On the quest for more lunch fare that does not need to be prepared, I took a look at the nutritional information for Blimpe. I was so surprised to see so many sandwiches under 400 calories.

Blimpie

Even more surprising was the fact that my favorite comes in at only 420 calories – a 6 inch Blimpie Best on Whole Wheat. So if I have a light breakfast, I can fit this in and not even feel guilty about the extra 20 calories

Here’s a ham with tomato, lettuce and onion – just under 400 calories !

The mustard in the slaw is a nice unexpected flavor – it was not too much, just enough to be interesting without overpowering the dish. How can you beat coleslaw – only 45 calories per serving !

Zesty Coleslaw

8 servings
45 calories per serving

8 c coarsely shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, grated
½ c fat free mayo
2 T white vinegar
2 T pineapple juice
3 T spicy brown mustard
1 ½ T sugar
1/8 t pepper
¼ t salt

Combine cabbage and carrot. In another bowl combine all the rest of the ingredients and then pour over the cabbage and toss well. Chill in the refrigerator.

Another favorite chosen for RETREAD week – I love a platter of stuff

Sometimes I just don’t want a prepared meal – I want to pick like I am eating appetizers at a party. This dish is also a great snack if you have the calories left from eating a lighter lunch and dinner that day. Add more veggies (carrots, radishes, cucs) to make it larger without adding many more calories.

Lunch Platter

1 serving
330 calories per serving

15 slices turkey pepperoni
15 Triscuits Thin Crisps crackers
1 Babybel cheese
10 green pimento stuffed olives
Celery Sticks

The brie gives a nice flavor and texture to the dressing – nothing with brie can ever be bad !

Salad with Warm Brie Dressing

4 servings
75 calories

2 heads Boston or Green Leaf lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 oz. brie or brie spread
½ c fat free Italian dressing (or any other vinegar based fat free dressing)

Place lettuce on individual plates. Cube the cheese. Microwave dressing 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated, then stir in cheese until melted and pour over lettuce.

I’ve been making this chicken salad since the 80’s when a friend shared her recipe with me. Before then, I definitely was not a fan of the thought of apples and chicken together. But ever since that first bite all those years ago, I have never made traditional chicken salad again without apples ! If you’ve never tried, give it a shot !

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

4 servings
290 calories per serving

12 oz. cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, in small chunks (Perdue Shortcuts work great here)
1 granny smith apple, diced small
2 t lemon juice
¼ c low fat mayo
8 slices 45 calorie per slice wheat bread
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and let sit in refrigerator at least 1 hour so flavors combine well. Make sandwiches and enjoy !

These cucumber bites make a great appetizer or side on a lunch platter.

Cucumber Bites

4 servings
90 calories per serving

1/2 c shredded carrot
1/2 c 1/4 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese with Chive and Onions
2 cucumbers

Keep 2 T of carrots aside for garnish. Mix the rest of the carrots and cream cheese. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place cheese mix in cucumbers. Cut each half into 5 pieces. Top each piece with leftover carrots.

Retread #2 – Oh so yummy ! I served them with roasted tomatoes and zucchini fritters for a super tasty, healthy and balanced meal

I usually skip right by kabob recipes – threading the skewers is a pain and a lot of time, the food falls off into the grill. Now I use a grill basket instead and gather up as many kabob recipes as I can Just be sure not to stir or shake the basket too often. You want the food to get the nice little charred ends just as you would if you were cooking on skewers. Add some extra veggies and a bit more spice to bulk up the meal without adding too many more calories – grape tomatoes, button mushrooms, different color peppers….they all work well.

Mexican Kabobs

4 servings
145 calories per serving

1 lb boneless pork cut into 1 inch cubes
1 T taco seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 large onion in thin slices
1/2 medium green bell pepper in thin slices
Pam

Combine all ingredients and toss to coat well. Grill 10-15 minutes in a grill basket sprayed with Pam or on skewers that you have thread with the pieces. Here’s a link to the grill basket that I use:

You can also put all the ingredients in a bowl to mix, and then place on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam under a heated broiler for 10-12 minutes.

And here is my first retread of the week….this salad is so spicy and so enjoyable. I have been looking forward to making it since the last time I made it back in January. But I am usually too busy testing NEW recipes and I had not gotten back to it. That is, until today. My mouth is pretty happy right now !

Hot, Hot, Hot !! But just the right amount of hot – - – almost like eating hot wings together with the celery and carrots – all in one mouthful.

Spicy Chicken Salad

2 servings
120 calories per serving

6 oz. cooked cubed chicken (Perdue Shortcuts works great here !)
3 T fat free mayonnaise
3 T chopped celery
3 T chopped carrots
1 1/2 t Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1/2 t dry ranch dressing mix

Combine the mayo, hot sauce and ranch dressing mix. Place chicken in a hot skillet and saute 3 minutes to heat up. Add chicken, celery, and carrots to sauce. Mix well and serve.

As well as posting some new recipes, this week I will be pulling some ‘oldies but goodies’ and reposting them for you. My personal menu this weeks consists solely of recipes I have made and posted before and they were sooooo good that I have to have them again ! So I’ll repost (retread) some of those recipes so maybe you can try them too !

As a sneak preview, some of the ones I’ll soon be eating again are:

Monte Cristo Sandwich
Spicy Chicken Salad
Good and Healthy Meatloaf
Pork Kabobs
Zucchini Fritters
Cheeseburger
Lazy Man’s Stuffed Cabbage

If you can’t wait for them to be reposted – - just use the search box above and type in the recipe name and you can see them right now !

Can’t wait to dig in

Sometimes nothing can replace the taste of a good old Sloppy, Messy, Ketchupy Sloppy Joe. This recipe has just enough of the sweet along with just enough of the spicy. For under 400 calories, you can’t go wrong !

Sloppy Joes

4 servings
330 calories per serving

1 t oil
1 onion, chopped finely
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
3/4 c ketchup
1 1/2 T brown sugar blend by Splenda
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
4 whole wheat burger buns

Heat oil in skillet and cook onion, pepper and garlic 5 minutes then stir in beef and cook 10 minutes or until no longer pink then add ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder and cook 4 minutes. Serve on buns.

Sloppy Joes Prep