Lunch Fit for a Giant

So on Monday, I wrote about how I love an easy lunch for days when I'm too rushed to assemble something more proper. This morning, I was in need of another quick grab and go meal when I spied this Green Giant "Healthy Heart" veggie blend in the depths of my freezer. Perfect!

In case you can't read the description, it's a blend of barley, sugar snap peas and carrots in a herb-olive oil sauce. It's pretty yummy and for 140 calories, you really can't beat it.  Oh and I top it with some sriracha because I need a little spice to wake me up mid-day!

I ate mine with a green salad to add in an extra veggie serving. This usually costs about two bucks at our grocery store, but you can certainly find them on sale for less- not too shabby!

Dr. McDougall's Split Pea Soup

You know those mornings when you wake up racing the clock? Maybe you snoozed your alarm one too many times? Or you forgot that you really, really should take a shower? I definitely had one of those mornings today, thanks to my complete lack of setting an alarm clock at all. Whoops. 

Luckily, I grabbed a Dr. McDougall's split pea soup out of the cabinet before I dashed out of the door. Have you tried one of these lovely little soups? They are super low-fat, most of them are vegan and they're actually super filling. They add lots of spices, so they're well-seasoned and yummy. Oh, and they're under $2 in the healthy food aisle in any grocery store! My favorite is the tortilla soup, but the split pea was actually really great. (Oh and sorry for the cell phone photos, I'm at work with no camera)

What's your favorite lunch on the go? Leave us a comment!

Swiss Chard and Black Bean Salad

So Mike's been scheduled to work on Saturdays lately, which means I get almost a whole weekend day to myself. This is awesome. I get an insane amount of things checked off of my list, leaving all of Sunday open for relaxing and stress-free hanging out on the back porch.

This morning, after a particularly hot and humid workout running along the harbor,  I was craving a big breakfast. 

Strangely for me, it wasn't carbs that my body was begging for but greens. A huge plate of greens. Luckily, I had a bunch of swiss chard ready to be sauteed. I topped them with black beans, avocado, tomato, chopped onion and some lime juice. Mmm. Totally delicious, totally great for my body. It would be wonderful topped with an egg, too. 

Swiss Chard and Black Bean Salad
1 bunch swiss chard (or other dark, leafy green)
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste
1/2 c. cooked black beans, warmed
1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder (optional)
1/2 tsp. cumin (optional)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional)


Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium. Add in garlic and stir for a minute or so, until it begins to color. Add chard and saute for 5 minutes, or until wilted. Add black beans to the chard and stir until heated through. Mix in spices, if you want to use them. Pour into a bowl and top with avocado, tomato, onion and lime juice. 

Spicy Black Bean Salad

I love black bean salads of all kinds, but this may be my fave. It's crunchy, cold, spicy, sweet and super filling. Sometimes, I'll leave out the sweet potatoes and instead stuff the bean salad into a baked sweet potato. So good! It's perfect for barbecues and picnics!

Here's how to make it:

Spicy Black Bean Salad
(serves 8-10 generously)

4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 28-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, diced
4-5 roasted peppers, chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
3-4 tomatoes, diced

(dressing)
1/4 c. olive or safflower oil
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1-2 tsp. chipotle powder
juice and zest of 1 lime
2 tsp. cumin
A few shakes of hot sauce- optional (We use Trader Joe's jalapeno hot sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

Boil sweet potatoes until just tender. Drain and rinse under cool water. Allow to cool while you assemble the dressing. Shake the dressing in a jar or blend thoroughly. Add dressing and all other veggies and toss. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

*I had to rush out right after making this so I don't have a photo of the finished product. :( Bad blogger.

Lettuce Lunch

I'm back (with a full belly) to tell you about another healthy lunch I stumbled upon today! Lettuce tacos.

This morning, I awoke with a fierce craving for some tacos. Like, immediately. Living in a neighborhood as diverse as ours, we're spoiled with various Latin American restaurants. We can get albondigas, pupusas, mole and tacos of all kinds on virtually any corner. Lucky for our taste buds. Not so much for our waistlines.

Peeking into the fridge, I immediately saw the leftovers from a dinner party we went to last night: guacamole and some ground turkey that we ate in lettuce wraps. Hence, the lettuce taco is born. I wanted to save some carbs, so subbing a lettuce leaf for a taco shell or tortilla was a little stroke of genius. (Tooting my own horn. Toot.)

Starting with a little quinoa salad from a few nights ago, topped with some ground turkey (just a little bit), guacamole and Trader Joe's fresh salsa- they were definitely a success. Any mish-mash of ingredients would work, and topped with some hot sauce and fat-free sour cream they definitely eased my taco craving. For now.

Are you a lettuce wrapper? What other healthy swaps can you share with us?

Easter Menu Planning

Hey y'all. We've been busy here at Tiny Wallet Style, dreaming of tulips and daffodils and plotting our spring planting. We're also trying to figure out what in the heck we're going to throw together for our Easter brunch.

All of the foodie magazines and websites are heralding the arrival of spring with recipe collections of the BEST Easter menus and recipes. Our go-to's for a delicious brunch menu are Martha, Epicurious and the Smitten Kitchen. 


Usually, we have a ham and some sort of pasta dish (lasagna or pastitsio). This year, the key will be prepping the night before and utilizing slow cookers. 


Here is what I think would be a great (and easy) brunch menu: 
-Cheese and fruit plate

via

-Apple and cheddar scones (so delicious and easy!)

via

-An eggy casserole in the slow-cooker 
-An asparagus tart or some kind 

via

-A simple green salad with shaved apple and goat cheese with a light vinaigrette


 Since we're serving a crowd and most of us are watching our figures, I think straying from the traditional (and not waist-friendly) Easter menu will be a good thing. Not to mention cost-effective. Since we are budget conscious, we would like to plan this brunch for maximum deliciousness AND maximum savings. No pricey ham for us! 


What are your favorite brunch recipes? Do you have any Easter traditions to share with us? We're all (bunny) ears!!!

Quickie Dinner- Red Pepper Pasta

This dinner was so good. Quick and delicious. Versatile, adaptable and chock full of springy goodness. And it took 15 minutes to make! 

Red Pepper Pasta

1/2- 1 lb. pasta (we used oricchette)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1- 8 oz. jar roasted peppers, drained (or 2 fresh peppers-roasted, peeled and seeded)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 oz. goat cheese (optional) or 1/4 c. cream or half and half (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
fresh cracked pepper (to taste)
1 cup cooked veggies (we used peas and asparagus)


Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add oil and heat over medium. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes, until they begin to soften.

Add in tomatoes and turn down heat to simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until tomatoes are hot. 

Add in drained peppers and red pepper flakes. Stir to break up peppers. 

When the sauce is hot and well-combined, stir in goat cheese until it melts (or add in cream). Season to taste. 

Stir in veggies and pasta and serve hot.

Mmmm. This was awesome as leftovers, too! Oh, and it ran us about $3 to make! Score. 

Quickie Dinner- Perfect Tomato Sauce

In honor of our recent monthly meal planning post, we decided to share with you the most versatile and delicious recipe in our cooking arsenal: tomato sauce. We use it for EVERYTHING. Pasta, obviously. Pizza sauce. A base for quick chili or minestrone soup. A simmer sauce for meatballs. It's so good I could eat it every night. We plan to make a huge batch and can it to give away as Christmas gifts along with some fresh pasta. Enjoy!