Tag Archives: lunch

Veggie Black Bean Chili

It’s hard to believe November is here! If you’re wanting something to eat that will warm you up during the chilly weather months, this Veggie Black Bean Chili is definitely the recipe to make! It’s easy to put together and healthy, too, with black beans, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, crushed tomatoes, green chiles, and corn.

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Heirloom Tomato Soup

I like eating soup in the cooler weather—it’s great having a hot bowl of soup on a cold day, isn’t it? It just warms you right up! A friend of mine had shared this Heirloom Tomato Soup recipe with me from Taste of Home a while ago. It’s a really delicious recipe and just about everyone I know loves tomato soup!

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Black Bean Hummus Bagel Thins® Bagel and a Gift Card & Coupon Giveaway!

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I’m such a bread lover–I love all kinds of breads, rolls, bagels–you name it. But I’ve found that I really have to watch how much bread I eat because it tends to want to stick with me–can you relate? 🙂  So when I was asked if I’d like to try out some Sandwich Thins®, Pocket Thins®, and Bagel Thins®, I was definitely interested! Especially when I found out they are endorsed by Weight Watchers®, and are just 110 calories each or less. I received coupons for free product, product information, and a gift card to cover the cost of my recipe ingredients, courtesy of Sandwich Thins®, Pocket Thins®, and Bagel Thins®. I tried out some recipes, like the one shown in the photo above, plus a few others. I’ll share these with you, and then I’ll tell you more about my Gift Card and Coupon giveaway at the end of the post!

ncThinkThin1If you’re not familiar with these Thomas’® and Arnold®, Brownberry®, and Oroweat® products, which all have a Weight Watchers® 3 PointsPlus VALUE®, here’s a little info about them:

  • The Sandwich Thins® Rolls have zero grams of Trans Fat, no high fructose corn syrup, are cholesterol free, and come in 100% Whole Wheat, Multi-Grain, Honey Wheat, and Flax & Fiber.
  • The Pocket Thins® Flatbreads also have zero grams of Trans Fat, no high fructose corn syrup, are cholesterol free, and come in 8 Grain, 100% Whole Wheat, and Italian Herb.
  • The Bagel Thins® Bagels have zero grams of Trans Fat, are low in fat, cholesterol free, and come in 100% Whole Wheat, Plain, Cinnamon Raisin, and Everything.

Here are the recipes I made with them…

BLACK BEAN HUMMUS BAGEL THINS® BAGEL adapted from Thomas’®

Makes 1 serving

  • 1 Thomas® 100% Whole Wheat Bagel Thins® bagel (Weight Watchers® 3 PointsPlus)
  • 4 Tablespoons black bean hummus (I used my own Black Bean Hummus recipe, but there’s also an easy one you can make from the original recipe here)
  • 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
  • 2 Tablespoons of your favorite salsa
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 Tablespoons sliced black olives

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Start out by spreading on the hummus and Greek yogurt…then add the rest of the toppings!

Separate and toast a bagel. Place bagel down open-faced and top each half with 2 Tablespoons of black bean hummus, 1 Tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt (or low-fat sour cream), 1 Tablespoon salsa, 1/2 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, and 1 Tablespoon sliced black olives. Serve immediately. For more servings, just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings you want to make.

ncChickCaesarnmCHICKEN CAESAR POCKET adapted from Thomas’®

Makes 1 pocket sandwich

  • 1 Oroweat® Italian Herb Pocket Thins® flatbread (Weight Watchers® 3 PointsPlus)
  • 2/3 cup Romaine lettuce leaves, chopped into small pieces (or use a Romaine lettuce mix)
  • 3 slices thin-sliced deli chicken, chopped into small pieces
  • 1/2 heaping Tablespoon shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese
  • 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons non-fat Caesar salad dressing

Toss chopped lettuce leaves, chicken, Parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing together in small bowl. Fill Italian Herb Pocket Thin® with lettuce mixture and serve.

ncTomatoBrushettanmGRAPE TOMATO BRUSCHETTA adapted from Arnold® Bread

Makes 2 slices of bruschetta

  • 1 Arnold® Sandwich Thins® Honey Wheat roll, separated (Weight Watchers® 3 PointsPlus)
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise (be sure to slice them lengthwise–I sliced mine the wrong way and they didn’t lay on the roll as well!)
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil or garlic-infused olive oil
  • 3 large fresh basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Toast the separated Sandwich Thins® rolls to a light golden brown. In a bowl, mix sliced grape tomatoes with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Stack basil leaves and roll them in the shape of a log. Horizontally slice the rolled basil, making ribbons. Toss most of the cut basil with the tomatoes, reserving a little for garnish.

Spoon dressed tomatoes on top of each toasted Sandwich Thins® half and garnish with the remaining basil ribbons and shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Hope you enjoy trying these recipes out! 🙂

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED–Winning comment is #18!

Now for the Giveaway–a $25 Visa gift card and coupon for free product! If you’d like to enter to win a $25 Visa gift card, plus a coupon for free product shown in this post (Sandwich Thins®, Pocket Thins®, or Bagel Thins), leave a comment on this blog post between now and Sunday, March 30 at 8 p.m. (CST)–the random drawing will be made from the comments on this post only! The winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org and announced on Sunday evening, March 30. Winner will be notified via email (if winner does not respond in 3 days, I’ll do another drawing). Giveaway is limited to readers in the Continental U.S. and Canada.

First entry: Leave a comment on this post–it would be great to hear what your favorite healthy sandwich is!

Bonus entry: If you are a new or existing follower or subscriber, you can leave one extra comment telling me the way (or ways) you are following.

Note: If your comment doesn’t show up right away, it just means I need to click on it to approve it before it’s visible–I do this because of spam comments that sometimes come through!

 

 

Quick and Easy Chicken Salad

nceasyChickSalnmI originally saw this recipe on Pinterest and couldn’t wait to try it out! It’s from Real Mom Kitchen, and it’s a very quick and easy–as well as tasty–chicken salad that’s perfect for brunch, lunch, tea time, bridal and baby showers, and other gatherings. I added a little more green onion to mine and thought it would be good with some finely chopped almonds mixed in. I really liked this chicken salad! In addition to the green onion, it has red grapes, celery, and diced apple–a great mix of flavors with a slightly crunchy texture that’s just right.

If you’re making this chicken salad for lunch, it’s great served on a croissant, wheat bun, or whole grain bread…if you’re making this for a party or get-together, try serving it on mini-croissants. Or, you may just want to serve a big scoop of it on a bed of lettuce…

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…and sprinkle some sliced almonds on top! Yum!

QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN SALAD slightly adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

Makes 4 to 6 servings

  • 2 (12.5-ounce) cans of chicken (or 3 cups finely diced or shredded cooked chicken–rotisserie chicken would be good in this!)
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise or light mayonnaise
  • 1 cup red grapes, halved
  • 1 to 2 green onions, finely diced (I used 2)
  • 1 stalk celery, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup finely diced apple (I used a Pink Lady apple and thought that worked well with all the other flavors)
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped almonds, optional (you can also use pecans, walnuts, or cashews)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Add finely diced or shredded chicken (my canned chicken shredded really easily with a fork) in a  medium to large bowl. Then add the mayonnaise, halved grapes, diced green onion(s), celery, apple, and finely chopped nuts if desired, blending all ingredients well. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Serve on croissants, wheat rolls, or bread…or serve a big scoop on lettuce, sprinkled with some sliced almonds (or coarsely chopped pecans, walnuts, or cashews).

I love how easy this is to make and it tastes so good! Do you have a favorite chicken salad recipe?