Turkey Sandwich

Marc is at an in-town conference all week which means I am flying solo for dinner. Today was a little hotter then expected so when I got home I really didn't feel like cooking. Lucky for me we had all the makings for a turkey sandwich in our fridge.

Two slices of 100% whole wheat bread, 4 slices of pepper turkey, 2 slices of provolone cheese, 2 slices of tomato, 1 leaf of lettuce and some mustard later, I was a happy camper. Mmm, mmm!

Sausage Stew Sandwich

Whenever I'm gone for the weekend I know I am going to come home to some sort of meat product in the fridge. Usually I expect sausage but sometimes I get a surprise with steak or chicken. Since Marc is out of town for work I am trying my best to eat up leftover food items in the house, hence the inspiration for tonight's meal.

Dinner tonight was a take on one of our favorite meals (see recipe below). Unfortunately I didn't have all the ingredients in the house and seeing as the goal was not to go to the grocery store I adapted what I had to make a meal. I included beans, sausage, a sliced fresh tomato, diced tomatoes from the can, pepper, basil and marjoram. I then put the stew onto a leftover roll and had a sausage stew sandwich. Quite tasty and it will definitely make Marc jealous when I tell him about it.



Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew

• olive oil
• 1 pound low-fat Italian turkey sausage
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 can (15.5oz) cannelloni beans (or other white beans) drained and rinsed
• 1 (14oz) can diced Italian style tomatoes in their juice

Heat a little oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add sausages cover and cook until browned. Rotate sausages until browned all over and cooked through. While the sausages are cooking, dice celery, onion, and bell pepper.

Once sausages are cooked, remove them from the skillet. Add peppers, onion, celery and garlic to skillet and sautee for 3 minutes (add additional olive oil if needed). While vegetables are sautéing, slice sausage. Add sausage and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes until browned.

Add oregano, basil, thyme, tomatoes with their juice and beans. Simmer over medium low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

The Best Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich Ever

When I was visiting one of my friends she made me quite possibly the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had. In my family we always had grilled cheese sandwiches from our sandwich maker. Quick, easy and in my opinion, the best grilled cheese sandwich ever. Until I tried this one.

Ingredients

• sourdough bread
• Trader Joe's Hot and Spicy Mustard
• Cheese (English cheddar works really well
• Sliced Ham
• butter or margarine

Butter the outsides of two slices of sourdough bread. On the inside of the bread, spread hot and spicy mustard and cover with slices of cheese and ham. Heat frying pan or griddle over medium heat until warm. Place sandwich, butter side down on frying pan/griddle. Let sit two minutes, then flip. Cook two minutes more or until both sides are browned and cheese has melted. Enjoy.

Mexican Wrap

With the weather so cold outside I decided it was time to head south of the border. I guess, technically, this wrap could also be called a burrito. Just heat it up in the microwave for a 30 seconds before eating, serve with salsa, and you are ready for a lunchtime pick me up.

In my Mexican Wrap: whole wheat tortilla, black beans, diced tomatoes (with the seeds removed to prevent soggy-wrap-syndrome) and lots of fresh cilantro. Other ingredients to consider for your wrap: drained canned corn, rice, lettuce, avocado, chiles, chicken/steak/pork, cheese, etc.

In the lunch box:

Mexican Wrap

Granny Smith Apple

Baby Carrots

Plain Hummus

1/2 cup yogurt with 2 tsp flax seed and 1 tsp sweetened chestnut

Kashi Granola Bar - peanut butter

Chinese Wrap

In the lunchbox:

Chinese Wrap with a side of teriyaki sauce

Grapes

Kashi Granola Bar - peanut butter

Carrots with hummus

Sadly it is now 2:30pm and all those items are still in the lunchbox. A little nausea this morning combined with errands to run at lunch means I didn't get around to eating anything. Although I am considering getting the carrots and hummus out right now.

As for the chinese wrap, it was super simple to throw together. Just dry stir fry* some veggies (eggplant, enoki mushrooms, and bok choy) with a little bit of ginger, wrap it up in a whole wheat tortilla and you're ready to go! For a little kick I added a side of teriyaki sauce to drizzle on my wrap when I finally get around to eating it.




*Make sure to skip the sauces and seasonings so you don't have a soggy wrap at lunch time. If you simply cannot stir fry without them either pack your stir fry separate from your wrap and wrap right before you eat or drain your stir fry before wrapping making sure to line your wrap with some sort of lettuce or spinach.

Tuna Salad Wrap

Against the advice of one of my friends I have decided to bring tuna for lunch today. My favorite tuna salad comes from Coral Tree Cafe where they mix it with celery, jicama, olive oil and white wine vinegar. This is one of the only places that I know of that makes their tuna without mayonnaise, perfect for a person with a mayo-aversion.

Unfortunately I didn't have any jicama to include in my tuna so I just added some sliced celery for crunch. I also lined my whole wheat tortilla with lettuce so that I wouldn't be faced with a soggy wrap at lunch.

As for the rest of my lunch, here's what's in the box today:

Tuna Salad Wrap

Grapes

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt, 2 tsp flax seed, 1 tsp sweetened chestnut

Baby Carrots

Kashi Granola Bar - trail mix

Grilled Vegetable Wrap

To give myself some direction when it comes to planning my lunches I have decided that I am going to post on a theme this week. So I offer to you four* days of wraps. Besides being 100% delicious, wraps are as easy to throw together as a sandwich but provide that little bit of something different to keep lunches interesting. The only limitation to variety is your imagination and of course what you have on hand in the fridge.

I personally prefer to use whole wheat tortillas or tortillas with extra fiber. As for the fillings, I simply grill my vegetables at the weekend and then leave them in a tupperware in the fridge for use during the week. Assemble the wrap in the morning and voila you have a delicious yet healthy alternate to a sandwich.

Here's what's inside today's lunchbox:

Grilled Vegetable Wrap

Banana

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt with 2 tsp flax seed and 1 tsp sweetened chestnut

1 cup of baby carrots and sliced celery

Kashi Granola Bar - trail mix

Grilled Vegetable Wrap

• whole wheat tortilla


• plain hummus


• grilled italian squash (zuchinni, corgette)


• grilled chinese eggplant


• yam

Spread hummous over tortilla. Arrange grilled vegetables down the center of the tortilla. Roll tortilla being sure to tuck in the ends. Slice in half and enjoy!


*Four days, but I thought there were five days in a week?! That's right but on Friday I will be on a plane to England to meet my nephew! Although I suppose I could still pack myself a lunch.