Clever title for the blog post huh?
Lets get down to business.
When I went to the farmers market last week, I found some great red leaf lettuce for ubber cheap. It was such a large head of lettuce, I had to figure out a way to eat it all because I hate wasting fresh produce. I came up with, what else- lettuce wraps. A quick and easy meal idea!This is a meal I have been preparing a lot for lunch and dinner. It's really great for dinner because it is light and easy to digest. Especially if you're having it with fish. What's also nice is that you can sub out any of these ingredients for things you prefer in your lettuce wraps. This is just one way to prepare it so hopefully it will inspire you to be creative with yours!
You will need:
(Everything is approximate. You can use as much or as little as you'd like. The more veggies, the better)
-3-4 pieces of lettuce
-1 cup of shredded cabbage (Spinach and romaine are ok, whatever you prefer! I just like the cabbage because it is has a different texture/crunch)
-3 tablespoons of diced raw onions (Maybe you prefer them sauteed in some olive oil?)
-1/4-1/2 avocado
-3 tablespoons of hummus
-4-6 oz of fish (I like cod or white tilapia. You can do salmon, shrimp, chicken. Just some type of protein. If you are vegan or vegetarian just leave out the meat! Consider adding cous cous or even quinoa and/or beans for protein)
You may choose to bake your fish, but a quicker way to prepare it is to pan fry it on medium heat for a few minutes on each side. Don't be afraid- you will only have to lightly spray the pan with olive oil. You're not
dunking it in lard. Still healthy.
Place whatever ingredients you'd like on the lettuce and roll that baby up!
I have found a really awesome garlic spread (garlic, basil, olive oil, lemon juice) and a roasted red pepper spread (hot peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, salt) that I've used instead of hummus. They are made with very simple ingredients- no preservatives or anything funky. The goal is to keep it simple and "clean." If you find this isn't filling enough, just have another wrap. I love brussels sprouts so sometimes I have a side of steamed brussels sprouts. Maybe half of a steamed yam or sweet potato?
This is to show you my portions.
Try diced tomatoes, zucchini, corn or bell peppers. When I prepare meals at home for myself, I am very aware of the unique flavors each ingredient already has and I put things together based on that. For those who are calorie conscious, I feel like this way of cooking/eating eliminates a lot of the unnecessary calories because when I cook, I don't need butter, tons of oil, salt/pepper or spices. I don't need store bought dressings and sauces that are filled with too much sugar, sodium, cholesterol etc. And I don't need things like CHEESE (can't have anyway), which people seem to love on everything (P.S.- Processed cheese is horrid. I will share an article I found later!). When I use to be able to eat whatever the heck I wanted, it was difficult to watch my portions. It was always so good that, if I didn't lick my plate clean, it'd feel like a sin...right? Now, I need to be careful with what I put into my body and how much I put into my body since I have daily struggles with my stomach, how I feel and the allergies I have. My palate has become accustomed to this simplistic way of eating. I've started to really appreciate everything for what it actually..NATURALLY tastes like. Give it a try :)
Thanks for reading!
Keep it simple & be creative.
