For busy people who want a quick grab-n-go meal, sandwich wraps are the perfect choice. Using only simple ingredients that you have on hand, you can put together delicious and healthy meals in minutes. They are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks whenever you are short on time or energy.
Here is a simple procedure to put a healthy and delicious wrap together in just a little bit of time. It’s quick, easy, and flexible and allows for your own tastes, the seasons, or for what you may have on hand at the time you make your sandwich wrap. Just take the ingredients you are using and layer them down the center of the wrap, leaving an inch or so at the bottom to close the wrap when you are finished.
1. Pick the kind of wrap that you want. Try soft tortilla shells, which come in plain or flavored varieties like, spinach, tomato, whole grain, and more. If you want to lighten up your wrap sandwich you could also try large lettuce leaves, kale leaves (just cut out the tough stem and use the soft leafy portion (raw or steamed), or try some cabbage leaves that have been lightly steamed.
2. Select a spread for the wrap base. This is what will go underneath all of your ingredients. Spread a layer, as thin or as thick as you like, on the wrap that you have selected. Here are a few ideas for ingredients to spread on your wrap: mayonnaise, cooked sweet potatoes, sour cream, olive tapenade, or plain or flavored cream cheese.
3. Pick a hearty filling. Place a filling or combination of fillings on the wrap down the center in a strip. Some simple ideas are: cheese (sliced, shredded, or crumbled varieties), tempeh, tofu (baked varieties), leftover cooked chicken (sliced thinly), canned or fresh cooked tuna or salmon, or hard-cooked eggs, etc.
4. Add some vegetables or fruit to the wrap. This is a painless way to get vegetables and fruit in your diet. Place your chosen vegetables or fruit on top of your filling. Here are some simple and flavorful suggestions:
Vegetable Suggestions: select a variety from broccoli slaw, fresh tomato slices or diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, peeled and thinly sliced jicama, marinated artichoke hearts, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, sliced mushrooms, sliced scallions, sliced roasted red peppers, sliced sweet bell peppers, very thinly sliced fennel, chopped or diced onion, thinly sliced cucumbers, etc.
Fruit Suggestions: dried cranberries, orange slices, diced or sliced apples or pears, peach slices, sliced strawberries or mango, raisins or dried fruit of choice, fresh blueberries or blackberries, sliced mango, diced cantaloupe or honeydew melon, etc.
5. Boost the flavor of your wrap. Add a little extra zip to your meal with some simple items that will accent your wrap sandwich. Depending on the fillings you have chosen, here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Crunchy/Salty/Spicy Flavor Toppings: cooked and crumbled bacon bits (regular or vegetarian), pickle relish, peanut sauce, a little chopped fresh herbs of choice like mint, basil, dill, oregano, or cilantro, chopped nuts, salsa, oyster sauce, or a sprinkling of soy sauce
Sweet/Spicy/Crunchy Flavor Toppings: nutmeg or cinnamon, granola (use your favorite flavors), chopped nuts, a spoonful of marmalade or all-fruit spread, a little chutney, shredded coconut, mini-chocolate chips, etc.
When you have everything added to your wrap sandwich, just fold up the bottom flap over your ingredients and then fold in each side, one over the other to close it.
A few simple and flavorful wrap sandwich ideas are listed to get you started making these quick meals in minutes.
- whole grain tortilla wrap, mashed baked sweet potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained and sliced), crumbled goat cheese, a couple of whole fresh basil leaves
- whole grain tortilla wrap, almond butter, avocado slices, crushed and drained pineapple, brown sugar
- spinach flavored tortilla wrap, cocktail sauce, (shelled, cooked, and chopped) shrimp, (canned and drained) mandarin orange slices, feta cheese
- whole grain tortilla wrap, almond butter, sliced peaches, sliced strawberries, honey, cinnamon
- spinach flavored tortilla wrap, basil pesto, cooked vegetarian sausage links sliced lengthwise, shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes
- whole grain tortilla wrap, tomato pesto, sliced hard-cooked egg, fresh spinach leaves, pitted and chopped black olives, spoonful of sour cream
- spinach flavored tortilla wrap, garlic hummus, canned tuna (packed in water, drained, and flaked), cottage cheese, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, radish sprouts, capers
- tomato flavored tortilla wrap, tomato pesto, cooked and mashed black beans, sliced cucumber, sliced roasted red peppers, shredded cabbage, crumbled goat cheese, sprinkle of dried basil, a drizzle of Italian dressing
Laura Cokherell, a cooking enthusiast, shares a wide variety of budget friendly meal ideas from breakfast to dessert, including more sandwich wraps, at Quick Salad Recipes.com. You will find a large selection of quick recipes for healthy, flavorful, natural meals that require a minimum of ingredients, time, effort and clean-up for the time-pressed world we live in.
Filed under Anytime, Breakfast, Dinner, Fat Burning Foods, Lunch, Meat, Negative Calorie Foods, Snack, Vegetable by on Nov 10th, 2009. Comment. 
To those people already enlightened about green or herbal tea here is another one to try – white tea. The benefits of white tea are profound and well worth investigating.
In fact, it has only recently been introduced to the United States and the western world in general as it has mainly been cultivated and seen throughout China and the rest of Asia for hundreds of years.
Usually you will find that as it is new white tea often suffers from distribution problems and so it may be harder to find on the shelves of your local store.
However, the benefits of this drink are unlike any other and researchers are just beginning to experiment with the different healing and medicinal properties of this tea.
A Better Choice Than Green Tea
For starters white tea has a better mix of antioxidents and caffeine, more of the former but less of the latter.
The facts alone that this tea contains less caffeine and more antioxidants are reasons why many should consider including a healthy dose of it in their diet.
Helping To Avoid Cancer
It is widely known that green tea may be helpful to the prevention of cancer, but the white variety appears to do a better job. In several studies it has been found that it seems to inhibit DNA mutations, which is what usually happens when some forms of cancer appear.
Secondly it is thought that white tea can inhibit the precursor to colon cancer and whilst research is ongoing to confirm this it is a certainty that white tea is here to stay.
The War Against Obesity
Obesity, the curse of the western world, can be fought with the aid of white tea as it contains more antioxidents than other varieties.
In fact researchers in 2009 found that an extract of tea put into fat cells actually caused them to break down.
Hopefully this article has illustrated that there are benefits of white tea worth investigating and that you could give yourself a boost by changing to it straight away.
Looking to find the best deal on benefits of white tea, then visit www.yoursite.com to find the best advice on white tea varieties for you.
Filed under Negative Calorie Foods by on Nov 11th, 2009. Comment.
Home brewing is something which has been popular for many years. Still, many are resolute that convenience is best for them and continue to drink only beer that they have paid for at a liquor store or at a bar. However, as with everything else in life, convenience costs. It may not be much at the time, but add it up over a years worth of parties, games, dinners and nights out and it starts to amount to a lot.
Paying for your own beer brewing supplies may not seem to make sense at first, as you will think to yourself that you could have a few nights worth of drinking for the same price and not have to go to the effort of ensuring that your brew tastes like it is supposed to. However, look at the situation beyond just a few weeks ahead and you’ll see that home brewing is a much better option. After the initial amount that you pay for the kit and supplies, which is little more than the cost of a few crates anyway, you’ll have the potential to make enough beer to see you through the next couple of months.
To some people, the idea of making their own beer is too much like hard work. That’s why we have major breweries to do it for us, is it not? Well, yes, the breweries are there to make your life easier, but think of it this way – it’s like eating out at a restaurant all of time compared to cooking at home yourself. At first restaurant food seems better than anything you could possibly cook yourself, but, with a little practice, you soon develop your own recipes that are superior. It’s exactly the same with beer brewing.
Beer brewing supplies are easily sourced. Most larger towns will have a specialist store that stocks the required equipment and ingredients, but don’t worry if your town doesn’t as there are plenty of suppliers on the internet. In fact, buying via the internet may be the best option anyway as the prices tend to be lower. Do a little online research first to find out what you need. There are various beer brewing forums that are full of like-minded beer lovers who will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
Once you have bought the necessary equipment and supplies, you will just need to follow the instructions that come with them. It is simple enough, just remember not to miss out any of the steps. Hands on learning and regular practice is the best way to make progress. Once you have the basics learnt, you can then start deviating from the standard processes in order to make your own special recipes. Brewing your own beer may sound like too much hassle but its really worth the effort.
Luke Porter is a home brewing beer enthusiast, and an expert author. You are invited to discover the simple secrets of brewing world class beer from the comfort of your home by reading his latest book, “Home Beer Brewing Secrets” – available online today!
Another excellent way to enjoy beer — and lose weight — is to make your own at home!
There are many ways to make this work — you control the ingredients so you can use only the best quality. Also, since you make it in small quantities you may not burn through a ”case” quite so quickly.
But the main way making your own beer may help you to burn away fat is that if you eat or drink quality, you don’t need as much to feel satisfied. We’ve discussed this before in our sister blog, Fat Burning Secrets (see – http://besthomecourses.com/FatBurningSecretsBlog/great-food-is-a-revelation-the-best-food-can-help-you-lose-weight-too )
… but it’s really quite simple — the better the food or drink, the less we consume.
If that sound impossible to you, please read the previous posting. I assure you it does work.
If you would like to learn more about the Art of Homebrewing — we have a great book for you!
The Beginner’s Guide to Homebrewing – Another Free Ebook from Best Home CoursesThe Beginner’s Guide to Homebrewing is written with the total “Newbie” in mind. It takes you by the hand and leads you step-by-step though everything you need to know and do to make beer at home.
It even tells you the absolute best way to make beer if you never have before (This easy method makes homebrewing your first delicious batch a total no-brainer.)
If you love BEER or know someone who does (there are some great gift ideas in the book!) — then you really need to consider making your own at home. Homebrewing is a very popular & growing hobby and one that will pay you back many, many times over the years.
Oh yes, did we mention that The Beginner’s Guide to Homebrewing is 100% FREE?
Click Here to get your free copy of The Beginner’s Guide to Homebrewing.
You will never regret it.
Filed under Negative Calorie Foods by on Nov 14th, 2009. Comment.
