Lemon Orzo & Asparagus Salad and a huge Sandbox

Happy Monday! Who am I kidding.. ugh.. it's Monday..

This weekend managed to be a very productive one! As I've mentioned in earlier posts we are doing a LOT around the house for the summer. One of the bigger projects is the backyard. We are expanding our patio area, I'm starting a garden, and we have ordered mini-man a swing set for his birthday, and the husbutt had the idea to put it into a big big sandbox (I'm talking 24' x 16' sandbox, aka an estimate of 14,000 POUNDS of sand). So this weekend was phase one, build the sandbox frame. We called in some back up (aka my parents), and decided to bar-b-q for dinner, so my mom and I cooked while all the boys built. 

So anyway, I decided to try a new recipe I found on Pinterest while the grill was going, and it was AMAZING. 

Its a (very) lemony orzo salad. Of course as usual I added a few of my own twists to it. We didn't have tomatos, just sundried tomatos, but since I'm the only one of the 4 people eating who like sundried tomatos, I had to leave them out. I also have one hell of a time finding Orzo in any of the food stores here (weird? yes I think so) but I found Riso pasta (aka shorter orzo) so I used that isntead. We added black olives (awesome move) and a bit more garlic than what was called for, and a little less olive oil. Point being, it came out great! 

It's a bit high in calories because of the pasta. I'm estimating one serving to be around 280 calories. But its defintely worth it, with a piece of grilled chicken cut up on top of it! 

Here's the link to the original recipe!

Last Nights Tuna/Veggie Salad!

I'm on a tuna kick. It rarely happens, but when it does.. I want tuna, ALL the time. I go in and out of stages of liking tuna, this week.. it's on. Last night I wanted something fresh, with a crunch, and with tuna. I should mention that if you're not a tuna lover, this would taste AMAZING with chicken, or even chick peas if you want to go full out vegetarian with it.

So here's last nights dinner!

Lets Break this down:

1 can of Tuna: 100 Calories

1/4 cup Carrots: 14 Calories

1/4 cup Corn: 30 Calories

1/4 cup Tomato: 7 Calories

1/4 cup Cucumber: 5 Calories

Two Chopped Scallions: 1 Calorie

Topped with Salt, Pepper, Dill and Lemon juice

So for just about 150 Calories, I had an amazing tasting, fresh salad!

..and it was GREAT!!

Pasta Bento.. mmmm

Last night for dinner I made a crock pot Pot Roast, my husband and I had it over pasta. It was deeeelicious. But that also meant, lots of left over pasta. So I decided to make a really quick pasta salad for todays Bento.

Breakdown:

Carrots: 22 Calories

Hummus: 70 Calories

Pasta: 105 Calories (1/2 cup)

Olives: 20 Calories (2 tbs)

Chick Peas: 52 Calories (1/4 cup)

Fresh Cucumber: 2 Calories (1/8 cup)

Fresh Broccoli: 8 Calories (1/4 cup)

Kens Light Olive Oil & Vinegar Dressing: 50 Calories (2 tbs)

I also chopped up some scallions from my ever growing Scallion Re-Plant to throw on the top of the pasta salad, but I did that after I took the picture.

Tota: 330 Calorie Lunch

Sick of the same old lunch..

I'm currently on the hunt for some quick/easy/low calorie lunch options that I can take to work. I feel like I'm falling back into the "soup or lean cuisine lunches every day" cycle that I fell into a year and a half ago. I've been asking around and here are some of the suggestions I've gotten so far:
 

American Bento Boxes (I will absolutely post as I make these, should be fun!)
 

My best friend gave her favorite: "I always make this sandwich: 2 hard boiled eggs, raw baby spinach, cheese and hummus on whole wheat bread... delicious and high protein!" (I'll be trying this)

Another friend suggested: "Pita, humus, bag 'o baby carrots, some walnuts"

Of course, the ever popular salad. As long as I partner it with some carbs or protein, my stomach can handle it. 

Lean Cuisines have been a long standing favorite of mine, (specifically the Panini's). Quick, easy, pop it in the microwave and it already has the calories counted out for you. However, they are definitely loaded with sodium, which can leave you bloated feeling and retaining a bit of water. They're great if I didn't have the time the night before to pack a lunch, or don't have time to run out to grab something. I always make sure theres a Lean Cuisine in the work freezer, just in case. But eating a Lean Cusine every day gets boring, and isn't always the healthiest option. Homemade lunches, and fresh foods, definitely give you more nutrients and if done right, can either be just as low calorie or lower.

What's your favorite low calorie work lunch?