Recently I was trying to think of what to fix for lunch and I opened one of my treasured Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks and found a recipe for a cold pasta salad. It combines some of my favorite flavors – sun-dried tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese. Though I didn’t have every ingredient that was listed, I knew I could improvise and make something very similar to the recipe on the page. I love her recipes and knew it would be delicious.
I’m excited that we have a couple weeks at home! That means I get to cook for us, which requires planning ahead. I’m going to go for some good protein and low fat meals. I have gone to my Pinterest boards and pulled some new recipes to try. Healthy and delicious, is my goal! If you need some inspiration for your menus this week, check below for some scrumptious suggestions!
About two weeks ago, I posted a little video on Instagram of lunch being made. I fixed a Turkey Sloppy Joe that day. It’s such a great midday meal! I found this healthy and hearty Sloppy Joe recipe on the Weight Watchers site. It makes a lot, so I know I have many servings ready! This is great for fixing for a group, or just your family’s weekly lunchtime. Don’t let “Weight Watchers” make you leery! This is simply lower in calories because it’s made with ground turkey. The flavors are incredible!
I often find lunch a difficult meal to make. I could probably fix a different kind of sandwich every day and be a happy camper, but I try to limit bread, so I don’t want to make us sandwiches very often. So what are we to have that will be filling, healthy and delicious?
I found this recipe for Fresh Taco Salad in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine years ago and found that it was the perfect recipe for lunchtime! It has all the taco flavors we love served in the form of a healthy salad.
This comes together in minutes, making it a easy to prepare for a lunch meal!
We had a sandwich fellowship at church recently and I brought this Stromboli. It’s such a great “lunch-y” type food that is special, but super easy! I’m sharing this recipe again because it deserves to be highlighted!! If you have made this yet, I hope you’ll put it on your menu this week!
If you don’t own a Gooseberry Cookbook, I’m telling you, you’re missing some great recipes! I have one that’s for entertaining that is full of promises of happy things! There’s not a recipe in there that’s not been really good!! I recently pulled it out looking for a quick and inexpensive lunch-type food I could serve for after church Sunday night. I came across this recipe for Easy Stromboli and was sure I’d found a winner…I was right!
This is appropriately named Easy, becuase it was a cinch to make. Frozen bread dough also makes the prep fast and inexpensive. I bought a package of 5 loaves for a little over $4 at Kroger. I also made it and baked it before we went to church. Then when we got home, I just warmed it in the microwave. It was a quick light meal to use to entertain friends!
Here’s a picture of the easy steps:
Easy Stromboli
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed 2 eggs, separated 2 T. oil 1 t. dried oregano 1 t. dried parsley 1/2 t. garlic powder 1/4 t. pepper 4-oz. pkg. sliced pepperoni – I used Turkey Pepperoni 8-oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese 1 T. grated Parmesan cheese
Roll out bread dough into a 12×15-inch rectangle; set aside. Combine egg yolks, oil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder and pepper together; spread over dough. Arrange pepperoni and mozzarella cheese on top; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Roll up; place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush with egg whites; bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
I served it with some pizza sauce alongside for dipping. Yum!
Have you ever had Stromboli? I’m not sure I’d had it before I made this, but it will definitely be on repeat from now on!