Ok, it’s not really but why can’t we pre­tend and just do it any­way! Since my “Brown Bag a Free Trip to Hawaii” post, I’ve been get­ting a lot of requests of what to put in those bags. Here are a few sug­ges­tions that are not only healthy, but very tasty! Bon Appetito!

Brown Bag Lunch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Pesto Grilled Chicken Sandwich

–bread choice (french or wheat roll, pita, Ital­ian bread)

–grilled chicken breast (make a few grilled chicken breasts ahead, we will use another in a    salad)

–let­tuce or sprouts and tomato

–pesto (store bought at Trader Joes or local market)

Put the sand­wich together (put a dash of salt and pep­per on too) and “Pesto!”, you’ve got a gourmet sand­wich!  Pack a mini fruit cup with straw­ber­ries and apple slices to round off your meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Not Your Typ­i­cal Tuna Salad Sandwich

–bread of choice (eng­lish muf­fin for a lit­tle twist)

–small can of white tuna packed in water

–light mayo, salt and pepper

- radishes for your crunch and a lit­tle spice

–avo­cado

–let­tuce or sprouts

Mix the tuna and mayo together. Sea­son with salt and pep­per. Assem­ble sand­wich with tuna, then radishes and then avo­cado. Pack baked tor­tilla chips and salsa as your side and a piece of fruit such as a banana.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Chicken and Pesto Pasta Salad

–1 cup uncooked far­falle pasta, spi­ral or penne pasta

–1 cup cut up grilled chicken breast

–1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

–1 tbsp pit­ted kala­mata olives

–3 table­spoons of pesto (remem­ber you still have some from your sand­wich ear­lier in week)

Mix it all together, add s & p to taste and you have a fresh, gourmet tast­ing salad. Maybe bring a piece of dark choco­late as your treat today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Chicken Pitas

- mix 1 tbsp bal­samic vinegar,1 tsp oil packed sun-dried toma­toes and it’s oil, 1 minced small gar­lic glove and a dash of salt & pep­per. (to your liking)

–then add to above mix­ture, 2 cups shred­ded chicken, 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato, 1/4 cup asi­ago cheese and 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (if you want a lit­tle kick of heat add a dash of red pep­per flakes)

–this is enough for 2–3 pitas. stuff the pitas with the chicken mix­ture and some greens of your choice such as a nice Ital­ian mix

–you’re not lim­ited to using pita, it works great in a tor­tilla wrap or any type of bread

–Pack some fresh fruit such as grapes and you have a per­fect meal.

TIP:

A few of the recipes above make more than one serv­ing. Dou­ble up and just make 2 or 3 of the recipes for the week. Notice pesto is used twice and chicken 3 times to make it a lit­tle easier.

Don’t be sur­prised if you lost a few lbs by the end of the week. These are very healthy and energy pro­duc­ing meals! Eat and enjoy guilt free.

In case you’re won­der­ing, my favorite is the pesto chicken sand­wich. If you don’t have chicken avail­able, sub­sti­tute turkey from the deli. I try to use wheat bread to be healthy, but once in a while a great Ital­ian roll is soooo good with this recipe!