Wheat Berry "Salad"

Stephen literally squeals with delight when I make this recipe for him. It really is worth getting the fresh ingredients, goat cheese, and coriander. And a little goes a long way, the wheat berries are VERY filling. 


Calories: 240
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked red wheat berries/hard winter wheat (You can get this at a natural foods store - it is quite inexpensive! See picture below.) 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons shelled pistachios 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (To go fresh, which I recommend, you will only need 1 lemon.) 
• 2 teaspoons honey 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (This was in my spice rack but it needed to be ground, so you might check yours and make sure you have a method of grinding it before you begin.) 
• 1/2 teaspoon grated, peeled fresh ginger (Look towards the bottom of the bin for a teeny piece of ginger so you don't have lots of extra.) 
• 1/2 cup golden raisins 
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 
• Crumbled goat cheese (This comes in a small tub at Wal-Mart, the remaining cheese is good on salads and pizzas.)

Preparation 

1. Place the wheat berries, 1/2 teaspoon salt in saucepan. Cover the berries with plenty of water, as if cooking pasta. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Drain. 
2. Place the pistachios on a cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Stir halfway through. Allow to cool, and chop. 
3. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, honey, coriander, ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl. 
4. Chop the green onions and cilantro. 
5. When wheat berries are done and have been drained, add them and the raisins to the mixing bowl. Combine. Cool to room temperature. 
6. Add nuts, green onions, and cilantro. 
7. Sprinkle with goat cheese just before serving. If you intend to refrigerate part of the salad, wait until serving to add cheese. Reheats well in the microwave.  
   
   

Low Calorie Pizza Crusts

Pre-made pizza crusts often have around 1000 calories in each crust - and that's before sauce, cheese, and toppings. These two individually sized options are significantly lower-calorie and super easy.

Lavash Bread Pizza

Calories: 260 (depending on the brand)
Servings: 1 pizza crust

Ingredients 

• Lavash bread (it is available at Wal-Mart, although it is not always in stock)

  

 Preparation

1. Assemble pizza with toppings as desired. We like fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach.
   
2. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet in a preheated oven at 350degrees for 10 minutes. I like to then broil the pizza for an additional minute or two to make the cheese golden-brown.
   
   

"Flatout" Wraps Pizza

Calories: 90-100 (depending on the flavor)

Servings: 1 pizza crust

Ingredients

• Flatout wraps (they have lots of different flavors to experiment with - we tried Italian herb which was yummy, but smelled funny, so don't put it next to your bread)

Preparation

1. Bake the wrap on an ungreased cookie sheet in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 7 minutes.
   
2. Assemble the pizza. It's good to add sauce and toppings all the way out to the edge to prevent burning.
   
3. Bake again for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Sugar Snap Peas

These things are my new favorite vegetable. I'm sure they've been sitting there on the Wal-Mart produce shelf for years, but I have only recently discovered them.

They are the easiest thing ever. If you are trying to eat more veggies - throw some of these in your cart. Poke holes in the bag, pop them in the microwave for 90 seconds, and sprinkle with a bit of salt. There aren't even directions on the bag for stovetop cooking. We love them and easily knock out a bag at dinner.

Easy Chicken Wraps

This is a much lazier version of a recipe I saw on a hummus container. My favorite thing about it is that you don't have to thaw the chicken. If you prepare everything and keep it in the fridge, they make great come-and-go lunches (Stephen says they are also yummy cold, but I always reheat the chicken).

Calories: 380 (with Mission wraps and reduced fat dressing) 
Servings: 6 ish


Ingredients

• 10 chicken tenderloins or 3 large chicken breasts
• Reduced or nonfat Italian dressing
• Wraps (we like the sun-dried tomato basil Mission brand-but you could easily reduce the calories by 100 by using a different kind)
• Fresh tomatoes, chopped
• Fresh spinach (or any other green of your choosing)
• Feta cheese (we used regular, but reduced fat would decrease the calories by a bit more)
• Hummus

Equipment

• Slow cooker 

Preparation

1. Place the chicken in a slow cooker - no need to thaw if frozen. Add 3 tablespoons of dressing. You will feel like you need to add more. Resist the urge, unless you want to waste dressing. Turn the slow cooker to the low setting.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. If you are cooking tenderloins, check back after 2 1/2 hours. For breasts, check after 3 1/2. You want the chicken to be fully cooked. Once it is, shred the chicken using two forks. Replace the lid and cook an additional 1/2 hour (this makes the chicken really moist and flavorful).
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Assemble the wraps! Spread a tablespoon or so of hummus on the wrap and then just pile everything else on to taste.