Category lunch

These Spicy Chicken Pitas are made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and you can prep all the components ahead of time and assemble them quickly for a healthy lunch or dinner.

Hi friends!

I’m finally back with a new recipe! Added bonus? It’s perfect for food prep. You can cook the chicken, chop the veggies and make the sauce ahead of time so all you have to do is assemble when it’s time to eat dinner or pack a lunch!

Usually, when I post chicken recipes, they call for chicken breasts. This recipe uses chicken thighs. I rarely buy them because hubby isn’t crazy about them and I pretty much only use them in this recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs. But last weekend we tried out a grocery delivery service and instead of bringing us the chicken breasts we ordered, they sent us chicken thighs.

Spicy Chicken Pitas

So, although we did go to the store the next day and pick up our regular chicken, I challenged myself this week to come up with a recipe using the thighs that hubby would like.

This recipe is super simple. You just marinate the chicken thighs in some spices, bake them and then slice them up thin to be used in the pitas. And don’t worry about the marinating time. It takes 5 min to chop the chicken, mix the spices and throw it in a bag. Do it in the morning when you first wake up and it’ll have time to sit before you get your act together and start your food prep. You could also use chicken breasts if you wanted.

And don’t forget – you can use the chicken in other ways, not just in pitas! I ate some of the leftovers with rice and green beans. It’d be great in tacos, etc. So…you get the point. The chicken is versatile. But I happen to really like it in these pitas.

I also stuffed them with some of my fav veggies like tomatoes and red onions and even made a super simple homemade tzatziki sauce. But if you’re not into tzatziki sauce you could just add some of your favorite salad dressing! Cheese and avocado would also be good additions.

Here’s how you make them:

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Spicy Chicken Pitas

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

These Spicy Chicken Pitas are made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and you can prep all the components ahead of time and assemble them quickly for a healthy lunch or dinner.

• Author: Lindsay
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1–2 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on spice level desired
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• chopped lettuce
• diced tomato
• diced red onion
• diced cucumber
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp finely diced cucumber
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• whole wheat pitas, halved

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Instructions

Cut each chicken thigh into quarters and place in a large ziploc bag. 
In a small bowl, combine 2 tsp garlic powder, paprika,  cayenne pepper and olive oil and mix until combined. 
Add spice mixture to ziploc bag and mix until all pieces are coated. 
Let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. 
Spread chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. 
Once cooled, thinly slice all pieces. 
Combine diced tomato, onion and cucumber and store until ready to assemble. 
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, 2 Tbsp finely diced cucumber, garlic powder and lemon juice to make tzatziki sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Store until ready to serve. 
When ready to eat, stuff pita halves with lettuce, chicken, tomato mixture and tzatziki sauce (or other dressing of choice). 

Notes

So simple! I left out the quantities for the lettuce and other veggies because you can really use as much or as little as you want. Don’t have pitas? You could easily use a tortilla…or just skip the bread and make a salad.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Prep the components of these Spicy Chicken Pitas ahead of time and assemble for a quick meal!” quote=”Prep the components of these Spicy Chicken Pitas ahead of time and assemble for a quick meal!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This Mediterranean Turkey Spinach Salad recipe is packed with protein and flavor! Prep the components ahead of time and assemble for a quick, healthy lunch or dinner!

Thanks to the National Turkey Federation for sponsoring this post!

Hi Friends!

Let’s talk turkey, shall we? I’m excited to be teaming up with the National Turkey Federation this year to share a couple of recipes and spread the turkey love. I know there are people in the camp that think turkey should only be consumed as a whole bird at Thanksgiving. I’m not one of them and I don’t think you should be either!

Here’s why:
There are tons of turkey products available at the store year round. You can find turkey breasts, tenderloins, thighs and drumsticks, as well as turkey sausage and ground turkey meat. Recently I’ve fallen in love with turkey tenderloin. They’re the perfect size for roasting or grilling in a short amount of time. I’ve also got turkey thighs on my list of things to grill this summer since the dark meat is so full of flavor.

A few more turkey highlights? It’s a lean protein packed with immune-boosting nutrients like iron, zinc and potassium that help keep you fuller longer and it easily soaks up flavors, making it the perfect canvas for marinades and seasonings! A true superfood. If you look at the store, you can even probably find some turkey tenderloins that are pre-marinated and ready to roast or grill! So easy!

So let’s talk about this salad, shall we? I started by marinating my turkey tenderloins in a simple mixture of red wine vinegar, olive oil, onion, garlic and oregano. Then I threw them on the grill to cook them quickly during one of my food prep sessions. If you don’t have access to a grill, you could easily pan sear and roast these in the oven or cook in a cast iron skillet.

That’s what I love about this salad. You can prep the tenderloins, veggie mixture and farro ahead of time so all you have to do is assemble when it’s time to eat! For the dressing, I just mixed some of my favorite spicy hummus with a little water to thin it down enough to pour as a dressing. Easy peasy!

So here’s how you make it:

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Mediterranean Turkey Spinach Salad

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Lindsay
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 tsp oregano
• pinch of salt and pepper (optional)
• 1 package turkey tenderloins (1.25 pounds)

Salad:

• 1 cup farro, uncooked
• 4 cups leaf lettuce, chopped
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 3 cups mixed vegetables (bell pepper, cucumber, onion, tomato)
• 1/4 c crumbled feta

Dressing (optional):

• 1/4 cup hummus (spicy or regular)
• 1–2 Tbsp water

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Instructions

Combine marinade ingredients in a large ziploc bag and shake well to coat. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove tenderloins from marinade and grill over medium heat for 8-10 minutes per side (or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F).

Cook farro according to package directions.

Combine chopped vegetables with feta and mix well.

Mix lettuce and spinach together and divide between 4 large bowls. Add 1/4 of the farro to each bowl. Top each bowl with 3/4 cup of vegetable mixture.

Once turkey is cooked, slice and divide among salads.

For the optional dressing, slowly add water to hummus and mix well until hummus reaches a pourable consistency or use your favorite dressing.

That’s all there is to it! Enjoy this salad for lunch or dinner. It’s light and fresh, but still packed with protein from the turkey and farro and the veggies make it so pretty and colorful.

If you’re not a fan of spinach salads you could easily use regular lettuce. I used a mix of half lettuce/half spinach.

[clickToTweet tweet=”This Mediterranean Turkey Spinach Salad is full of protein and perfect for a make-ahead lunch!” quote=”This Mediterranean Turkey Spinach Salad is full of protein and perfect for a make-ahead lunch!”]

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This Easy 5 Minute Lunch is perfect for a busy day. Pair a jazzed up grilled cheese with a cup of soup for an easy, filling meal.

This post is sponsored by the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition on behalf of Progresso^TM and ReganMillerJones, Inc. I received free samples of the soup mentioned and was compensated for my time.

Hi friends!

Just popping in to share a quick little lunch idea I’ve been loving lately. For some reason, the idea of a soup and sandwich combo is something I typically only choose at restaurants. It never seems to come to mind when I’m thinking about lunch at home…until lately! When I was asked to check out some Progresso^TM soups, I jumped at the chance! The weather was cold and I was definitely in need of some quick lunch options. I was also excited to hear that Progresso^TM is now serving White Meat Chicken With No Antibiotics. Ever! They have a variety of chicken soups made with 100% antibiotic and hormone free white meat chicken breasts…because quality is always in season!

As you guys know, when my toddler decides he wants to eat, that means he wants to eat immediately. He’s recently become pretty good at using a spoon, so I’m excited to be able to start stocking my pantry with these soups for a quick, easy and convenient lunch option.

Squish and I enjoyed the Savory Chicken and Wild Rice Soup for lunch a couple weeks ago. I loved that it was a reduced-sodium variety and he loved fishing the chicken and carrots out of his bowl with his spoon. To make it a complete meal, I whipped up a few sandwiches to go with it.

We all know grilled cheese pairs perfectly with soup. To jazz things up a little bit, I added a fried egg and some avocado and red peppers to our sandwiches.

So here’s what you do:

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Easy 5 Minute Lunch

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This Easy 5 Minute Lunch is perfect for a busy day. Pair a jazzed up grilled cheese with a cup of soup for an easy, filling meal.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 1 can ProgressoTM Savory Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• 2 eggs
• 4 slices bread
• 1 small avocado
• 2 slices cheese (i used pepperjack)
• red bell pepper slices
• butter

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Instructions

1. Divide soup between two bowls and heat in the microwave (or heat on the stove)
2. Add a little butter to a pan.
3. Fry eggs, flipping once and cooking until yolk reaches desired degree of doneness.
4. Butter outsides of breads
5. While eggs are cooking, mash avocado and spread on the inside of two slices of bread.
6. Top with red pepper slices.
7. Add a fried egg to each one, top with a slice of cheese and another slice of bread.
8. Place sandwiches in pan and heat, flipping once, until cheese is melted.
9. Serve with soup!

Give it a try for lunch this week! And follow Progresso^TM on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for more great recipes.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This Turkey and Cornbread Panzanella is the perfect recipe to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers! Enjoy this healthy bread salad for lunch while watching football!

Hi there! So excited to be guest posting today on Lean Green Bean! Lindsay’s blog was one of the first dietitian blogs I found, and I’m thrilled to step in and help as she enjoys time with her baby beans!

If you haven’t “met” me before on my blog, Avocado A Day Nutrition, allow me to introduce myself! I’m Rachael Hartley, a private practice dietitian in Columbia, SC, joyful eating advocate and avocado enthusiast. I’m a big believer that food is something to celebrate, not fear. That’s why I work with men and women helping them better take care of their bodies by nourishing a healthy relationship with food, not through diets and deprivation.

Speaking of food fear, during this holiday season, it sure seems like there is an epidemic of it. Magazines and media fuel the fire with a barrage of headlines telling you how to avoid the dreaded holiday pounds. They tell you to lighten up the sweet potato casserole recipe you’ve been enjoying since childhood, how to harness your willpower and discipline to eat only one slice of pecan pie, and what exercises will “burn off” every last bite of turkey.

For a time that’s supposed to be a celebration of family, friends and thankfulness, it breaks my heart to see how many people approach the holiday season with dread.

But did you know the average American gains only one pound over the holiday season? One pound? That’s well within the range of what your body will naturally fluctuate over the course of a single day. I once did an experiment to prove how silly the scale is and weighed myself each waking hour. My weight fluctuated in a six-pound range! Certainly, you may require a little more self-care during an often stressful, hectic and cookie-laden season, but is one pound really worth giving up fully experiencing the joy of the holiday season?

When I work with clients on intuitive eating, one of the cool things they notice is when they tune in to how they feel and how food tastes, the holidays don’t become a smorgasbord of casseroles and cookies. That’s because when we overeat one day, we feel less hungry the next. We want to feel good – energetic, alive, and digestively, you know…normal. Plus, when food isn’t off limits and we know we have permission to eat mac and cheese or pie or creamy casseroles any time we like, there’s no need to “fit it all in” a month-long span.

Intuitive eaters notice their taste buds habituate. Eating the same foods and flavors over and over again (usually a combination of cheese, butter and flour if your Thanksgiving is like ours), you’ll quickly tire. You may have noticed this yourself if you experienced a sense of excitement at finishing your Thanksgiving leftovers so there was room in the fridge for something more plant-centric.

After a couple meals of Thanksgiving leftovers, my taste buds are pretty much screaming for something fresh, tasty and nourishing. But considering we’ve been hosting over a dozen family members for Thanksgiving the past few years, we’ve usually got more than a few meals worth of leftovers. That’s why I love to repurpose my leftovers into dishes that are a bit more vegetable focused, like this Turkey and Cornbread Panzanella.

Any type of leftover cornbread will work for this, but living in the south, I’m a fan of recipes made with only cornmeal and just the smallest hint of sugar. To me, the cornbread they make up north tastes like cake! Here’s my recipe for the thin and crispy skillet cornbread I used to make this salad.

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Cornbread and Turkey Panzanella

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This Cornbread and Turkey Panzanella is the perfect recipe to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers! Enjoy this healthy bread salad for lunch while watching football!

• Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 6 cups cubed cornbread
• 3 cups shredded leftover turkey or chicken
• 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup sliced pickled okra
• 1 cup thinly shredded collard green leaves
• ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/3 cup full fat plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon or parsley

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread cornbread evenly on a large baking sheet. Toast for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, toss together cornbread cubes, turkey, cherry tomatoes, okra, collards, and red onion.
3. In a mason jar, mix together dressing ingredients. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
4. Drizzle salad with dressing to taste and serve with leftover dressing on the side.

Such a simple, easy way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Transform those Thanksgiving leftovers into this Turkey and Cornbread Panzanella!” quote=”Transform those Thanksgiving leftovers into this Turkey and Cornbread Panzanella!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This recipe for Easy Tuna Melts comes together quickly and is great for lunch! Try it to help add more seafood to your diet!

Thanks to the National Fisheries Institute for sponsoring this post.

Hi Friends!

Remember a few weeks ago when I shared this post full of Quick & Easy Seafood Recipes? I talked about the recently released 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines For Americans which recommend all Americans eat at least 2-3 servings (8 ounces) of seafood, which includes fish and shellfish, per week.

Here’s the deal: Seafood is often under-consumed, but that doesn’t have to be the case. It’s super versatile and easy to prepare. Plus there’s a wide variety of seafood options to choose from when you’re looking for delicious recipes to try! The new Dish on Fish blog (plus their Facebook and Pinterest pages are a great place to start for healthy seafood recipe ideas!

And lucky for you, I have another easy-to-prepare recipe for you today! Lunch is sometimes a bit of a struggle for me as I seem to spend more time getting Squish’s lunch ready, talking to hubby, cleaning up the kitchen etc than actually eating myself. I’ve been looking for delicious lunch ideas that I can throw together and eat quickly so I still have time for everything else that needs to get done.

These Easy Tuna Melts fit the bill! Ready in minutes and then you can just pop it under the broiler or into the microwave to melt the cheese! Best part? I can eat it standing up with one hand, or sit down and eat it with a fork if I’m feeling fancy.

Here’s how you make it:

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Easy Tuna Melts

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This recipe for Easy Tuna Melts comes together quickly and is great for lunch! Try it to help add more seafood to your diet!

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: serves 2

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 1 can tuna (I use low-sodium)
• 1/4 cup mashed sweet potato
• 2 Tbsp mashed avocado
• 1/4 cup chopped red pepper
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onion
• 2 Tbsp hummus
• 2 slices bread
• 2 slices cheese
• hot sauce – optional

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Instructions

1. Toast slices of bread.
2. In a bowl, combine the tuna, sweet potato, avocado, red pepper, green onions and hummus and mix until well combined.
3. Divide tuna mixture onto two slices of bread.
4. Top each with a slice of cheese and stick under the broiler or in the microwave to melt cheese.
5. Top with hot sauce if desired and serve warm!

See what I mean by easy?? To make these even easier to prepare, make the tuna mixture ahead of time…then all you have to do is assemble at lunch time! Boom! 5 minute lunch!

[clickToTweet tweet=”These Quick and Easy Tuna Melts make a great 5-minute lunch!” quote=”These Quick and Easy Tuna Melts make a great 5-minute lunch!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of National Fisheries Institute. The opinions and text are my own.

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This vegetarian Wild Rice Power Bowl is perfect for a quick, healthy lunch or dinner. Customize the recipe with all your favorite ingredients!

Hi Friends!

It’s time for another month of Recipe Redux! This month the theme was vegetarian power bowls and I must say, this Wild Rice Power Bowl is pretty delicious! There’s just something about fall that makes me crave wild rice. I don’t know why I rarely think to make it during the other seasons. It’s so chewy and delicious….and full of protein! I love it in this Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing that I make every year for Thanksgiving.

To make this, I used up some of my fav veggies that I always have on hand – red peppers and carrots. They’re a good combo because they both have similar roasting times so you can roast them on the same pan. Then, to add some healthy fats, I added avocado and some spicy hummus for a “dressing.”

You could definitely customize this with your favorite seasonal roasted veggies and use your favorite hummus flavor! If you’re a lettuce lover, feel free to throw all of this over a bed of spinach or lettuce for even more veggies. I’m just not a huge fan of leafy greens during this pregnancy, so I skipped them. There aren’t really any required amounts either. Feel free to load up your bowl with as many veggies as you’d like!

Here’s how I made mine:

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Wild Rice Power Bowl

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No reviews

This vegetarian Wild Rice Power Bowl is perfect for a quick, healthy lunch or dinner. Customize the recipe with all your favorite ingredients!

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: serves 2

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup wild rice, uncooked
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1/2 large avocado
• 1/4 cup hummus

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Instructions

1. Cook wild rice according to package directions.
2. Place chopped carrots and whole pepper on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and roast and 425 degrees for 20-25 min, stirring the carrots occasionally.
3. Remove vegetables, peel skin from pepper, remove seeds and slice into strips.
4. Divide rice and veggies between two bowls, top each with avocado slices and hummus.
5. Serve warm or cold!

So much goodness in one bowl! You could eat these warm or cold so feel free to roast the vegetables and cook the rice ahead of time for quick assembly. And if you’d prefer, you could use a mix of wild rice and brown rice or another grain like farro or wheatberries!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Try this Wild Rice Power Bowl for a healthy vegetarian lunch!” quote=”Try this Wild Rice Power Bowl for a healthy vegetarian lunch!”]

Let’s chat:

What are your favorite power bowl fillings?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Check out more plant protein power bowls:

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Three tips for assembling Healthy Packable Lunches For Kids that are quick and satisfying to help fuel kids through their busy afternoons!

Thanks to Igloo for sponsoring this post.

Hi Friends!

Let’s talk about lunch. Although I’m lucky enough to work from home so I don’t yet need to worry about packing Squish’s lunch, I know a lot of you out there have to frequently pack lunch for your kiddos. Today I teamed up with Igloo to share a few tips about building a healthy lunchbox and doing it in style!

I remember taking a huge amount of pride in my lunchbox as a kid. Picking out a new one was always a very serious occasion because I wanted to find the perfect one to show off to all my friends. In fact, several of my childhood lunchboxes were Igloo brand! No surprise since they’ve been around for 69 years and are still the number one cooler brand and are known for their high quality, durable lunchboxes!

This year, as an adult (but still a  kid at heart), I was excited to browse all their options. They have so many bright colors, patterns, and shapes that are fun and stylish! Plus I was excited to learn that all of their lunch boxes are PVC & BPA free, water resistant and contain a thick antimicrobial, puncture-resistant liner that’s easy to wipe clean!

After a bit of browsing, I selected a few to try out! I chose the:

Boys PM Lunch
Girls Hot Brights Messenger
Dual CompOnce they arrived, I set about filling them with healthy food options! Squish may not be in school, but there are definitely busy days when we’re not home to eat lunch. Last week we needed to be at the gym for a while in the morning so I packed us each a lunch. I was impressed with how much stuff I could fit in and how cool they kept everything.Here are a few tips I try to follow when I’m putting together a lunch, whether it’s for eating at home or school:

• Include lots of options. I never know what Squish will be in the mood to eat on a given day so I try to include a variety of foods for him to choose from. 
• Always include a vegetable. Sometimes I struggle with this one since vegetables are not his favorite, but I really think it’s important to include a veggie at lunch. They may not always eat it, but continued exposure to vegetables prepared a variety of different ways is good for kids.
• Aim for balance. I focus on including several different food groups in every lunch, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, healthy fats, lean protein etc. I may not get them all in each time, but I try not to put together a lunch that all fruit or all protein.
• Get colorful. Color = nutrients so I try to serve bright, colorful foods!

Let’s take a look at a few healthy lunchbox ideas:

A classic pb&J sandwich on 21 Whole Grain & Seed Bread, blueberries, string cheese and green beans & tomatoes mixed with Italian dressing.

Sometimes a little dressing can go a long way toward making veggies more appealing to kids.

Hard-boiled egg, Cheddar Almond Flour Crackers, cottage cheese with fresh berries, baby carrots and guacamole.

Kids can dip a variety of things in the guacamole including the egg, crackers and carrots!

Turkey, cheese and hummus rollup on a whole wheat tortilla, nectarine, snap peas with yogurt ranch for dipping & a small cookie.

There’s definitely room for a small treat in a balanced lunchbox!

Balsamic Chicken Caprese Pasta, grapes, full-fat yogurt and trail mix.

Leftovers are great for packing in lunchboxes, especially things like pasta salad that taste good hot or cold. Make your own trailmix so you can customize with your kiddo’s favorite mix-ins!

[Tweet “Build A Healthy Lunchbox with these tips from @leangrnbeanblog!”]

Igloo helps you enjoy the life you work so hard for and is right along side you with cold drinks, fresh, healthy food and warm smiles. Be sure to check out Igloo’s Back To School collection and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Let’s chat:

Do you have guidelines you try to follow when packing lunches? Any tips?

Need more ideas? Check out these 50 Packable Lunch Ideas (great for kids and adults!)

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Thanks to Sargento® Foods for sponsoring this post.

Hi Friends!

Can you believe it’s almost August? That means we’re pretty much at the hottest point of the year. We’ve had a fairly rainy summer here in Ohio but for the past week or so we’ve finally gotten some sun and had some hot days. I don’t know about you, but when it’s hot out, the last thing I want to do is sit down to a heavy meal in the middle of the day. I want something light and refreshing that I can eat quickly. Remember that I have a 9 month old who now crawls around at warp speed, which doesn’t leave me a lot of time for a sit down lunch.

But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to sacrifice nutrition or flavor. Lately I’ve found myself eating more of what you might call a mini-meal for lunch and then sneaking another one in mid-afternoon during naptime. I’ve really been focusing on putting together a balanced meal that has enough protein to keep me full for the next couple of hours. I want something that’s quick to prepare, easy to eat and packed with protein. Over the past month or so, I’ve been coming up with lots of different combos for these mini-meals to carry me through the mid-day slump.

Over the past couple weeks I’ve come up with some pretty delicious mini-meal combos so I thought I’d share a few of them with you today! For me they’re the perfect balance of protein and carbs and they keep me full and satisfied for a few hours without leaving me feeling overly full or sluggish. They’re the perfect way to add a protein punch to your midday meal!

Each of these meals include a variety of Sargento® Natural Cheese Snacks. With 4-8 grams of protein per serving, they’re a natural source of protein to help fill you up and boost your energy. In fact, Sargento® Natural String Cheese Snacks have 8 grams of protein per serving, which is more than a serving of almonds (about 23 almonds) or a hard-boiled egg! Added bonus- they come in 14 different varieties and are easy to eat at-home or on the go!

Here are some of the combos I’ve been loving lately:

Bibb leaf lettuce + 2 slices turkey + Sargento® Colby Jack Natural Cheese Snack
Strawberries
Crackers

Wheat tortilla + chicken + avocado +Sargento® Pepper Jack Natural Cheese Snack
Salsa for dressing
Apple slices

 Sargento® Natural Blends Cheddar-Mozzarella Cheese Snack
Snap peas + carrots + cherry tomatoes + hummus
Mini sweet potato banana muffins

Grapes
Sargento® Natural String Cheese Snack
PB + J cracker sandwiches

I’m a fruit lover so most of these include fruit, along with whole grains, healthy fats like avocado, hummus and peanut butter, and protein from the cheese sticks, chicken, turkey, etc!

Let’s chat:

Are you a mini-meal lover? What are some of your favorite combos?!

For more smart snack ideas visit the Sargento® website!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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With just 3 main ingredients, these gluten-free Almond Sweet Potato Flatbreads are simple to make and easy to customize!

Thank you to the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network for sponsoring this post as part of the #CrunchOn campaign with California Almonds.

Hi friends!

These flatbreads. They’re my new favorite thing! I’m so excited to share the recipe with all of you so you can make them yourselves.

I’m not even going to tell you how many trial runs I did of this recipe. I wanted to get the perfect ratio and combination of ingredients. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I got a HUGE bag of almond flour to be used for recipe testing….because use it, I did 🙂

With just three main ingredients, these flatbreads come together quickly and you can customize them with all your favorite spices. I liked mine with cayenne pepper, paprika and a little garlic powder but you could try with curry powder or whatever else floats your boat. You could even try a sweet version by adding a pinch of sugar and some cinnamon!

The main ingredient is almond flour, which I love experimenting with!  Almonds are packed with nutrients! They’re full of vitamins and minerals, high in fiber and are a good source of magnesium and Vitamin E. Plus they’re full of healthy monounsaturated fats and protein. I enjoy snacking on them in pretty much any form. I eat them raw in my trailmix, turn them into nut butter, add them to baked goods etc.

This time I wanted to change things up and use almond flour. I’ve made a few gluten-free treats using almond flour but these are much simpler. And they make the perfect snack-time vehicle to top with all your favorite things!

Here’s how you make them:

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Almond Sweet Potato Flatbreads

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

With just three ingredients, these Almond Sweet Potato Flatbreads are gluten-free and easy to customize- perfect for snack time!

• Author: Lindsay L
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Scale1x2x3x

• 1.5 cups almond meal
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup mashed, cooked sweet potato
• Spices of choice: paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, cinnamon, curry powder, etc
• Toppings of choice: avocado, hummus, veggies, yogurt, fruit, meat, etc

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine the almond meal, spices and sweet potato. Mix with a fork until well combined.
2. Add egg white and mix until dough forms.
3. Divide dough into 6 pieces.
4. Place one section of dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and flatten with hand (or rolling pin) into a 1/4 inch thick circle.
5. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchement paper and repeat with remaining dough.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
7. Top as desired.

A few notes:

• If you want bigger flatbreads, divide dough into 4 pieces instead.
• You can really make these as thick or thin as you want.
• They don’t have to be perfectly circular!
• Definitely use parchment paper or they might stick!
• Play around with the spices you mix in to flavor them to your liking!

Once they’ve baked, the real fun starts- topping them! You’re pretty much only limited by your imagination here. A few options include:

• hummus + veggies
• smashed avocado + tomatoes + feta
• plain yogurt + berries + chocolate chips
• mustard + deli turkey slices
• smashed avocado + chicken + cheese

I ate most of these as an open-faced flatbread with toppings but one day for lunch I tore one in half and sandwiched some deli turkey between the two pieces and called it lunch! Delish!

[Tweet “These Almond Sweet Potato Flatbreads from @leangrnbeanblog are the perfect snack time vehicle!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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This Salsa Yogurt Dressing is a  simple combination of plain yogurt and salsa. It makes a great salad dressing and can also be used as a dip or marinade!

You guys, this dressing.

You need it in your life.

It isn’t so much a recipe….more just a thing you need to know about.

We made this to go on our taco salads when I was out in Cali and it was nothing new- I’d made the combo myself before…but ever since I’ve been back I can’t seem to get enough! It’s like finding a favorite purse in the back of your closet. You used to love it, then you forgot about it and now that you’ve found it again, you seem to love it even more!

I’ve made a batch for myself the past two weekends and so many of you got excited about it on Instagram that I decided that it needed a post all its own.

Plain yogurt + your favorite salsa = Salsa Yogurt Dressing!

Start with 3/4 cup plain yogurt and 1/4 cup salsa. Taste it and add more salsa if you want! You can use Greek or regular yogurt…Greek will just be a little bit thicker. I use whole milk plain yogurt.

I’ve also used this as a dip for veggies and a marinade for chicken and salmon!

[Tweet “You need this Salsa Yogurt Dressing from @leangrnbeanblog in your life!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

LEARN HOW FOOD AFFECTS YOUR BODY.

Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!