Category Archives: lunch

Mediterranean Chickpea Wraps

It always cracks me up when people ask, “How do you resist eating all the things you bake??!” Um, I don’t. I eat the things I bake (and have gotten good at sharing), but I eat plenty of healthy foods too. It’s all about balance.

I’m lucky to live with a roomie who is a registered dietitian, so basically I watch what she eats and try to copy her. Girlfriend eats a LOT of raw veggies. A lot a lot a lot ALOT. Since living with SarBear the Veggie Queen, I’ve tried to sneak more raw foods and whole grains into my diet, and I’ve found that once I made a habit out of it, it started to be really easy to eat healthy things [most of the time].

I’m also lucky to have a job where I spend half my day running around after little munchkins, so that helps too. Keeping up with four-year-olds = burning mad cals.

After a weekend spent consuming 1298512721 gazillion chocolate bunnies and malted eggs and jellybeans, I wanted to share my favorite go-to healthy lunch. It’s quick AND good for you AND delicious. I probably make these Mediterranean chickpea wraps once a week! The chickpeas take a quick roll in a pan with spices and olive oil to get all crispy and flavorful, then you stuff ’em into a wrap with plenty of fresh veggies and voila…lunch! Eating a rainbow of veg TOTALLY negates any chocolate/baked good calories consumed.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

serves two

Ingredients

1 16 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder, depending on how much you like garlic!
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt, depending on taste
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 whole wheat or whole grain tortillas
2 handfuls romaine lettuce
1/4 bell pepper, chopped
handful grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cucumber, cut into slices then quartered
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
feta cheese as desired

Directions

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium for about a minute. Stir in the spices and allow them to infuse the olive oil for 10 seconds. Add the chickpeas and cook for 10 minutes, or until they begin to pop and brown. Assemble your tortillas (or leave out the tortilla to make a salad), lettuce leaves, and chopped vegetables. Divide the cooked chickpeas evenly over the two tortillas. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Wrap ’em up or leave the tortillas flat and eat with a fork!

Chicago Eating Tour: Vol. 3

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I owe you a BIG apology for the delay in Chicago Eating Tour posts. I know you’ve all been hanging on my every unbelievable-food-describing word. School started up last week and then I was in NYC this weekend and THEN I went to the eye doctor’s and had my eyes dilated and couldn’t see and walked straight into a large group of tourists (sorry I’m not sorry). This relates to nothing and I’m really just looking for an excuse to show you this picture and make you wonder if I might be part alien and/or werewolf.

Which I’m not, but thanks for the concern.

Let’s talk lunch.

When in Chicago, you must get a Chicago dog. And you MUST get said dog at Portillo’s with “the works”: mustard, relish, chopped fresh onions, sliced tomatoes, a pickle spear, and sport peppers on a poppy seed bun. Try to order it without any of these things and it’s like a scene out of a movie: the crowd goes silent, everybody stares, and the person behind the counter says “You want what??” and refuses to serve you. Trust me.

And, because I am Polish, it was a major requirement that I also get a Polish dog, which is basically the same as a Chicago dog but with kielbasa instead.

Nummers.

Mike and I had time for one final meal before flying back to Boston, and decided to stop at Grahamwich for a sandwich. I knew I had to go there based on the website alone. Seriously, check it out. Super cute.

Grahamwich has all kinds of awesome things on the menu, things that I am not cool enough to ever think of. Like the g’wich popcorn (topped with grated parmesan, chopped chives, sea salt, black pepper, and truffle oil) or the vanilla bean soft serve (which comes with warm nutella, caramelized banana, and marshmallow fluff). And don’t even get me started on the roasted banana and nutella croissant panini breakfast sandwich. Meow.

Mike and I opted to split the waldorf chicken salad sandwich, which had grapes, candied walnuts, crumbled gorgonzola, and shaved celery on multigrain bread, with a side of the g’wich “pickles” (various local veggies pickled right in the store). It was just enough food to make up for the excessive eating from the previous days.

Grahamwich also makes their own soda. It was a cool place that has a little something for everyone – highly recommended!

Sidenote: Grahamwich is next door to Posh, an amazing home goods store that has zillions of vintage and European flea market finds – glasses and plates and maps and napkins galore. An added bonus!