That being said, I really do like tuna. As I was rummaging through my fridge/pantry wondering what I was going to make last night, I came across a can. I also just happen to get my new shipment of feta from ATHENOS. A light bulb went off!

What if I make tuna salad with feta instead of mayo?! I had this great Lemon Garlic Oregano flavor that would be perfect with tuna. So I chopped up some veggies and gave it a shot.

SO glad i did! This was totally delicious, light and super easy. I really felt like I was eating something from the deli. It made a great summer wrap but you could top a bed of greens with it or even eat it straight up.

This is how I made it but you may want to add some onion. I’m not the biggest fan of raw onion so I tend to forget about it for salads but even I think a bit of chopped red onion would be great in this!

If you can’t find the Lemon, Garlic & Oregano Feta, don’t fret, just bump up the lemon juice and oregano to make up for it. You could even add a sprinkle of garlic powder.

• 1 5oz chunk light tuna packed in water, drained
• 1/4 cup (34g) ATHENOS Lemon, Garlic & Oregano
• About 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
• About 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
• About 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or more to taste)

Combine all ingredients.

It doesn’t get any easier then that!

Here’s what half the recipe looked like on my wrap. I’d say it was about a cup but I didn’t really measure it. I just eyeballed half and enjoyed the wrap last night for dinner.

I just made the other half and had it for lunch. It’s totally good the next day, if not better. :)

Here’s the nutritional information for just the salad, no wrap

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have partnered with ATHENOS Feta to serve as one of ATHENOS Change for the Feta Bloggers. I am compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes blogging about my cooking experiences with ATHENOS Feta. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for my Change for the Feta creations. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Click here to see all my Feta Ideas!!

*sigh*

Sometimes I just get into these blah funky moods. So instead of throwing myself a pity party I decided to lock myself in the kitchen. Well… there’s no lock but you get my point. :) I find cooking just an outlet for me anymore. I’m happiest in the kitchen. I really am.

Anyway… since it was only me and little guy for dinner I decided to do something with the Red Quinoa I bought at the Trader Joe’s the other day. I’ve never seen it before. If you are new to Quinoa check out my old Food Find about it. It’s new for me as well.

Last night I mixed it with some skillet veggies, topped it with feta and bit of green tabasco.. oh.my.word! TASTY! and so so simple! Little guy wasn’t impressed, he’s a bit intimidated my Quinoa but I’m working on him! ;)

• 1/2 cup uncooked Quinoa
• 1/2 sweet onion chopped
• 1 medium zucchini chopped
• 1 bell pepper chopped
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 oz crumbled Feta Cheese
• Green Tabasco to taste

Bring the Quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover, reduce to a simmer and LEAVE IT ALONE for at least 15 minutes. I have a hard time with this leave it alone thing, can you tell?

While the Quinoa is being left alone ;) we’re going to make the skillet veggies exactly like we did for the Skillet Veggie and Feta Tacos.

Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the onion and cook for at least 2 minute so that the onion just starts to burn.

Toss the onion around a bit and then add the remaining veggies.

Sprinkle with a bit of Kosher salt and pepper. Toss to coat everything and then cover. Don’t touch it for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes uncover, add the cumin and cilantro. Toss to coat everything and cover again for 2 more minutes.

Once the 2 minutes are up you should have something that looks like this…

By this time your Quinoa should be about ready. It should look like this…

Shut off both burners and mix the cooked Quinoa with the veggies. Split into two equal portions around 2 cups each. Top each with 1/2 oz of feta and a dash or two of Tabasco, if you like.

YUM! I just ate my leftover portion for lunch. It’s wonderful at room temperature!

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have partnered with ATHENOS Feta to serve as one of ATHENOS Change for the Feta Bloggers. I am compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes blogging about my cooking experiences with ATHENOS Feta. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for my Change for the Feta creations. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Click here to see all my Feta Ideas!!

I couldn’t believe how many people recommended the watermelon feta combo to me. I’ve never heard of such a dish and frankly it sounded weird. Why ruin a perfectly good watermelon with feta cheese. That makes NO sense! But then I thought about Mandarin oranges on Asian salads, apples in a Waldorf salad and even my own Red White and Blue Sweet Summer Salad! Those are all examples of fruits in salads, why not watermelon?

When I saw Smitten Kitchen’s chopped vegetable, watermelon and feta salad I knew I had to give it a try. I always just imagined watermelon and feta, never once thinking of adding other veggies!

I used what I had on hand and the result was tasty! The soft sweet textured watermelon, the firm kohlrabi, the crunchy pepper and the salty feta was interesting to say the least. I think the most surprising thing about the salad was how yummy green peppers and watermelon are together.

Next time I may replace the kohlrabi with cucumber. I just thought I’d use it up since I had it in the fridge. Cucumber would probably be a better match. The kohlrabi was almost a little too firm. At least the one I had was.

I just finished the leftovers for a snack and it is one of those dishes that gets better with age. :)

• About 2 cups of watermelon cubed
• 1 small-medium kohlrabi cubed
• 1/2 large green pepper cut into squares
• 1 oz feta cheese cubed or use crumbled
• 1/2 tsp dried mint

Combine the watermelon, kohlrabi, pepper and feta.

Toss.

Sprinkle with mint.

It makes 2 servings 3 cups each but Irish was too chicken to try it. :)

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have partnered with ATHENOS Feta to serve as one of ATHENOS Change for the Feta Bloggers. I am compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes blogging about my cooking experiences with ATHENOS Feta. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for my Change for the Feta creations. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Click here to see all my Feta Ideas!!

To my surprise… it was a complete hit! Everyone like it and I got tons of compliments. I guess people could have just been being polite but I think these pictures say it all…

Before party…

After Party…

They devoured it!

I love when this happens. It makes me feel good to feed good healthy food to people. Sure I could have bought fatty ground beef and simply mixed it according to the manwich package but that’s no fun. ;) Why not veg it out? It stretches the meat, adds vitamins and volume while making it lighter and more flavorful. It’s a win-win in my book!

• About 1.25 lbs (20oz) lean ground beef (at least 90%)
• About 1.25 lbs (20oz) lean ground turkey (at least 90%)
• 1 large Vidalia Onion diced
• 3 stalks of celery diced
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• 2 green peppers diced
• 1/2 bag baby spinach chopped
• 1 15.5 can Manwich
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 6oz can tomato paste

Brown the meats with the onion and all the veggies. I started with the meats and onion in a large stock pot and then cut the veggies in order adding them and stirring them in the pot.

Transfer the browned meat and veggies to my slow cooker, add the manwich, tomatoes, and paste. Cook on High for at least an hour and then lower to low for the party.

You could add the manwich, tomatoes and paste directly in the stock pot and heat through. Then just keep it on simmer until ready to serve.

I served with a variety of rolls. Some people were even eating it straight up!

I’m not going to do Nutritional Info because honestly I have no idea how many servings it is. I fed about 13 people but everyone took varying amounts. For my fellow Weight Watcher friends I’d count a half of cup as 2 points but that’s just based on "Roni Math" it’s not scientific at all.

• 1 thick slice of sweet onion chopped
• 1/2 of a sweet orange pepper chopped
• 1 tbsp real bacon bits
• 2 large leaves of fresh kale chopped
• 2 oz cooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie that bought the other day)
• 1 whole wheat low-carb tortilla
• Olive oil non-stick cooking spray
• kosher salt

Spray a small non-stick skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until browning. You want the flavor. Once brown add the pepper. Sprinkle the peppers and onion with a bit of kosher salt. Add the bacon bits and lower to medium heat. Stir and let the flavors combine a bit.

Add the chopped kale and stir in. It will start to wilt. Add the chicken, stir to combine and cook until warm. About another 1-2 minutes.

Pour the chicken, kale and pepper filling into a the tortilla. Wrap and eat!

I’m basing the nutritional information on a standard low-carb whole-wheat tortilla that is about 90 calories. The WWP are based on total nutritional info but if you count points for just the tortilla, chicken and bacon bits (everything else is free) it’s about 4. That’s why I put it in parenthesis.

With the tacos I usually like to make at least one side dish that actually ends up being my taco filler as it’s usually bean based like Spicy Black Beans and Zucchini. Well last night was no different except I had a craving for crunchy chips dipped in salsa. So I decided to make a hearty salsa/taco filler with what I had on hand. This is what I came up with. . .

• 1 15oz can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (preferably petite but I didn’t have any)
• 1 7oz can corn drained
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 2 thinck slices of sweet onion diced
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp tabasco sauce
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried cumin

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

We dipped baked scoops in it and used it as salsa on our tacos. Actually I used it as my taco filling. I didn’t even miss the meat. ;)

I loosely measured out 9 1/2 cups so I’m going to use that as a serving.

Here’s what I did but this is the kind of meal I’d change slightly every time I make it.

• Thick slice of sweet onion chopped
• 2 small to medium bell peppers chopped (I used 1 red and 1 green)
• 1 small can (8.5oz) corn undrained
• 1 can (15oz) kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• 1-2 tsp hot sauce (to taste)
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup (80g) uncooked bulgur
• 1 cup water

Spray a a medium to large pot with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and cook until just browning.

Add the peppers, stir i cooking for about a minute. Then add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid!

Uncover, stir, scoop out a cup and top with a bit of shredded cheese and cilantro. I packed up the other 3 servings for lunches. This one will freeze well.

It.was.WONDERFUL!

No dirty looks. No questions. No arguing. No dealing. I simply cooked what I wanted and enjoy a pretty, healthy, vegetable filled meal.

Is it sad that I like to cook for myself? I mean, I’d love a family that was more adventurous but since they aren’t I look for opportunities like tonight to experiment. It makes me happy. :)

• 1/2 sweet onion diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 celery stalks (with leaves) diced
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric (You can skip if you don’t have it)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (84g)
• About 2 cups baby spinach loosely chopped
• 2 bell peppers (I used yellow)
• kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees

Heat a pot medium pot over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and saute the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch or two of salt. Continue cooking and stirring for a few minutes until the onion softens and look a little transparent.

Add the curry and turmeric. Stir to coat everything. Then add the water and quinoa. Bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile. Half the peppers longways and remove the seeds. Place in a casserole dish and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

When the quinoa is done, mix in the spinach. It should start to wilt immediately. Then stuff the peppers sprinkle with a little more salt and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Here’s a few more pics because they are so darn pretty!

And even though the little guy didn’t eat them he was fascinated by the photo taking. :)

Anyway, I wanted to make a quick brunch and I happened to have a can of refried beans opened from some quesadillas I made on Thursday with the little guy. You guys know me and my pizza addiction so it shouldn’t be that much so this idea shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.

I only made one today and the toddler asked for a bite. He said he didn’t like yet he kept asking for more. You be the judge. lol

• 1 whole wheat/low carb tortilla (I made a list of 1 point tortillas here)
• 1/4 cup fat free re-fried beans (60g)
• 2 tbsp of our favorite salsa (30g)
• pinch of kosher salt
• about 1/4 cup diced peppers (I used a mix of red and green)
• 1 oz mozzarella cheese (or Mexican cheese blend– I just didn’t have any :)
• Sprinkle chili powder and dried cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pierce the tortilla with a knife a few times and bake for about 2 minutes until crispier.

Mix the beans, salsa and salt together. Smear it on the tortilla. top with the peppers and cheese. Bake for about 5 minutes.

After pulling it out of the oven sprinkle with chili powder and cilantro.

Nutritional information will depend on the tortilla you use. Approximate nutritional information based on the brand I used.

Western omelets have always been my favorite. The combination of onion, peppers and ham with egg dipped in ketchup is a little taste of breakfast heaven for this breakfast lover.

The little guy had NO interest in them at all. :( I can’t get him to eat eggs anymore even though they were such a staple for us for so long. I’m sure it’s just a phase so I’m going to keep offering. :)

• About 2 oz thinly sliced deli ham
• 2 thick sliced of sweet onion diced
• About 1/4 of a large green pepper diced
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• non-stick cooking spray

preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray in a 12 cup mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Depending on the size of your ham slices cut them in half, form a small cone and place in the mini muffin pan like this. . .

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until just starts to brown. Add the peppers, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for another minute before shutting off the heat.

Whisk the egg and egg white together with a bit of salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked onion and peppers.

Using a tablespoon scoop the egg mixture into the ham cups.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the egg is firm.

Enjoy!

I ate the whole batch, but you could totally share and pair with a slice of whole wheat toast or something. Just a thought. :)

I do have to say I took leftovers to work today and the soup just gets better with age. :)

Here’s what I did… I went a little picture happy.. be warned. :)

• 1 medium sweet onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1 15oz can of corn drained
• 1 15oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
• About 12 cups stock/broth
• 1 lb cooked chicken/turkey meat
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice (I used brown basmati)
• 3 oz tomato paste (1/2 of a small can)
• 1 tbsp tabasco
• Kosher Salt
• Non-stick cooking spray

Prepare the rice according to package.

While waiting for the rice to cook, heat a large stock pot over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just turning transparent.

Add the diced peppers, chili powder, cilantro and cumin.

Stir, combining flavors and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the corn and beans cooking for another minute.

Add the broth and crank up the heat to high. We want to bring the pot to a boil.

While waiting for it boil (it’s going to take awhile there’s a lot of broth!) stir in the tomato paste and chicken.

By this time the rice should be done. Add it to the pot (note: if it’s not done just wait until it is)

Add the tbsp of tabasco.

Once the pot boil lower to a simmer. I ate immediately but the soup really did get better as the soup simmered.

Here’s a few more shots. I’m having fun with my new camera. Can you tell? :)

No nutritional info. Soup is just too variable for me and I didn’t measure how many serving I created. I would count a bowl to be about 3 points but that’s just my estimate.

I stayed home from work today and when I got hungry I reached for the leftovers, of course. I mean what else is there in the fridge the week after Thanksgiving? I had a plate full of turkey and some veggies. All I needed to make a tasty lunch. :)

• 1 slice of sweet onion chopped
• 1/2 of a small bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 small tomato diced
• 2 oz leftover turkey meat (or ay leftover protein)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large tortilla or two small (I used a Flat Out Wrap)
• 1 oz fancy shredded mexican cheese blend
• non-stick cooking spray
• Kosher salt

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until just browning.

Add the peppers and lower the heat to medium.

Add the tomato, turkey, and spices. The juices should come out of the tomato holding everything together. Cook, stirring for about a minute letting the flavors merge. Shut off the heat.

Warm a larger skillet over medium heat. Lay the tortilla in the pan sprinkling it with 1/2 of the cheese. Add the turkey mixture, top with the remaining cheese then fold over. Weigh it down with something like a kettle full of water.

Cook for about 2 minute until the side down browns and gets crunchy. Flip and cook for another minute.

Serve with salsa! :)

No time to do nutritional info, it will depend on your tortillas anyway. For my WW friends, I count this as 5WWP using the light Flat Out Wraps.