15 days of sandwiches: Day 6 – Healthy tuna salad

Tuna, like chicken salad, is a staple lunch time sandwich that can pack a whole lot of unexpected calories. I love a good tuna salad but they are really one of the unhealthiest sandwiches around.

This version of a tuna salad sandwich is really low in fat and is so flavorful with the addition of fresh herbs and citrus.

The avocado and Greek yogurt give this sandwich the needed creaminess without all the bad fat and calories.

It is definitely a great make-ahead recipe too! This can be made the night before and just assembled in the morning before work/school!

Ingredients

2 cans of no salt added tuna packed in water
1/4 of a green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbl parsley, chopped
2 Tbl chives, chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
Juice from half a lemon
1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 Tbl grainy mustard
1/2 of an avocado, mashed
salt/pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for a few hours.

You can serve this over some lettuce or in a sandwich. I put it into a pita with some mixed greens.

15 days of sandwiches: Day 2 – Vegetarian/gluten free brown rice tomato cucumber and feta lettuce wraps

This is a really easy, no-cook (If using store-bought frozen brown rice) lunch that is super healthy and really delicious. It will also keep really well throughout the day if you just make sure to keep the lettuce separate from the rice mixture until just before enjoying. Best part of all, this is a totally non-fat lunch! Woohoo!

Ingredients
Makes enough for about 8 lettuce wraps

1/2 english cucumber, quartered and diced
1 heirloom tomato, cored and chunked
1 small sprig of dill, chopped
Juice from one lemon
2 Tbl non-fat Greek yogurt (definitely fine to leave out if dairy free, just use a little more lemon juice)
Salt/pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice
Boston Bibb lettuce

In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, yogurt, dill, salt, and pepper. Toss in all other ingredients. Coat with yogurt dressing and set aside.

Fill lettuce cups with mixture when ready to eat.

Enjoy!!!

Healthy chicken salad

I love chicken salad. It is probably the one unhealthy food that I still order out at restaurants even though I know it’s a bad choice. I can’t help it. Recently I looked into the calorie count for my favorite restaurant’s chicken salad and it came out to a whopping 1140 calories and 72 grams of fat. I was astounded. Shocked. Depressed. Shocked. I am still in shock over this if you can’t tell.

I needed to find a way to make this healthy – and I did! My recipe is 104 calories per serving and only 2.8 grams of fat. Crazy right? This is so delicious and is wayyyy better than my favorite restaurant version. It is also really filling! One serving of this over some spinach or on a slice of bread is the perfect lunch. The addition of mango and sliced almonds adds really great flavor and the celery adds the perfect amount of texture.

This is also something that you can make early in the week and keep in the fridge for easy lunches for work or quick weeknight dinners.

Ingredients
Serves 5-6

1 double chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbl brown sugar
1/2 cup grapes, halved
3 Tbl sliced almonds
1/2 mango, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
salt/pepper

Combine yogurt, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder in a bowl. Add in all other ingredients and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

I served mine over some spinach with avocado but this would be great in a sandwich or just on it’s own!

Enjoy!

Asian noodle salad (vegetarian)

I never make salads. For some reason, the salads that I do make never taste as good as the ones I get in restaurants. I don’t know why. And I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

I recently was at a restaurant and I had an Asian style salad that was so good! It had really healthy and filling ingredients and a peanut dressing that blew my mind. I needed to recreate it. But, like I said – salads that I make aren’t always that good. So I had my reservations.

I normally don’t like to toot my own horn, but this salad is wayyyy better than the restaurant version. It is seriously so good. If you know what’s good for you, you will make this salad.

It is so delicious and is something totally different that your average salad. It is so flavorful and has so many different textures which makes it a really interesting and tasty meal. I know that the ingredient list looks a little overwhelming. Don’t be scared! It is totally worth it in the end. You can also add chicken to this if you feel like it would be a more complete meal, but honestly you won’t even miss it if you leave it out!

Ingredients
Makes enough for about 8 people (or lots of leftovers)

1 package Broccoli slaw
3 hearts of romaine, chopped small
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 mangos, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup shelled edamame
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
1 lb Whole wheat spagetti, cooked and cooled to room temperature

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to thoroughly combine.

Peanut dressing

1 serrano chili, finely minced
2 Tbl freshly grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp sesame oil
1 T rice wine vinegar
2 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl agave
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbl water

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except olive oil and water. Mix well. Slowly drizzly in olive oil. If the dressing looks too thick, add water one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

Pour over salad and toss to combine. Serve!!

Fruit salad

Fruit salad is such an easy recipe to prepare, but when it is enhanced with some citrus juice, honey, and mint, it makes this recipe so much better. This is a great side dish or dessert to make during these hot summer months for BBQs or parties. I sometime just make this and keep it in the fridge, snacking on it throughout the week (if it even lasts that long – it’s so good!).

Ingredients

1 small pineapple, cored and diced
1 pt. strawberries, quartered
1 mango, cored and diced
1/2 pt blueberries
1/2 pint raspberries
2 cups green grapes, halved
Juice from one lime
1 Tbl honey or agave
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbl mint, minced

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss fruit to coat with honey, juices, and mint. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve!