Think of this as a turkey sandwich without the bread. It is so light, yet super tasty and a great healthy lunch. It packs easily and it’s as easy as putting together a sandwich. You have heard about meatless days – try some carb free days for a boost to your diet.

Turkey and Cheese Rolls

1 serving
95 calories per serving

6 slices deli thin turkey slices (Hillshire Farms or Oscar Mayer presliced deli meat is great!) – I like to use the cracked pepper turkey for extra flavor.
1 wedge Light Laughing Cow cheese
2 iceberg lettuce leaves

Spread lettuce leaves with cheese. Place turkey in leaves and roll up – secure with a toothpick or if you are packing them, roll with foil to keep fresh.

What a burst of flavor you get from the fresh herbs in this soup ! Totally refreshing and so summery. Serve next to your lunch sandwich or as a quick palate cleanser in between courses of your favorite summer grill fare. At only 61 calories per serving, don’t think twice about adding this into a meal for a nice taste of summer.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

4 servings
61 calories per serving

1 c fat free sour cream
1/2 c fresh basil
1/2 c fresh mint
1/4 c sliced scallion
1 c water
½ of a large English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into a few pieces
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Tabasco sauce
Salt to taste

In a food processor mix sour cream, basil, mint, water and scallions very well. Then add cucumber, lemon juice and salt and just pulse a few times making sure you leave cucumber chunks. Chill up to 6 hours.

Tangy ranch dressing, spicy horseradish, and lotsa meat and veggies – my kind of sandwich

Roast Beef Ranch Sandwich

4 servings
334 calories per serving

4 small Club Rolls
32 slices thin sliced deli roast beef (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
1 small red onion, sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
2 c shredded lettuce
8 T non fat ranch dressing
3 T horseradish
4 T shopped parsley

Mix ranch, horseradish and parsley and refrigerate at least ½ hour. Place meet on rolls and spoon on the prepared dressing. Top with onion, tomato and lettuce.

This is basically a crustless quiche. It is great served for brunch, lunch, as an appetizer, or even as a dinner side dish. So good !

Spinach Pie

8 servings
150 calories per serving

16 oz. low fat cottage cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and drained well (press in a sieve to get rid of all the water)
1 c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
6 oz. roasted red peppers, well drained, and chopped
1/3 c grated parmesan
1 t oregano flakes
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix spinach and cheeses. Add eggs, peppers and spices. Pour into a 9 inch pie plate or cake pan sprayed with Pam. Bake 40 minutes or until the center is set. I like to use a glass pie plate for this, that way if the center does not set before the top is getting brown (which sometimes happens), you can slip it into the microwave for a few quick minutes to finish it up. This reheats great !

A little of this, a little of that – all on a roll … and you get a sub sandwich. This is a great mixed meat sub that is filling and a great take a long lunch.

Sub Sandwich

1 serving
394 calories per serving

1 small Club roll
1 T low fat mayonnaise
1 T mustard
½ c chopped lettuce
2 slices tomato
4 slices thin deli roast turkey (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
4 thin slices deli ham (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
1 slices low fat swiss cheese

Mix mustard and mayo and spread on the inside of both sides of the roll. Place all meats and cheese on roll and top with lettuce and tomato.

Kraft has so many great dressing out there – as well as using them on their own, they make GREAT to use as ingredients in other dressings, sauces, marinades, etc. This salad is a Kraft recipe and it was so good !

Avocado and Spinach Salad

2 servings
250 calories per serving

1/2 c sliced avocados
3 T mandarin orange juice
2 t lemon juice
3 c baby spinach leaves
11 oz. can mandarin oranges (reserve 3 T juice / rinse the oranges in cold water)
1/4 c Kraft Catalina dressing (sweet French dressing)
2 T pecans (or other nuts), toasted
To toast nuts, heat a skillet on medium high then add nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until the heat brings out the flavors, about 2-3 minutes (when you smell the great aroma, they are just about done).

Mix dressing,. Lemon juice and orange juice. Pour over spinach, oranges and avocados. Garnish with nuts.

Delightful ! It’s always great to find a salad that tastes different. Sometimes greens just start tasting all the same and salads get boring. But when you add nuts, grapes and goat cheese, you get a whole other flavor profile plus some great new textures and the salad takes on a whole new life. Try this one

Spring Salad

4 servings
235 calories per serving

¼ c dry roasted pistachios (or other mixed nuts), chopped finely
½ c goat cheese
¼ c low fat balsamic vinaigrette
5 oz. spring salad mix (or any greens – I added some arugula this time for a great punch of flavor)
1 c seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper

Put nuts in a dish and divide cheese into portions and roll them into balls then roll the balls in the nuts to coat them. Combine dressing and lettuce and mix well then divide between 4 plates. Top with grapes and cheese balls and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Part sandwich wrap, part egg roll – this is a great lunch or dinner wrap packed with flavor and crunch.

Sesame Beef Wrap

1 serving
335 calories per serving

1 large size 100 calorie wrap
3 oz. leftover lean beef (such as filet mignon or sirloin) sliced very thin
1 c shredded cabbage
½ t minced garlic
¼ c green bell pepper, sliced very thin
½ of a large rib of celery, sliced thin
2 T light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (by Kraft)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Heat a skillet and spray with Pam. Add peppers and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of water along the way to keep the veggies moist. Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Add beef and cabbage and continue cooking 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper and then place it all in your wrap and roll it up. Here’s a link to a video that shows you how to wrap them up securely

This sure doesn’t taste like it’s only cooked 8 minutes – it tastes much more like a soup that has been prepped and cooked for hours. The depth of flavor is fantastic. It has a bright and vibrant broccoli taste that is mellowed by the beans and cheese. Very, very good ! This is quite a good serving size – you can easily move this to 5 side servings and have this next to a salad or sandwich.

Cheesy Broccoli and Bean Soup

3 servings
220 calories per serving

14 oz. vegetable broth
1 c water
1 lb. broccoli florets
14 oz. cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 c shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Boil water and broth in a saucepan. Add broccoli and cover the pan and cook 6 minutes then add the beans, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Place half the soup in a blender with ½ c of the cheese. Puree and place in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining soup and cheese.

When you add in a lot of veggies to bulk up mac salad, you can really bring down the calorie count and this one is so creamy !

Low Fat Mac Salad

16 servings
121 calories per serving

8 oz. multi grain pasta, uncooked
3 c small broccoli florets
1 red or green pepper, chopped
1 c low fat mayo (I like using the olive oil one!)
1/4 c low fat sour cream
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T red vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Cook pasta according to package instructions and add the veggies into the water during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and then drain well. Add mayo, sour cream, vinegar, salt and pepper, and mustard and stir well then add eggs. Chill at least 3 hours so the flavors mingle.