Lunch Ideas

Chicken Wrap

Cooked chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, Paul Newman’s balsamic lowfat dressing, any other veges on hand, wrapped in 1 flour tortilla

Chicken salad Sandwich

1 cup chopped cooked chicken, (canned or fresh) 2 tablespoons Best Foods Lite Mayo, chopped celery and onion, pepper, 1/8 cup walnuts or whole pinenuts. Mix with fork and serve on ONE piece of whole grain bread. 1/8 cup dried cranberries to mixture OR serve with fruit on the side OR 8 baked, low sodium, corn chips.

PB & J

1 piece of whole grain bread. Peanut butter spread and jam that is 100% fruit, no sugar added. That’s 2 carbs. Serve with decaf ice tea if desired.

Tacos

2 corn tortillas each filled with chicken or lean meat, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, guacamole made without mayo, salsa, low fat cheese, and lettuce if desired. Serve with decaf ice tea or water. ½ cup of nonfat milk for those who like milk or ¼ cup beans. This is good with sautéed onion and red bell pepper. Saute (stir fry) in pan sprayed with olive oil spray.

Burrito

1 flour tortilla; ½ cup beans, lean meat, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, 2 heaping tablespoons guacamole, 1 tablespoon nonfat sour cream (it’s yummy), ¼ cup low fat cheese, thinly sliced lettuce.

Healthy Plate Hamburger

Bottom of 100% whole wheat hamburger bun spread with 1 tablespoon Lite Mayo, 1 grilled lean hamburger (ask for Moran’s 97% fat free ground beef at your grocery story, maybe they can order it for you; or try Jenny O ground turkey 99% fat free; or mix the Jenny O 99% fat free with the leanest ground beef you can find). Top the burger with sliced tomato, onion, and any other vegetable on hand. Top with one large lettuce leaf not a top bun. Serve with fruit.

Chicken or Sirloin Steak Salad

Greens, tomato wedges, sliced cucumber, any other leftover vegetables on hand, sliced sirloin or sliced grilled chicken. Use Paul Newman low fat balsamic, lowfat Italian or your favorite lowfat dressing. Serve with any 2 carbs or your choice (SEE CARB LIST)

Cold Cuts Sandwich

1 slice whole grain bread, 1 tablespoon lite mayo, mustard of your choice, low sodium meats

Chicken sausage Sandwich with roasted peppers

Slice red bell peppers thin. Spray oil in fry pan. Heat and stir fry bell peppers. Add Lowfat chicken sausage when peppers are browned, (total fat grams under 10 for 1 large link), cut lengthwise and skin removed. Heat precooked sausage in same fry pan without added oil. Serve on ½ whole grain roll that has been spread with low fat oil and vinegar dressing.

Lowfat Kielbasa with sauerkraut.

Strip the kielbasa skin off and heat in pan without any added oil. Heat sauerkraut in sauce pan. Serve on ½ whole grain roll with ½ cup milk or 1 fruit or any other carb or your choice. Do not add another piece of bread. Only one bread at any meal if that is one of your carb choices.

Enchiladas

2 chicken enchiladas. If they are corn tortillas you can have ¼ cup of beans or a few bites of rice with them. If they are flour tortillas then no other carbs. Serve with green salad or nonstarchy vegetable of your choice (SEE THE NONSTARCHY VEGE LIST)

Taco Salad

Lettuce, lean ground beef, ¼ cup low fat cheese, ½ cup beans, 8 large corn chips (broken), ½ avocado chopped, chopped tomato OR use salsa as dressing. Can also try lowfat oil and vinegar dressing

It’s just so easy to balance your meals with The Healthy Plate. These suggestions will hopefully stimulate your own creative ideas. Marcia Roper, RD, CDE