So sorry for the lack of posts lately! Since I’m crashing at my parents’ house post-breakup, I’m very out of my element when it comes to planning and cooking recipes for the blog. Usually, planning a menu, grocery trips, and cooking comes really easily to me. Turns out that’s a lot harder when I don’t have my stocked pantry, my own cooking tools and kitchen, the grocery stores I know.
In addition to all that, I’ve suddenly gone from working part-time at home to working full-time away from home. While full-time employment is a wonderful relief after months of battling with an evil job market, I have to admit that being home to make myself a hot lunch everyday was a luxury I was really enjoying.
So after a couple weeks of throwing together snacks, leftovers, or pre-packaged foods, I’m ready to find some ways to pack a more nutritious home-made lunch. And that finally gives me the motivation to get back to my menu-planning, pantry-stocking, cooking-up-a-storm self!
First packable lunch recipe: a delicious wrap filled with sweet coconut rice, sweet and spicy glazed tempeh, veggies, and salsa. The coconut rice is a spin on a restaurant version that was decadently rich with coconut milk and sweetener, and the tempeh is a spin on my own sweet glazed tempeh. Together they’re a great combination of sweet and mildly spicy. Mmm.
Coconut rice:
serves 2
1/4 C light coconut milk
1/4 C water
1/4 C brown rice
1 t maple syrup
Bring coconut milk and water to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice, cover, and simmer until rice is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Stir in maple syrup at the end.
Tempeh:
also serves 2
2 t canola oil
6 oz tempeh, sliced
2 T orange juice
2 T soy milk
1 T maple syrup
1 t sriracha*
* for those of you who are spice-tolerant, you can definitely add more – even double this
Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh and cook a couple of minutes on each side until lightly browned. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients together for the sauce. Add to the tempeh and cook until the mixture thickens, turning tempeh to coat.
For the rest of the wraps:
2 tortillas or wraps of your choice (I used Flat Out Multi-Grain with Flax)
1 1/4 C veggies, anything you’d like – I picked greens and cucumbers, and missing shredded carrots cause I was out
salsa or any kind of sauce you like
Spread rice on your wrap, add the other fillings, and roll up! If you are packing this wrap and it won’t stay closed, roll it in some wax paper and just tape the bottom closed. Now it’s lunch box ready!
Calories: 424; Calories from Fat: 196; Total Fat: 21.8g; Saturated Fat: 8.7g; Sodium: 1094mg; Total Carbohydrates: 42.2g; Dietary Fiber: 2.4g; Sugars: 11.3g; Protein: 20.3g
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