Quick Lunch Idea: Kale Salad Stuffed Pitas

Being prepared is the key to success, especially when it comes to healthy eating. I preach this to my health coaching clients all the time, but I’m going to be honest with you  — sometimes I’m really good about meal planning and prepping ingredients in advance, other times not so much. Most of the time it’s fine since i work from home and can quickly whip up something healthy but I’m trying to be better about it because it really does make meal time so easy throughout the week.

This week was one of those weeks that I was totally on top of things. On Sunday I made a batch of grilled teriyaki chicken, cooked a pot of lentils, roasted some butternut squash, and made a lemon kale salad with edamame. I’ve been doing quick salads with the lentils, chicken and butternut squash, but one of my favorite meals this week has been these kale salad stuffed pitas.

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m in love with the Food for Life Ezekiel pitas. I found them in the bread section at our local organic market and at Whole Foods in the freezer section. I kind of like buying the frozen version because 1.) they last longer and 2.) they’re super easy to defrost (just take the pita out to thaw in the morning to use later OR pop it into the microwave for about 25 seconds if you want to use it right away).

To make this little combo all you need is a pita pocket, hummus, cucumbers and the kale salad. Easy!

I stuffed the pita pockets right before eating but if I were packing a lunch, I’d probably bring all the components separately and stuff the pitas right before lunch so that they don’t get soggy. Although, I actually made up a pita to take blog photos one afternoon, put it in a storage container overnight and ate it for lunch the next day. Yes, the pita got a little soft, but it was still tasty so if you want to prep the pitas fully and pack them up, you totally can!

I do highly recommend making the kale salad in advance. This way the kale will have time soften and marinate in the dressing, making it extra tender and flavorful.

Quick Lunch Idea: Kale Salad Stuffed Pitas

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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size	1 pita
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 435 Calories from fat
% Daily Value
Total Fat 15g	23%
Carbohydrate 73g	24%
Dietary Fiber 13g	52%
Sugars 10g
Protein 25g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g

Serves 4     adjust servings

Ingredients

Kale Salad

• 1 bunch of kale, rinsed, de-stemmed and thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
• 2 cups shelled cooked and cooled edamame

Dressing

• juice and zest of one lemon
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Pitas

• 4 Ezekiel pitas, cut in half
• thin cucumber slices
• 1-2 Tablespoons hummus per pita

Instructions

1. Toss together kale salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Pour dressing over kale salad mixture and stir well to combine or use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale.

To make the pitas

1. Spread a little hummus inside each pita half, stuff with kale salad and cucumber slices, and serve.

by Brittany Mullins

Recipe Notes

You should have enough kale salad to make 4 stuffed pitas. If you’re only making one or two, just save the leftover kale salad to serve at another time.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size	1 pita
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 435 Calories from fat
% Daily Value
Total Fat 15g	23%
Carbohydrate 73g	24%
Dietary Fiber 13g	52%
Sugars 10g
Protein 25g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g

I hope you all like this recipe as much as I do and be sure to let me know if you try it. Leave a comment here or take a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I LOVE it when you try my recipes. It literally makes my day.

Build Up Your Blog

I have one more thing to share with you all today! My good blog friend, Gina (The Fitnessista), has just released an ebook called Build Up Your Blog for $12. I’ve been reading over my copy and loving the way Gina presents the info. It’s like you’re sitting down over a cup of coffee and she’s giving you her best blogging tips (friend to friend).

It’s 70 pages of info — from blogging basics to building relationships with your readers, growing your blog, monetizing your blog and how to work with brands. Gina has been blogging for six years, her blog is very successful and she has so much great info to share! And I’m not just saying this because she’s my friend. 🙂

I get a ton of emails from folks with blog questions or advice on how to grow their blogs and this guide is what I’m going to recommend now. If you’re looking to take your blog to the next level, definitely check out Gina’s ebook. FYI — I’m helping to promote the ebook and both links above are affiliate links.

Have a lovely evening friends. I’m headed to Pure Barre and then hopefully picking up my computer from the Apple store. Hooray!!