce to take. I found the recipe in one of my Rick Bayless cookbooks, but lucky for you it's also online. Click on this link for the Mexican Crudite Platter with Chamoy Dipping Sauce. I purchased 2 whole pineapples (because they're half the price of buying them already cut up). I have a nifty tool that takes out the center, so it wasn't too hard. It sounds weird to dip pineapple in a spicy sauce, but just trust me on this one. I passed on the jicama and radish in the recipe, and instead used yellow bell pepper, mini carrots, cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber. I so wished I had taken a picture because the tray came out beautifully, but I was in a rush to get out the door on time. The sauce was so easy to make, and the heat can be adjusted to your taste. This is a winner dish in my book!

So...long story short is that I had some sauce and veggies left over, so I threw those in my box too. Tasty, healthy, but still hearty enough that I won't be hungry in an hour. But in case I am, I have an apple to snack on later.

Lunch in a Box: Black Bean Wraps and Hummus

I was out most of the day yesterday (foster event, cookbook club, and seeing my parents), so I didn't have the usual time to make things for lunches for the week. I had made a meal plan earlier in the day though, and was able to churn out an amazing hummus recipe when I got home so that we would at least have something healthy to eat. Thankfully, Hank had made a rice and bean bowl for his dinner, so I was able to use his leftovers to make us wraps for today.

Lunch is pretty simple:

Black beans, rice and canned Rotel, along with fresh spinach of some roasted salsa, wrapped up in a whole-grain, 50 calorie wrap. I packed veggie sticks (carrots and green/red bell peppers) to dip into the hummus, and then a separate container with fresh strawberries and blackberries for an afternoon snack. Hank also got an avocado half to go with his wrap.

The hummus was a piece of cake. Throw everything in a food blender, and you're done. I found (and adapted slightly) the recipe on a great vegetarian blog called eat me, delicious. It's perfect with veggies, but would also make a good sandwich spread or dipped with naan.

Curried Pumpkin Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup raw almonds

2-3 T tahini (I would use 3 if you cut out the oil, but 2 would be just fine)

1/3 cup water

1 T olive oil (I really don't think it even needed this much)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp curry powder (you must love curry to love this dish)

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt (I used 1 tsp)

pinch of red pepper flakes

Blend ingredients in food processor for 3-5 minutes, until smooth and creamy.

Lunch in a Box: Superfood Salad with Ginger-Miso Dressing

My love of salad seems to come in waves. Some weeks I enjoy it, and try to make them as colorful and yummy as I can. Other weeks, I can't even stomach eating greens. We usually eat a ton of vegetables at dinner, so salad for lunch doesn't always get me that excited. But this week is a good week, and the main reason is because I found the yummiest salad dressing ever!! It doesn't follow the "no oil" rule of the Engine 2 diet, but it is vegan, and it is absolutely delicious. I think even Hank gives it two thumbs up, and it's sure to make even the most boring salad taste fabulous.

I meant to roast some cauliflower to add to my salads this week, but I wasn't able to find any at the grocery store. Weird. So I kept it simple, but loaded with super healthy food- fresh spinach, cooked quinoa and roasted beets. Add a little Ginger-Miso dressing, and you're in business for lunch. Since the salad is pretty low on calories, having a little bit of oil in the dressing isn't such a terrible thing.

I saw a terrific post on the Engine 2 Blog about creating your own salad bar at home, and one of these Sundays I will attempt to do it. But in the meantime, keeping salads easy and simple is a great way to ensure that you're going to have a healthy lunch without too much fuss. To keep it easy, I have my salad ingredients all ready to go in separate containers, so the night before (or morning of), I can build my salad quickly. I even put the salad dressing in my new Easy Lunch Boxes Mini-Dipper containers so that they're ready to grab when I need them.

Spinach salad, carrots, and yogurt with fresh berries.

Ginger Miso Dressing:

1/2 cup white miso

1/3 cup agave nectar (I used less- I thought this much made it too sweet)

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sesame oil (I used closer to 1/4 cup)

1/4 lemon juice

1 1/4 cup chopped ginger (This looked like a typo to me- I probably used closer to 3/4 cup)

Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix, food processor or blender until smooth.

Lunch in a Box: Cashew and Kale Enchiladas

I took the past few weekends off from cooking. I got a little burned out and needed a break. But yesterday I was back in full swing. A new month means a new chance to "start over" with some better eating habits. There's a good chance I'll be taking a fancy beach vacation in January, so I better get my rear in gear if I'm going to look good for that.

Yesterday I made the following:

*Black bean salad (with corn and red bell peppers)
*Ginger-Miso salad dressing
*Roasted beets (to add to salads)
*Quinoa (to add to salads)
*Vegan oat bran muffins with pumpkin (easy breakfast)
*Cashew Cheese and Kale Enchiladas (dinner and lunch leftovers)

It was exhausting, but also a lot of fun. I did some meal planning Sunday morning, made a quick trip to HEB, and now have enough food to make some delicious, healthy meals for lunch and dinner all of this week. After a glutinous meal on Saturday night, I figured it would be a good idea to make something at least mildly healthy to start the week. I searched the Happy.Healthy.Life. blog (you know, the one I mentioned last week?) for a good dinner idea. I wanted it to at least feel like a "football" meal, but not totally overdo it on calories. It fit the bill to a "T".

The blog post promised that these were even better the 2nd (and 3rd day) if you make enough. I got the cashews soaking early in the day, and by late afternoon, the rest of the meal came together pretty easily. I chose to use chipotle powder in the cashew cheese, and also added a tad bit of nutritional yeast. I also added some cannellini beans to the kale filling, because I did not plan on serving anything else with this for dinner. I felt like it could use a little extra to make a full meal. I rolled up 12 enchiladas, poured a can of red enchilada sauce over the top, and baked for 45 minutes. They were, in a word, DELICIOUS! I mean they were really, really delicious. And of course I made just enough for lunches today.

Enchilada filling.

Leftovers for lunch, served with the black bean salad and fresh berries.

Even if you aren't vegan, but want to try out a "meatless Monday", this is a great place to start. You get all the great flavor of a spicy enchilada with red sauce, but none of the guilt. The cashew cheese provides enough calories and protein, but you get a good healthy punch from the kale and beans. It's a winning meal all the way around.

Lunch in a Box: Teriyaki Chickpeas with Mango Pineapple Salsa

I had a super short, but really fun weekend that included a 24 hour trip to Houston for my Fantasy Football draft. I'm waiting for my sister in law to send pics so I can brag blog about my awesome team, so stay tuned.

I did manage to find time to do a little bit of cooking when we got home yesterday, and have this yummy lunch to show for it. It's another (easy) recipe from Happy Herbivore, and it tastes delicious. I paired it with a somewhat spicy Asian Cucumber Salad from Savory Sweet Life, and grapes for dessert. It was a filling, healthy and tasty lunch.

Teriyaki Chickpeas
(2 servings)

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
1T Szechuan sauce
1 T raw sugar (optional- I left it out)
2 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup pineapple/mango salsa (see recipe below)


Combine chickpeas and sauces in a saute pan, and let marinate for 5-10 minutes (I made the salsa during this time). Turn heat to medium and cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed. **It took me closer to 20 minutes, but that's because I may or may not have read the instructions wrong and put too much liquid in there.**

Spoon chickpeas over rice and top with salsa. That's it!


Pineapple/Mango Salsa

equal parts diced pineapple and mango
1/4 diced red onion
fresh chopped cilantro
1-2 limes, squeezed

I make things like this to taste- so cut up your fruit, and add the rest in small quantities until you reach your desired taste. I also added a teeny bit of salt to mine to balance the sweet fruit.

Lunch in a Box: Chili-Lime Tofu and Veggie Spring Rolls

This was my second attempt at spring rolls recently, and it was definitely easier. Not sure what happened though because they came out a little dry this go around. Next time, I think I will add a little of the peanut sauce to the noodles so they stay moist. The good news is that I have mastered the assembly process, added a tasty tofu to beef them up a little, and found a Peanut Dipping Sauce that I really really love! These are still one of my favorite lunchbox treats.

Veggie Spring Rolls, Chickpea and Quinoa Salad, Fresh Berries

You can check out my original blog post from when I made these a few months ago. The only tweaks I made were not using romaine lettuce (though I wish I had), and using sliced cucumber in place of zucchini. The chili-lime tofu is not to be missed though. I felt like these were originally a little too low on calories and protein, and this was just the thing to make it right. The recipe comes from my Appetite for Reduction cookbook that has been a great staple to my library. It's all easy and filling low-fat vegan recipes, and I've loved everything I've made from this book. This particular recipe will join the regular rotation for sure.

If you're interested in making the spring rolls, I suggest setting aside about 1.5 hours, and maybe even getting the help of an assistant. Kids should be able to help add veggies to the rolls, and if you aren't totally OCD, they could likely roll their own too. What a fun way to get their help in making lunches. They don't have to be vegan- if you have picky kids (and/or significant other), chili-lime chicken would be just as good.


Cilantro-Lime Tofu

1 package of extra-firm tofu, pressed to remove some liquid and poked with a fork
2 T chili powder
1 tsp salt
zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp oil (I used vegetable)
1 T tamari

1- Mix chili powder and salt in a small ramekin and set aside.
2- Add other ingredients (minus the tofu) in a shallow baking dish.
3- Slice tofu into thin slices (about 1/2 inch thick) and add to marinade, flipping over so that both sides are damp.
4- Rub both sides of tofu with the chili/salt mix, and leave in the baking dish.
5- Bake at 350 for 10 minutes on each side. Cool before adding to spring rolls.


While the tofu is cooking, mix together your peanut sauce (or just use a store bought version) and chop up the veggies you plan on using. Don't overdo it or your rolls will be too thick and will break. Once your tofu is ready, assemble all your spring roll ingredients (including the cooked vermicelli noodles, preferably mixed with a little sauce or lime juice to keep them moist).

Sliced cucumbers and red bell pepper, shredded carrots from a bag, and chopped cilantro.

Get organized, and don't forget a shallow plate with hot water for the wrappers. I saved the hot water from the noodles and it worked great. Soften the next wrapper while you're working on filling one.

Add noodles, veggies and tofu to bottom third of wrapper. I work on a damp towel to prevent sticking.

Fold in sides to cover ingredients.

Roll wrapper towards top, pinching in to make the roll stay tight.

I made a total of 12 rolls and had enough ingredients leftover to make at least 4 more. But this amount is perfect for 2 days of lunches for the both of us. The fresh berries I added for dessert were easy, as was the cold chickpea/quinoa salad (also from Appetite for Reduction) that I'll be using for other lunches as well.

Lunch in a Box: Lasagna Rolls

Nothing beats cooking an easy dinner that makes for great leftovers, and that's exactly what this dish was. I found the recipe on the Happy Herbivore site- it's one of 3 that I've made recently, and all were fantastic.

Another thing that I love about this recipe is how adaptable it is. Since I began cooking with Hunk, I've learned to be more flexible with recipes. He loves to just throw a bunch of stuff together, while I prefer to have a clear plan. (OCD much?!) I was able to get a tad bit creative with the spices, but still have a clear cut plan in place.

The base for the recipe is pretty simple: whole wheat lasagna noodles, tofu, spinach and marinara. But putting together the filling allows for creative input. These don't have to be vegan, either. You can add whatever you want for the filling. It's more about making the lasagna rolls, and having a great meal for dinner AND lunch. Just click on the link above for the actual recipe.

One tweak that I made to the cooking process was the final step. Instead of boiling them in sauce, I lined a casserole dish with marinara, placed the lasagna rolls on top, and then topped them with more sauce. Then I just baked them at 325 for about 20 minutes. This seemed much easier (and a lot less messy) to me.

In this particular lunch, I had red grapes, 1% cottage cheese and a few carrot sticks. I'm still trying to stick to a mostly vegan diet, but make exceptions for cottage cheese and greek yogurt. I always seem to crave those two things!