skinny lunch

20 Feb 2012

Asian Veggie Wrap

February 20, 2012 By Bree 3 Comments

I am sure I have mentioned before, but my office Futura is out of my home. I always look forward to running up to the kitchen at lunch especially when I wake up with a “lunch vision!” I had was one of those days this week and the Asian Veggie Wrap was born, inspired from the fresh tastes of Vietnamese food. So incredibly easy–I will definitely be making this again.

Have you ever been to Vietnam? I had the amazing opportunity to go there for Christmas one year and I cannot begin to describe the beauty of the countryscape with greenest rice paddies sprinkled with white cone hats peeking out of them. The fast pace of all the motorcyles in Ho Chi Minh and the food, oh the food! I think I added more meals to each day for another excuse to eat again. I so hope that someday I will return to this magical place. In the meantime, I have Asian Veggie Wraps….

Here’s What You Need: (For 1)
Wheat flour tortilla
1/3 of a large red pepper, sliced
1/2 of a carrot, cut into matchsticks
1-2 TBS of cilantro
Low sodium soy
Dressing (I used Annies, but peanut sauce would be great here too!)
1/3 cucumber,cut into matchsticks,(optional)*
Handful of baby spinach (Cut into strips)

How funny is this?!

Here’s What You Do:
After cutting the veggies into small pieces, pile them into the middle of the tortilla and drizzle with the dressing and soy to taste. Fold in the bottom and wrap over. (I kept the top open). Take a bite and add more soy or dressing if you prefer. That’s it!

*I meant to use cucumber and completely forgot! It would be good here though, I am sure!

Kid Tip:
If I were making this for my kids (And I for sure will make this one again!) I would cut the wrap into bite size pieces like sushi as my kids love sushi. Another idea is to toss the veggies with rice.

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Filed Under: Asian wrap, skinny lunch

30 Jan 2012

Skinny Chicken "Gyros"

January 30, 2012 By Bree 3 Comments

My mom loves to tell the story of how in preschool I told the class my favorite would was, “escargot”, and how I would have a temper tantrum in the grocery store if she wouldn’t buy escargot for dinner. You are probably envisioning that I must have come from a really fancy and refinedd family. I do not. This escargot was pretty short of fancy. It was stuffed with herb butter and frozen into a little disposable tin. Looking back, it sounds rather disgusting. What I love about this story, however, is how it shows the great impact that food has on our memories. So much laughter and bonding takes place around food. Gyros is another one of the dishes that stirs up so many different memories for me. One of my Greek elementary school friend who corrected everyone’s dismal pronunciation of GUY-ROS is a particular favorite. What are some of your childhood memories involving food? This Skinny Chicken Gyros I came up with will allow me to have one of my favorites, but without any guilt…

Here’s What You Need: (Makes 1)

Grilled chicken (About 1/2 a breast)*

Tomato, sliced and sprinkled with salt and pepper

Cucumber, sliced vertically and sprinkled with s + p

1 TBS ff plain yogurt

1 TBS ff or low-fat feta

Seasoning (I like Penzey’s Greek)

Whole wheat pita (I like 8 Grain Arnold Pocket Thins)

Spring greens (A handful)

Here’s What You Do:
If your chicken is cold, microwave it for about 55 seconds. Mix the yogurt and the feta and season with Greek Seasoning. Pile everything up in the center of the pita and top with the yogurt mixture. (You won’t be able to fit all of the cucumber and tomato). Fold it over and put it in a hot panini maker for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a panini maker, you can fake one by spraying a grill pan with non-stick. Put the pita on it covered by another pan. “Grill” for 3 minutes and then turn over and grill for another 2 or 3 minutes. Yum!

*If you don’t have left over chicken, grill a chicken breast marinated in extra virgin olive oil and Greek Seasoning on a grill pan for about 14 minutes and then cut into strips.

Kid Tip:
My kids tend to like things separate at this age. Therefore, I would use one of their little compartment plates and put the cucumbers and chicken in separate compartments. I would combine the feta and the yogurt as a dipping sauce for them along with the grilled pita bread.

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Filed Under: skinny chicken gyros, skinny dinner, skinny lunch

12 Jan 2012

Yummmy….Turkey Pepperoni and Vegetable Flatbread "Pizza"

January 12, 2012 By Bree 2 Comments

My husband’s Christmas this party this year was fantastic. It was at Fulton’s on the Water in Chicago, and for the first time in the history of his company Christmas parties, the food was actually really good. The dynamics, however, even better. This party included staff from all over the country, many from small towns. They were a friendly bunch–Two never even made it to dinner as a result of the 3 hour open bar. So fun. Anyway, at the end of the night in a wine tinged conversation, another mom and I were talking about how she has such a hard time working full time, making a long commute, and then getting home completely wiped out to hungry children at 6pm. I am sure there are a lot of moms in this same situation. I thought of her when I came up with this recipe, as it is done in less than 15 minutes–Her requirement for a weeknight dinner. The “pizza” format makes it kid friendly, the flat bread makes it fast, and the veggies make it healthy. So here you have it:

Turkey Pepperoni and Vegetable “Pizza” Flatbread (3-4 servings)

Here’s What You Need:
2 pieces of flatbread (I love the Archer Farm’s garlic naan from Target)
Pizza sauce (I love MID’S for it’s sweetness)
Left over vegetable (I used asparagus cut into 1″ pieces, but broccoli* would work well too)
2 large cherry tomatoes, diced (Season with Salt + Pepper)
Low-fat 6 Cheese Italian, Shredded
Turkey Pepperoni (About 15 pieces cut into tiny strips)
Seasoning (Pizza seasoning or Italian Seasoning and Red Pepper Flakes)

Here’s What You Do:

Preheat the oven to 400. Spread pizza sauce over the tops of the flat bread. Top with cheese, pepperoni, and vegetables. Season and then bake for about 8 minutes. If you want you can broil it for 1 minute to brown it slightly. Add red pepper flakes.

*If you don’t have left over vegetables, you can boil broccoli pieces for 1 minute to add. You could also cut baby spinach into strips and use that as well. (Drizzled with a dash of extra virgin olive oil)

Kid Tip:

This is like pizza so your kids will probably love it. However, if they are “veggie adverse”, feel free to add the veggies first and then top with the cheese to “hide” them. Also, you may want to skip the red pepper flakes on their servings. If your kids are starving while you are making this have some baby carrots and hummus for them to eat while waiting!

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Filed Under: skinny diner, skinny lunch, Turkey pepperoni flatbread pizza

11 Jan 2012

Spicy Blue Cheese Tenderloin Sliders

January 11, 2012 By Bree 2 Comments

OMG. This is good.

It tastes ridiculously indulgent, but being the size of a slider it’s not. It’s the perfect bite of salty, spicy, creamy. I heard Lisa Oz (Doctor Oz’s wife) once say, “Eat meat like a condiment.” I love that mentality, and my Spicy Blue Cheese Tenderloin Sliders do just that. Fill up the rest of your plate with fabulous green bean fries* or a light spring salad. This recipe was inspired from a steak recipe my husband and I love from Bon Apetit. I simplified and skinnied it up and made it into a sandwich…..

I tend to eat red meat only 1 time per month, so it’s that special treat, that special condiment that I can enjoy with unadulterated enthusiasm….

Here’s What You Need: (Makes four sliders)

.80lb tenderloin steak (two pieces butterfield by your butcher and then cut into 4 pieces total)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt + pepper
Whole wheat dinner rolls (They taste even better lightly toasted)
Handful of baby spinach

Sauce: (Per sandwich): (Quadruple to make it all together)

1 TBS light flavored whipped cream cheese (Philadelphia Light With Chives, for example)
1 TBS crumbled blue cheese
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 slices pickled jalapenos, diced (I like Preferida Hot)

Here’s What You Do:Preheat 1 TBS of extra virgin olive oil to screaming hot. Sprinkle the steak (on both sides) with salt and pepper. Heat the steak two minutes per side. Cut the dinner roll in half and add the steak. Top with the cream cheese topping and a big handful of baby spinach. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute and the cream cheese to “melt”. Enjoy!

*Fabulous Green Bean Fries:
Preheat the oven to 450. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (just a tad!) over 1lb of trimmed green beans and sprinkle liberally with your favorite seasoning. I used Penzey’s Pizza Seasoning. Roast for about 15 minutes, tossing a few times to coat. Great finger food for your kids!

Kid Tip:

My kids tend to like things “compartamentalized”, so I suggest cutting the meat into small pieces and serving it along with the dinner roll, buttered with Best Life Spread. You can add the green bean fries and some fruit to round out the meal. If your kids are older, I would stick with the sandwich format and simply add the jalapenos after you have set aside some of the sauce for them.

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Filed Under: skinny dinner, skinny lunch, Spicy Blue Cheese Tenderloin Sliders

28 Dec 2011

Sweet (And Spicy!) Smoked Turkey and Blackberry Panini

December 28, 2011 By Bree 2 Comments

Last summer my friend Jaime and I had lunch at a little Irish restaurant near my house. They had this amazing panini that had blackberry and turkey topped with spicy giardiniera. It was such an amazing combination! I came home and created my own version–Sweet (And Spicy!) Smoked Turkey and Blackberry Panini

Here’s What You Need: (For 1)
2 slices of hearty bread
2 tsps of blackberry preserves
2-3 slices smoked turkey
2 slices reduced fat provolone
2 TBS Banana Peppers
2 TBS hot giardiniera
Extra virgin olive oil

Here’s What You Do:
Pulse the banana Peppers and the giardiniera in the food processor until mixed well. Smooth onto one side of a piece of bread. Spread the blackberry preserves on the other piece of bread. Top with the cheese followed by the turkey and form the sandwich. Lightly brush the top and bottom of the sandwich with the olive oil. Put in the panini maker for five minutes or until golden. (You can also make it on a grill pan for about the same time, flipping once)

Kid Tip:
Simply leave off the peppers-Your kids will love the sweet and salty combination of the blackberry preserves and the turkey!

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Filed Under: skinny lunch, turkey and blackberry panini

14 Dec 2011

Curry Coconut Soup with Roasted Carrots and Butternut Squash

December 14, 2011 By Bree 6 Comments

Something about winter makes me want SOUP! It’s funny because I always order soup at restaurants, but before a couple of months ago I never made it at home. Now I have been making soups up the wazoo. I like to double the batch and then freeze a portion-Makes for a great “desperate” lunch or dinner on hectic days. I have been (shamelessly) using the crockpot for most of the soups, as it is beyond easy. However, the crockpot is not that great for cream-based ones, so I made this one the old fashion way. I am always over the moon when an experiment turns out YUMMY like like this Curry Coconut Soup with Roasted Carrots and Butternut Squash.

Here’s What You Need: (4 Servings)

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into cubes
2 cups chopped butternut squash*
2/3 cup light coconut milk* (plus a tiny bit extra for topping)
1.5 cups of vegetable or low-sodium chicken broth
Smoked almonds (optional)
1 heaping tsp of sweet curry powder
1 TBS of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 450. Toss the squash and carrots with the olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.Bake for about 15 minutes, turning once. Add the squash and carrots to the blender followed by the broth and the coconut milk. Blend until quite smooth. Warm on the stove for about five minutes on medium low. Add about a 1/2 tsp of extra coconut milk and use the top of your spoon to make a “swirl.” Top with chopped almonds if desired. (About three per serving)

Tips: Take off the top circle portion of the blender and hold a towel over it as you blend. This will allow for the steam to release.
*Buy pre-chopped squash in the produce section to make this an ultra fast recipe.
*Find coconut milk near the soy sauce in the Asian section of the grocery store.

Kid Tip:If you plan on making this for your kids you may want to scoop out a portion for them before adding the curry. Even though this calls for sweet curry, it still tastes kind of spicy. Feel free to sub in another spice, like poultry seasoning, for example.

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Filed Under: skinny lunch, skiny dinner

12 Dec 2011

BBQ Salmon–In Fifteen Minutes!

December 12, 2011 By Bree 1 Comment

My pants are officially cutting off my circulation. I went to take off my skinny jeans the other night and had to peel them off only to reveal “indents” in my skin where they were. Oh geez. I blame it on the overload of salt I have been consuming. Here’s the thing-I buy healthy food, I eat healthy food, but I CANNOT resist the bad stuff when it is in front of me calling my name. Four holiday parties in six days…Need I say more? Anyway, I was looking for a quick and super easy food savior(!) to get me out of my sodium hangover and BBQ Salmon was born. Ridiculously easy and making me feel better already with all its antioxidant powers….

Here’s What You Need: (For 1 so adjust accordingly)
4oz fresh salmon filet
BBQ sauce*
Brown sugar
Non-stick spray (look for organic)
Cilantro (optional)

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat the oven to broil. Marinate the fish in bbq sauce so it is completely covered. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and then add the salmon, shaking off some of the access sauce. Mix about 3 TBS of bbq sauce with about 1 tsp of brown sugar. Broil for the fish for five minutes. Brush on the brown sugar and bbq sauce combo and broil for 5-8 minutes more. Serve with an optional sprig of cilantro. Diiiiive in!
*I used homemade leftovers I had, but feel free to use store bought organic.

Kid Tip:
Okay, I don’t know many kids who are crazy about salmon, but it is worth a shot! It may help to mix this in with mashed potatoes or stir into rice or orzo. If that doesn’t work, don’t feel guilty about a mac n’ cheese with broccoli day!

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Filed Under: skinny dinner, skinny lunch

18 Nov 2011

Turkey Sliders

November 18, 2011 By Bree 1 Comment

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is already here. Is it just me or did fall fly by this year?! I have to say I adore Thanksgiving. It is one of the last holidays that is really just simple-family gathered around good food to give thanks for our many blessings. No presents, no hoopla. I love that. I really enjoy a good piece of leftover turkey with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. I could eat it just like that-cold. Unfortunately, my family is big so we don’t usually get much to take home. But, I know many of you do. I came up with these Turkey Sliders to spice up that day after Thanksgiving turkey sandwich. I enjoyed it so much I had one for lunch and then one for dinner too. Happiest Thanksgiving and many blessings to all of you….

Here’s What You Need: (For 1)Leftover turkey!
Whole wheat dinner roll (sliced)
1 tsp low-fat mayo
1/2 tsp “fancy” flavored mustard (I used Jack Daniels Spicy Southwestern)
1 piece of cooked bacon, cut into three pieces
Large slice of tomato, sprinkled with salt and pepper
Handful of baby spinach

**I think this would be great with a slice of avocado too either in addition to or in place of the bacon!

Here’s What You Do:Love SIMPLE! Toast the bread lightly on a dry grill pan over medium low about 2 minutes. Mix the mayo and the mustard and spread on one side. Top with the spinach, tomato, and then turkey (sprinkled with black pepper), followed by the bacon. Smoosh the sandwich together and enjoy!

Kid Tip:I left off a few of the toppings but kept the turkey and spinach. I added 1/2 a piece of sharp cheddar and really squished it to make it easy to hold in little hands.

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Filed Under: leftover turkey recipe, sandwich, skinny lunch, Turkey bacon sliders

03 Nov 2011

Skinny Confetti Pasta Salad-Easy lunch!

November 3, 2011 By Bree 4 Comments

I have a little sister who is 17 years younger than me. It is so fun, because we have such a unique relationship beyond what “normal” siblings have. (Though she may be annoyed with all my “mothering”.) Anyway, last year at this time she and I traveled around visiting colleges. We had a great time–at least I did. My mom commented that she thought I wanted to go to college even more than Maddy. Well, college was pretty fabulous, so perhaps…!? Maddy decided on a small college in Florida. This school has two pools–what 18 year old girl wouldn’t love that? I am so excited because tomorrow morning I am headed on a plane to spend a weekend with my little sister in the sunshine. This Skinny Confetti Pasta Salad reminds of warm weather-all bright and colorful. I came up with it on a fall afternoon here in Milwaukee, but hope it remind you of a sunny day too!

Here’s What You Need:
Approx. 1 cup of pasta noodles
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2-3 large cherry tomatoes, chopped
Head of broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup of ff plain yogurt
1-2 TBS of high quality blue cheese or ranch dressing*
1/8 tsp of pepper (plus extra)
1/4 tsp of salt (plus extra)

Here’s What You Do:
Make the pasta according to the directions al dente and set aside to start cooling. Mix together the yogurt, salt and pepper and the dressing. *I ended up using almost 2 TBS of dressing. I actually combined the ranch and blue cheese. Yum! Add all the vegetables to the pasta and mix in a large bowl. Stir in the yogurt sauce, covering the pasta well. Add more salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate to cool. If you are making this ahead of time, don’t add the yogurt dressing until you are right about to serve it.

Visiting the school in FL last fall!

Kid Tip:
My three year old ate this all up and my mom loved it too. My husband on the otherhand, was not the biggest fan-Perhaps too many raw veggies for him ! You could easily vary the vegetables to the ones your family likes the most.

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Filed Under: low-fat pasta salad, skinny lunch

14 Oct 2011

BBQ Chicken Pizza With Jalapenos and Red Onion–Yummm!

October 14, 2011 By Bree 4 Comments

My favorite BBQ chicken pizza, strangely enough, is from Schlotzky’s. (You know-the sandwich place). I think it is the addition of the red onion and jalapeno that really does it for me, so I came up with my own BBQ Chicken Pizza With Jalapenos and Red Onion. Andy was out of town so I needed a quick weeknight dinner for the boys and this was my solution. The BBQ sauce is tangy, the jalapenos spicy and the red onions sweet–the perfect trio!

Here’s What You Need:

10oz Boboli wheat crust
Organic BBQ Sauce
Low fat shredded mozzarella
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
1 Jalapeno, sliced (Sub in pickled jalapenos to make it less spicy)
1 cooked chicken breast (seasoned with s + p) , chopped
Seasoning (I used Southwestern seasoning)
Handful of cilantro, chopped

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 450. Spread BBQ sauce all over the crust. Top with the cheese, onions, chicken, and jalapenos. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Bake for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro over the top.
*If using flatbread cook at 400 for about 8 minutes!

Kid Tip:I simply left off the jalapenos on one side of the pizza for the boys. I also recommend using less BBQ sauce on your kids side of the pizza–otherwise you will have a big mess on your hands. My three year old declared this a “little spicy”, but he still really liked it.

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Filed Under: BBQ Chicken Pizza with jalapenos, easy weeknight dinner, skinny dinner, skinny lunch, skinny pizza bread

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