spinach

Grab & Go Breakfast Wraps

Leah Short — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 01:12:21 +0000

These days I’m all into meal planning and prepping. The weekend (especially Sunday) is my time to get everything together so I can do as little as possible when it comes to meals during the week. I get up super early for work and the last thing I’m going to do is get up even earlier to cook. Enter Grab & Go Breakfast Wraps. I can make five of these for the work week on Sunday and I literally grab and go. Seconds devoted to getting breakfast together.

This wrap is pretty simple, but what I like is you can change the meat and cheese if you want more variety. I tend to eat the same thing through the week, but by the next week, I like to change things up. My favorite version of this wrap is a hard-boiled egg with ham, dill havarti, and spinach. That’s it. No condiment, no fancy spread, no frills…but easy!

This is not an original recipe (although I added the spinach and dill havarti) but I can’t remember where the inspiration came from and asking Google was no help. So whoever you are out there, thank you for the hard-boiled egg + ham + cheese inspiration!

Important note: I make these for the entire work week and they pretty much stay tasty through day five. However, you’ll notice the havarti will soften more due to the water content in the ham the older the wrap is. I didn’t mind it, but just a heads up. Other meat / cheese combos may or may not do this.

Yield: 5 wraps

Grab & Go Breakfast Wraps

Ingredients:

5 wheat tortillas (I like La Tortilla Factory)
2 1/2 cups spinach leaves (about 1/2 cup per wrap or the amount you prefer)
5 slices low-sodium ham
5 slices dill havarti
5 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Directions:

1. To make each wrap, layer the tortilla with spinach leaves, overlapping if necessary.

2. Top spinach leaves with a slice of havarti, followed by a slice of ham.

3. Add slices of hard-boiled eggs on top of ham.

4. Roll wrap and secure by wrapping in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for no more than 5 days.

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Crispy Vegetable Quesadillas

Leah Short — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 16:01:35 +0000

Quesadillas are one of those foods that I love, but rarely make at home. Why? Because I stink at getting them restaurant crispy. The skillet method never worked for me. They’d get a little brown or my pan wouldn’t be hot enough and they’d soak up all the oil or butter…and no one wants a soggy quesadilla. Enter Crispy Vegetable Quesadillas and my life has been changed forever. They are seriously crispy and it’s one of those “d’oh, why didn’t I think of that” moments. Use your broiler! Also, there’s quinoa inside and it works. Quinoa…in a quesadilla.

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Spinach Walnut Power Salad

Leah Short — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 12:08:47 +0000

According to Pinterest, I pinned this salad 47 weeks ago. FORTY-SEVEN. Not only is Pinterest a time suck, it’s also where recipes go to die, lol. It’s supposed to be your virtual spot of reminders to interesting things on the web, but for me it ends up being a way for me to pin and forget. I should set a weekly date for me and Pinterest where I review pins and get to eating! I finally made a slightly adapted version of this salad and renamed it Spinach Walnut Power Salad. Now I’m kicking myself that I let all that time pass without this salad in my life. So let me save you some guilt and tell you to make this salad right now! Pin it, but don’t forget it!

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Moroccan Salad with Cilantro Orange Dressing

Leah Short — Thu, 29 May 2014 14:51:18 +0000

I’m a big salad lover, especially ones with different flavors, textures, and unique ingredients. I made this Moroccan Salad with Cilantro Orange Dressing over the holiday weekend and it was fantastic. You can eat it warm or cold, and it makes a great light meal, but fills you up thanks to the bulgur. This recipe comes from the Everyday Healthy ebook, which I’m slowly eating my way through. Healthy can really taste good!

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Pra Ram Long Song

Leah Short — Mon, 19 May 2014 13:14:42 +0000

I don’t make a lot of Thai food at home, but I should. I love it and there’s so many great places in Nashville to enjoy it, so I guess I never think about making it myself. I love the combination of coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, and peanut butter. Ok, that sounds super gross when you break down the ingredients, ha! But seriously, the sauces get me every time. So good that I want to turn the plate up and drink it! I was thrilled when I came across Pinch of Yum’s latest ebook Everyday Healthy. I pre-ordered it and couldn’t wait for the release. The recipe I couldn’t wait to make was Lindsay’s take on Pra Ram Long Song. The sauce in the picture had me wanting to lick the computer screen and I loved that it was vegetarian. It’s basically veggies and rice covered in the most amazing creamy Thai coconut lime sauce, and it fit in my calorie budget…score!

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Stuffed Shells

Leah Short — Mon, 12 May 2014 13:06:20 +0000

A few weekends ago I was at my mom’s house and I wanted to cook something figure-friendly, but it had to be something we’d both enjoy. Sometimes low calorie versions of your favorite foods don’t quite taste as good as the original. Since my mom isn’t concerned with calories like I am, it had to taste good for her, too. We found this awesome recipe for vegetarian Stuffed Shells that was full of cheese and yummy veggies, and under 400 calories per serving. I’d say we both came out winners with this one!

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Shrimp Linguine with Ricotta, Fennel, and Spinach

Leah Short — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 13:45:41 +0000

I have been on a shrimp kick lately. I love ’em! They take no time to cook, are a great source of protein, and are low calorie! I like them a lot in creamy pasta dishes like this Shrimp Linguine with Ricotta, Fennel, and Spinach. It’s a simple dish with big bites of shrimp, slivers of fennel and shallot, Parmesan, ricotta, and a hint of lemon.

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Healthy Breakfast Sandwiches

Leah Short — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:06:31 +0000

The other day I was thinking about my Veggie Quiche Cups and had the idea that they’d be fantastic as a sandwich. A Healthy Breakfast Sandwich to be exact. I eat breakfast twice these days (say it in your LOTR accent: Second Breakfast!) since I get up so early for work and I wanted something tasty, filling, and low calorie. I was madly in love with Kellogg’s breakfast sandwich, but it was time to cut out the processed food and save some money making my own. I recently got into kale and had to buy a huge bag, so I improvised on my Veggie Quiche Cups and used a ton of kale and spinach.

So, how’s it taste?

I was expecting them to be just ok and that I would miss my processed sandwich. Nope! These were fantastic! I couldn’t believe how much flavor they packed. Such a simple recipe, piled high with greens and a touch of Sriracha and I was sold. I made the first batch with English muffins, the low-calorie wheat/fiber kind. The English muffins probably hold the contents better, but I can’t resist a good everything bagel. Now that they make Bagel Thins, they are more calorie-friendly as well. I used a low-fat American cheese on some and a low-fat cream cheese on the other. Both are delicious and give the sandwich that extra little something beyond the egg muffins.

I put a lot of kale and spinach in my egg muffins. So much so, that the greens stick up in the pan, but that turned out great because kale gets crunchy when you bake it! The carrots are a bit crunchy too, which I like. There are all kinds of textures going on in this sandwich. I bake my egg muffins on Sunday and prep for an entire week of second breakfast. Simply wrap the sandwiches in foil (after they’ve cooled from toasting) and store in the refrigerator. Wrap in a paper napkin and reheat for about 45 seconds in the microwave. Easy and healthy breakfast!

Healthy Breakfast Sandwiches

So, How's It Taste? original
makes 6 sandwiches
about 150-165 calories each, depending on bread & cheese

Ingredients:

1 cup egg substitute (I use Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup chopped fresh carrots
1 cup chopped fresh kale
1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
1 tsp. Sriracha (or more if you want it spicier)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 English muffins or Bagel Thins
6 slices of low-fat American cheese or 6 tbsp. low-fat cream cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Combine the egg substitute and all the veggies in a medium mixing bowl. Add the Sriracha, salt, and pepper. Stir until the spices are mixed and the veggies are coated with the egg substitute.

3. Spoon the mixture into 6 wells of the muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one egg muffin comes out clean. (Mine overflowed a bit, so just in case, put a baking sheet underneath.) Let cool 5 minutes on wire rack. Use a knife to loosen the edges and remove the egg muffins.

4. Toast both halves of each English muffin or Bagel Thin. Place one slice of cheese (or 1 tbsp. each of cream cheese) on one English muffin or Bagel Thin half. Top with one egg muffin each and other half of English muffin or Bagel Thin. Eat immediately or wrap in foil and store in fridge. Wrap in a paper napkin and reheat for 45 seconds in the microwave.

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Chickpea Curry with Rice

Leah Short — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:10:09 +0000

I think I have a thing for chickpeas. Every time I see them in a recipe, it’s instantly bookmarked. Add the word curry and we’re in business. This dish may sound familiar since I have a Chickpea Curry with Cashews on the blog, but they are pretty different. This Chickpea Curry with Rice has a tomato-based sauce and isn’t quite as full of spice as the one with cashews. I loved the sauce in this dish. Hearty chickpeas surrounded in a creamy, yet figure-friendly yogurt sauce.

So, how’s it taste?

I really enjoyed this dish and thought that might be the case since I loved the other chickpea curry recipe. It’s refreshing due to the yogurt sauce, but hearty and very filling thanks to the chickpeas and rice. The crushed tomatoes were a nice touch, too. It became this creamy, tomato sauce and I couldn’t get enough of it. Usually I really like spinach in dishes, but for this one, I kept noticing how the spinach gave an odd texture to the dish. Normally I chop the baby spinach to avoid this and didn’t this time. I’ll be sure to do that next time I make it. I don’t like getting globs of spinach in my mouth. I also upped the yogurt a bit. I hate to waste food, so instead of using 1/2 cup of yogurt, I used the full 6 oz. serving. I’m a sauce lover, so it only made it more decadent. The recipe calls for 2%, but you could certainly make this with lower fat or fat-free Greek yogurt. Both work very well.

This is great meal that comes together in no time and is very satisfying without being heavy…all for only 305 calories!

Chickpea Curry with Rice

by Cooking Light, January 2013
makes 4 servings
per serving: 305 calories, 5.8g fat, 12.2g protein, 52.8g carbs, 9.5g fiber

Ingredients:

1 (3.5 oz.) bag boil-in-bag basmati or brown rice
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can unsalted crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz.) package fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions; drain.

2. While rice cooks, heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in garam masala; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in yogurt and salt. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve over rice.

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