What's for Lunch?

My husband has to eat regularly and eat foods that are low in salt and cholesterol and do not spike his blood glucose levels. I really have to plan if I am not to spend my life in the kitchen. I try to save leftovers for lunch and sketch out the day’s menus in the morning, taking meat for dinner out of the freezer, etc. I often make chicken salad (from leftover chicken), tuna salad or egg salad for lunch while I am cleaning up from breakfast.

For sandwiches I use my own wholewheat bread and homemade mayonnaise. However, if your salt intake is not very restricted, you may not want to go to that extreme.

Basil Chicken Salad

1 grilled or poached chicken breast
2 tablespoons chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash table blend
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

Chop the chicken breast and add the celery, onion, basil and Mrs. Dash. Toss to mix. Stir in the mayonnaise and sour cream. Serve on a bed of lettuce surrounded by tomato and cucumber slices or use on wholewheat bread to make a sandwich.

Variation: Substitute curry powder for the basil and throw in some seedless grapes or cubed apple for a fruited, curried chicken salad.

Dilly Tuna Salad

1 4.5-ounce can low-sodium tuna
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash table blend
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

Drain the tuna. Put it into a bowl and break it up with a fork. Add the celery, onion, dill, Mrs. Dash and sour cream. Mix thoroughly. As with the chicken salad, you can either serve it on a bed of lettuce or use it to make a sandwich.

Curried Egg Salad

Cooking spray
1 cup egg substitute
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
Lettuce
Slivered Almonds

Spray a 2-cup, microwave proof, measuring cup with cooking spray. Add the egg substitute and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for another 45 seconds. Cool.

Put the cooked egg in a bowl and break it up with a fork. Add the curry powder, celery and onion. Stir in the mayonnaise and sour cream. Serve on a bed of lettuce and top with slivered almonds.

You can also make sandwiches adding the almonds and lettuce on top of the salad before adding the top slice of bread.

Leftover Beef Philly Cheese Steak

Beef is my husband’s favorite. I choose lean beef such as sirloin and marinate it before cooking. Even so I try to limit the amount of beef we eat at one meal, and I often have leftovers. Believe me, as much cooking as I do from scratch, I never waste leftovers. I slice the extras, put them in a zip lock bag and tuck them into the refrigerator drawer that used to hold purchased luncheon meats. They are ready to use in a sandwich for lunch. This is a special treat:

Cooking spray
1/4 bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 slices onion, divided into rings
garlic powder
2 slices whole wheat bread
thinly sliced leftover lean beef
2 thin slivers from a block of Swiss cheese*

Spay a small skillet with cooking spray. Heat and add the pepper and onion. Cook over low heat until done and soft. Season with a sprinkle of garlic powder. Meanwhile, toast the bread. Add the beef and cheese to one slice and put under a preheated broiler until the cheese begins to melt. Add the peppers and onions and top with the other piece of toast.

*Swiss cheese is the lowest in sodium, usually about 50 mg per ounce with 25 mg of cholesterol per ounce. I slice it thin with a cheese slicer using less than 1/2 an ounce.

Sides

Once upon a time, I added some chips and purchased dip to Sid’s lunch plate. Most chips are too high in fat and sodium so I do not use them now. On rare occasions I add a few organic blue corn chips with 80 mg of salt per 6 chips. They are cholesterol and trans fat free but do have some saturated fat. Usually, I just serve raw vegetables and/or fruit.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Celery

I was excited to find a new flavor of Mrs. Dash: basil, garlic and tomato. I tried it in the following:

4 ounces fat-free cream cheese
2 tablespoons cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash basil, garlic and tomato seasoning
Black pepper to taste
Celery stalks, cut into 2-inch sections

Put the cream cheese in a mixer bowl and beat until soft and fluffy. Add the sour cream, Mrs. Dash and pepper. Beat again. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the centers of the celery.

Veggies with Dip

4 ounces fat-free cream cheese
5 tablespoons cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Black pepper to taste
Baby carrots, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, etc.
Put the cream cheese in a mixer bowl and beat until soft and fluffy. Add the sour cream, dill, garlic powder and pepper. Beat again. I add a small custard cup to the luncheon plate and surround with veggies.

A Very Simple Fruit Salad

On most days I serve fresh fruit for dessert with lunch; however, for a little variety I make this simple fruit salad:

Fruits of your choice, cut into chunks
(I use bananas, apples and grapes or strawberries)
a handful of chopped nuts
Sugar Substitute to taste
Lemon or lime juice to taste

Combine all the ingredients and toss. Serve as a dessert to round out a luncheon menu.