Lunch Hack: Mediterannean Pita

Life has gotten so incredibly busy I often find myself resorting to fast food or coffee shop scones to get through the day. Gaining 10 lbs in the last year and feeling tired all the time tells me I need to get organized again and start packing healthier meals. This morning I had 5 minutes to spare so I looked in the fridge to see if there was something I could throw together to bring along.  This is what I came up with. It worked well for a day that I don't have access to a fridge and didn't have my chillable lunch box with me. I don't know that I would leave it in the car all day on a hot day but it certainly survived a few hours in the office and kept me out of the drive-though.

• 1 individual sized pack (or about 2 tbs) Sabra Hummus
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1/3 package leftover broccoli slaw mix (I almost always have this in the fridge or some type of homemade slaw - just the veggies, no dressing. Almost any variation of julienne veggies will work. I know, it's packaged food but this is one of the compromises I make in the winter when I'm not pulling fresh veggies out of my own garden anyway)
• Pita bread (regular bread, crackers, tortilla chips, whatever...)

I did a quick blend of the hummus and lemon juice, poured it into a container with the slaw mix and viola! By the time I had lunch it had been well tossed and was ready to eat. My only regret is not grabbing a few of the lovely (nightshade free marinated) Greek olives from the fridge to add a little fat to the meal. As it was it was pretty satisfying but the olives would have been the kicker... or some feta... or a little chicken... maybe avocado...

You get the picture, it's not about a recipe here. It's about learning how to work with and make the most out of what you've got while still enjoying nutritious, yummy and SAFE meals.

*Note: sesame seeds can be cross-reactive to nightshade allergy. This means that even though they are not a nightshade, those with nightshade allergy may have trouble with them. I find that I'm OK as long as I don't have too much/too often. If you can't handle sesame seeds it's pretty easy to make your own hummus. Blend up can of garbanzos with1 tbsp lemon juice, pinch of salt, a little olive oil and as much water as needed to make it creamy.

Pumpkin Pasta

I have become exceptionally frugal in the last few weeks. I just can't afford to throw anything away. So, tonight when deciding what to cook for dinner, my first priority was what was in the fridge that needed to be used or it would get tossed. I came up with leftover feta from last weekend's pasta, leftover bacon from Sunday breakfast and leftover pumpkin from pumpkin biscuits. This may have been one of my best meals ever. It was so good! (this recipe makes 2 servings with a side or 1 big one if you're hungry like I was!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1/4 cup unsweetened rice milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 slices cooked bacon
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 oz GF rice fettuccini noodles 
• 2 tbsp roasted pepitas
• sprinkle of feta cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan on med heat. Add onions, cook 5 min. 

Add bacon & cook until bacon is hot & onions are transparent

Add pumpkin puree & rice milk

Simmer on low heat while you cook the noodles according to package directions

Drain noodles & add to pumpkin mixture

S&P to taste

Toss well 

Serve topped with pepitas and feta

Refrigerator Oats

Easy, healthy, no-cook breakfast or high energy snack!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 3/4 cup rice milk
• 1 scoop UltraMeal Vanilla Rice Protein (or 1/2 serving any vanilla protein powder)
• 1/2 cup diced apple
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• pinch sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, cover & put in the refrigerator overnight. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pumpkin seeds before serving.

Colorful Summer Slaw

I came home from the Farmer's Market yesterday with such beautiful produce. I could hardly wait to start finding creative ways to use it. For this fresh summer coleslaw I used chioggia beets but any variety will do. This is also an easy recipe to vary depending on which veggies you have on hand. You'll want to end up with a total of  3 cups grated of any of the following: carrot, radish, kohlrabi, cabbage (any variety), beets (any variety), broccoli (stems and florets). This recipe has no mayo so it's a little lighter/healthier, easier to keep fresh for a picnic and appropriate for those with egg allergies. At a pot-luck or picnic people will "ooh" & "aah" over the visual appeal of the dish with it's bright mix of colors & it's packed with nutrients like potassium, vitamin C, iron, magnesium and folate.

• 2 tablespoons Annie's Naturals Dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Cracked black pepper
• 2 Beets (any color or variety)
• 3 Carrots (buy carrots with greens and use can use the tops instead of the parsley)
• 1  Kohlrabi
• (use about 1 cup of each veggie when shredded)
• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley leaves or carrot tops

Directions

Wash & shred beets, carrots & kohlrabi

In a small, non-metal bowl whisk together mustard, red wine vinegar, mustard seed, honey, salt and olive oil. Season with pepper to taste. combine beets, carrots, kohlrabi and parsley in large serving bowl, pour dressing over salad, toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. This can be served immediately but is better if given a few hours in the fridge for the flavors to blend.