Tag Archives: Lunch

Dinner, Lunch, Salads, Sides, Summer, Vegetables

Zesty Coleslaw

April 15, 2010 admin 2 Comments

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 !

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.

Kid Friendly, Lunch

Lunch Platter

April 14, 2010 admin Leave a comment

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.

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

Chicken, Lunch, Salads

Spicy Chicken Salad

April 12, 2010 admin Leave a comment

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.

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.

Beef, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Sandwiches

Sloppy Joes

April 12, 2010 admin Leave a comment

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 !

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.

Dinner, Fish, Lunch

Fish Tacos

April 10, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Any kind of fish will do ! And these are a great change to the boring lunch sandwich. Whenever I have bits of fish leftover, I freeze them – then you can just defrost and do a quick reheat and you are ready to make tacos !

4 servings
370 calories per serving

½ jalapeno pepper finely chopped
2 T lime juice
1 T chopped cilantro
1 T oil
1 lb. firm white fish filet (halibut, orange roughy, etc.)
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
8 corn or flour tortillas
2 c shredded lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, sliced

Mix jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro and some salt. Heat oil in a skillet. Sprinkle fish with chili powder, cumin and some salt to taste and cool 5 minutes per side or until done. Warm tortilla according to package and them fill with fish, lettuce, tomato and avocado. Top with jalapeno mix.

Chicken, Lunch, Salads

Chicken Cobb Salad

April 8, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Cobb Salads are one of my favorites – there are always lots of good substantial ingredients so you get filled up and the bacon flavor always permeates all the other ingredients. The goat cheese is a nice addition that you usually don’t find in a cobb salad.

3 servings
325 calories per serving

4 1/2 c shredded romaine lettuce
1 ¼ c cooked, shredded boneless skinless chicken (Perdue Shortcuts work great here)
2 hard boiled egg (yolks removed and whites chopped up)
1 tomato, chopped
2 T low fat crumbed goat cheese
2 slices turkey bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled
½ avocado, diced
3 T chopped green onions
½ c fat free ranch dressing

Divide the lettuce on plates, arrange an even amount of each of the ingredients onto each plate and drizzle with dressing.

Appetizers, Lunch, Mediterranean, Snacks

Greek Bruschetta

April 4, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Bruschetta is simply a dish that has some short of chopped tomatoes served on top of some type of bread product. There are a million variations – this one is Greek and oh so good ! Cut into wedges, these make a great appetizer. Served whole, they make an awesome lunch ! 1 whole pita is only 180 calories so there’s still room for some soup or salad on the side 🙂

6 servings
60 calories per serving

2 7 inch whole wheat pitas
1 T fat free balsamic vinaigrette
1 T chopped basil
1 large plum tomato, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c fat free plain hummus
1 T shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pitas on a cookie sheet and bake 6 minutes or until a bit crisp. Mix vinaigrette, basil, tomato and garlic. Spread the hummus evenly on the 2 pitas and then spoon over the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake 5-6 minutes or until hot. Cut each pita into 6 wedges.

Appetizers, Italian, Lunch, Vegetables

Cold Antipasto

March 30, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is a nice change from having a regular salad next to your meal – I sometimes put it out as an appetizer or even add a few breadsticks and make a lunch of it 🙂 By cooking the veggies and leaving them in the ‘brine’ you get a giardiniera flavor, though not as strong since it sits for just a few hours before serving.

4 servings
149 calories per serving

1 c vegetable broth
½ c dry white wine
½ t oregano flakes
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. carrots, sliced on the diagonal
2 c cauliflower florets
¼ lb. green beans, sliced in half on the diagonal
½ c pickled pepperoncini peppers
¼ c white vinegar
1 t oil
½ t salt
½ c cubed mozzarella cheese (part skim)

In a large skillet bring the broth, wine, oregano and red pepper flakes to a simmer and then add the carrots. Cover and cook 6 minutes. Add the cauliflower and beans and return to simmer and cook 8 minutes more. Put the veggies and liquid in a bowl and stir in the pepperoncini, vinegar, oil and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Just before serving, plate the veggies along with the cheese.

Appetizers, Italian, Lunch, Snacks, Vegetables

Zucchini Pizzas

March 29, 2010 admin 1 Comment

These were just fabulous ! The big cheese flavor makes you forget that you have a zucchini under there instead of a crust. And using tomato paste instead of sauce really makes for a rich flavor. You get a whole zucchini’s worth for just 90 calories !!

36 pizzas
90 calories per serving (1 serving = 12 pieces)

3 medium zucchinis each sliced into 12 pieces
6 oz. can tomato paste
36 thin slices 1 inch square part skim mozzarella cheese
1/3 c parmesan cheese
Mixed Italian herbs (oregano, basil, parsley)

Preheat broiler. Parboil zucchini slices 1-2 minutes and then drain on paper towels. Place on a baking sheet and top each piece with 1 t tomato paste and one slice cheese. Then top with ½ t parmesan and herbs. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Appetizers, Lunch, Vegetables

Stuffed Mushrooms

March 25, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Stuffed mushrooms usually come in 2 varieties, those stuffed a sausage or bacon mix and those stuffed with a chopped mushroom stem mix (usually including cheese). These stuffed mushrooms are a great third variety packed with flavor and an unexpected ingredient…carrot. The carrot and cream cheese mix together perfectly and make for a nice low cal appetizer. At only 54 calories for 6 mushrooms – – eat up !

4 servings
54 calories per serving

24 fresh mushrooms
1 grated carrot
3 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
2 T chopped fresh chives
1 t dried minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat broiler. Discard mushroom caps. Combine cream cheese, chives, onion and mix well then stuff each cap and place on an ungreased sheet , sprinkle with salt and pepper, and broil 8 minutes or until done.