Fit Fare

I’m always looking for fast lunches that are also healthy and tasty.  The October 2007 issue of Eating Well magazine caught my eye with a feature promoted on the cover as “Easy Lunches to Go.”  These recipes make one serving each, are all under 350 calories (some far under), and are completely portable.

I immediately made the Shrimp Cobb Salad.  It’s loaded with vegetables, and has some protein to keep you going through the afternoon.  Although the “recipe” calls for blue cheese dressing, you could switch it out with your favorite dressing, if you don’t like blue cheese.  I put recipe in quotation marks, because really this is just a recommended combination of ingredients.  If you don’t like something, swap it for something else.  Not a shrimp fan?  Use some leftover shredded chicken instead.  Cucumber doesn’t strike your fancy?  Try shredded carrot in its place.  Depending on what you switch out, you may change the nutritional analysis, but as long as you’re not loading it up with high fat add-ins (nuts, bacon bits, cheese), you probably won’t be making too dramatic a change.

This little salad makes a nice lunch any time of the year, but during the summer it’s especially cool and refreshing if you chill the lettuce, cucumber, and shrimp before serving.

Shrimp Cobb Salad

Combine 3 cups chopped hearts of romaine, 5 grape or cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced cucumber, 1 sliced hard boiled egg, and 5 cooked peeled shrimp (31-40 count) in a bowl.  Season with black pepper.  Serve tossed with 2 tablespoons light blue cheese dressing.

273 calories, 13g fat (3g saturated), 5g fiber.

picture from Eating Well magazine.