Tag Archives: Lunch

Chicken Cheese Burritos

March 24, 2010 admin Leave a comment

These took just 10 minutes to throw together and were so very good – the onion was just enough, the beans leant a great flavor as well as making the texture really nice, and the cumin and lime made for a great overall flavor. You can make these ahead and freeze them – then you have a quick nutritious microwave lunch ready in 3 minutes !

6 servings
367 calories per serving

2 t oil
1 c diced onion
1 T minced garlic
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 c cooked and diced chicken breast (Perdue Shortcuts work great here!)
1 T cumin
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 T minced lime zest
2 T fresh lime juice
2 t oregano flakes
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
6 8 inch whole wheat tortillas (Smart Delicious 80 calorie version)
1 ½ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Heat oil in skillet and cook onion and garlic about 2 minutes then add beans. Mix chicken with cumin and add to onion mix. Stir in tomatoes, jalapeno, zest, juice, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until jalapenos are slightly softened, about 5 minutes then let filling cool slightly. Place tortillas on a flat surface and fill with ¾ c filling and ¼ c cheese. Fold and eat ! Here is a video that will help you learn how to roll the burrito so it does not leak.

If you are making these to freeze and eat later, make sure you let the mix cool completely before putting them together and then fold in all 4 sides and roll, securing the filling inside. Wrap each in plastic wrap and then place all the burritos in a zip loc freezer bag.

Fish, Lunch, Soups

New England Clam Chowder

March 23, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This soup is just brimming with clams. If you like extra veggies, just leave out the 2nd can of clams and fill with celery and carrots instead !

4 servings
237 calories per serving

Pam
1 T margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz. clam juice
8 oz. water
2 large white potatoes, peeled and cut in small cubes
2 6.5 oz. cans chopped baby clams with juice
1 pint fat free half and half
1 t pepper
1 t salt
2 t chopped parsley

Spray pan with Pam and melt margarine and add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add clam broth and increase heat to high. Add potatoes and bring down to a simmer and cook 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add clams with juice and cook 7 minutes then add half and half, salt and pepper and continue cooking over medium heat until almost at the boiling point. Do not allow to boil. Serve with the parsley as a garnish.

Appetizers, Lunch

Spinach and Cheese Squares

March 23, 2010 admin 2 Comments

This is basically a super easy recipe for a superb spinach quiche. The crust is light, the filling perfect, and this makes a great appetizer or lunch.

8 servings
79 calories per serving

1 ½ c Egg Beaters
¾ c skim milk
1 T dried onion flakes
1 T grated parmesan cheese
¼ t garlic powder
1/8 t pepper
¼ c bread crumbs
¾ c fat free shredded cheddar cheese, divided
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
Pam

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, milk, onion, parmesan, garlic powder and pepper. Spray an 8×8 pan with Pam and press bread crumbs evenly into the bottom. Place ½ c of cheddar on top of the bread crumbs then add the spinach. Pour the egg mix on top of the spinach and then add the rest of the cheese. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Lunch, Sandwiches, Summer

Egg Salad Sandwiches

March 22, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Who’d have thought you could make egg salad using Egg Beaters? But there is a method to HARD COOK Egg Beaters and this egg salad sandwich was pretty darned good !

6 servings
173 calories per serving

1 c Egg Beaters
¼ c celery, chopped
2 T fat free mayo
12 slices whole wheat bread
6 lettuce leaves
1 large tomato in 6 thin slices

Hard cook egg beaters by placing then in a nonstick skillet, covering and cooking 10 minutes over very, very low heat. Cool and then cut into cubes and mix with celery and mayo. Place lettuce and tomato on sandwiches and top with egg salad.

Appetizers, Italian, Lunch, Snacks

Open Face Eggplant Melts

March 18, 2010 admin Leave a comment

These are INCREDIBLY good – each piece in and of itself is good, and all put together, it makes an awesome appetizer, lunch or snack ! The balsamic dressing on the eggplant and zucchini make this very special and I recommend you don’t skip that step.

4 servings
260 calories per serving

1/2 lb. eggplant cut into 8 slices
1 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise into 8 long slices
1/3 c low fat balsamic vinegar dressing
4 ¾ inch thick slices of Italian bread
3 T low fat mayo
½ t basil flakes
Pepper to taste
1 tomato cut into 8 slices
3 slices part skim ricotta each cut into 4 strips
Pam

Spray a cookie sheet with Pam and preheat broiler. Place eggplant and zucchini slices on sheet and brush with half of the dressing then broil 5 minutes, turn, brush with the rest of the dressing, and broil another 5-7 minutes. Place bread slices on a cookie sheet and broil 1-2 minutes to lightly toast. Combine mayo, basil and pepper and spread on bread. Top each piece of bread with 2 eggplant slices, 2 zucchini slices, 2 tomato slices and 3 strips of cheese and broil 1-2 minutes. If the bread you use is not large enough to support 2 pieces of eggplant, zucchini and tomato, cut it down to 1 and lay the cheese across lengthwise rather than crosswise.

Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Soups

Chicken and Pasta Soup

March 15, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This soup is prepared a day ahead and refrigerated so that the flavors really mingle. If you want to serve the same day you make it, that works too 🙂

6 servings
265 calories per serving

1/2 c cannellini beans
1 lb. chicken breasts, cubed
6 bay leaves
7 c water
1 onion, halved and sliced
1 carrot, sliced thinly
3 ribs celery, sliced thin
Leaves from the tops of the celery stalks
28 oz. diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
2 T minced garlic
½ t onion powder
2 t basil flakes
8 oz. FiberGourmet pasta (short alfredo, elbows or rotini)

In a soup pot combine chicken, bay leaves and water. Bring to a boil. Add onions, carrots, celery, celery leaves, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic and basil. Return to a boil and then lower heat and simmer 1 hour. Add beans and remove bay leaves. Refrigerate overnight. The next day heat the broth and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in soup bowl and ladle soup into each bowl.

FiberGourmet, Italian, Lunch, Soups, Turkey

Meatball Soup

March 14, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is a very quick soup to make, but it tastes as good as soups that simmer for hours.

4 servings
223 calories per serving

12 precooked turkey meatballs ( I use Shady Brook Farms Italian flavor ones)
4 c vegetable broth
2 c water
1/2 c ditalini or orzo (or ¾ c FiberGourmet pasta for the same calories!)
1 14.5 oz. can Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 c diced zucchini
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder
¼ t crushed red pepper
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped

Bring broth and water to a boil. Cook pasta 4 minutes (if you are using the FiberGourmet pasta, add 2-3 more minutes here as the pasta tends to take longer to cook). Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and meatballs. Bring back to boil, then reduce heat and keep at a low boil 7 minutes or until pasta is tender. Garnish each bowl with chopped parsley and 1 T cheese.

Appetizers, Lunch

Homemade Cheese with Curried Spinach

March 14, 2010 admin 2 Comments

This has the most awesome Middle Eastern flavor ! It was spicy without being too hot and the texture of the cheese really went well with the chopped spinach – – it picked up the spices of the spinach nicely. This was my first time making cheese and it was well worth it. It was a definite ‘2 thumbs up’ from the whole family 🙂

4 servings
302 calories per serving

2 quarts 1 % milk
1/3 c lemon juice
4 t oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground coriander
¾ t turmeric
¼ t salt
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c chicken broth
2 T tomato paste
2 t jalapeno pepper sauce or Asian chili and garlic sauce

Bring milk to a boil (be careful to not let the bottom scorch – be patient and do it on medium or medium high heat rather than cranking it up to high) then remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let stand about 15 minutes so that the curds and whey separate. Line a colander with a doubled piece of cheese cloth, place in the sink, and pour in the milk mix letting the whey drain away. Let sit 20 minutes or so and then pull together the cheesecloth and squeeze gently to remove any more liquid. You can use a light twisting motion and that helps. Then flatten into a disk on a plate and then place a small saucepan on top of it and place an unopened canned good in the pan to create a weight on top of the cheese. I used a large can of crushed tomatoes and it worked great. Do not refrigerate. Let stand 2 hours or until firm enough to cut.

In a large skillet heat 2 t oil and add onion and garlic and cook 7 minutes or until tender and then add the coriander, turmeric and salt. Mix and then add the spinach, broth, tomato paste and pepper sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out skillet. Cut the cheese into ½ inch chunks. Heat 2 t oil in skillet and add the cheese cooking for 4 minutes or until light browned and crusty then gently stir in the spinach and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Here’s a couple more pictures of the cheese making process:

Appetizers, Breakfast, Kid Friendly, Lunch

Breakfast Pizza

March 11, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This breakfast pizza also makes a great appetizer or lunch. You can easily change it up a little by adding different veggies – mushrooms, tri color peppers, even some spinach leaves !

6 servings
239 calories per serving

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
½ lb. turkey bacon slices
2 T butter
2 T flour
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 ½ c skim milk
½ c low fat shredded cheddar cheese
¼ c sliced bell peppers
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam. Separate biscuits and place on a floured surface side by side. Roll into a 14×10 rectangle and place in sprayed pan patting the edges up side of the dish. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Cook bacon until crisp – cool it – and then crumble and set aside. Melt butter in a pan and stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in milk and cook on medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it is melted. Spread sauce over crust and sprinkle with bacon and peppers. Bake 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Lunch, Sides, Soups

Corn Chowder

March 9, 2010 admin 1 Comment

This is a great stand alone lunch with some Cheesy Bread on the side. Or it is a nice side to a lower cal chicken or fish dinner. The hint of cayenne adds a nice unexpected flavor dimension to the chowder.

6 servings
155 calories per serving

1 c chopped onion
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
5 c frozen corn
28 oz. chicken broth
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
¼ t cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Snipped chives for garnish
Pam

Spray a Dutch oven with Pam and heat on medium and cook onion and leek 5 minutes or until tender. If the onions start to get dry or crispy, add up to 3T of hot water to make sure they stay nice and moist. Then add corn and cook 5-6 minutes. Add half the broth and heat to boiling then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Transfer half the corn mix to a blender and process until smooth. Return to the pan and add the rest of the broth, peppers, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt and heat through. Garnish with chives.