roastbeefwrap

It’s Muscle Food time again – my weekly spot where I let you in on one of my favorite healthy recipes…

Obviously key to eating healthy is the ease with which you can make, transport, and find the ingredients needed for a healthy meal. My Roast Beef Wrap fits all three of these criteria, and it’s really simple – no cooking, very little prep and it tastes great.

You’ll need:

1. Lettuce leaves – I find the Boston or Romaine variety work best as they’re a good size and they’re more flexible.

2. ¼ pound of thin sliced, lean, no or low salt roast beef (available at most delis),

3. Mustard or mayo packet, or a combo of both.

4. ½ tomato, sliced (they’ll even slice it for you in the deli!)

5. ½ pear, sliced

6. 2 thin slices low fat cheese, or cheese substitute.

It doesn’t get any easier than this! Open up a few of the lettuce leaves, place them on a counter, or in your lap if you’re on the road. Make a little assembly line and in each leaf place an equal amount of beef, pear, tomato, cheese and a taste of your dressing. Then simply roll it up as you would any other wrap.

Now you can use any meat of your choice, but choose wisely. A lot of deli meats are highly processed and contain fillers. So choose the brands that are known for using quality ingredients. Any dressing is fine, just don’t use a lot and jack up the calories. Most stores sell single serving packets of ketchup, mustard, and many other condiments. It’s a good idea to keep these on hand.

You can even wrap the lettuce in a low carbohydrate, high protein / fiber wrap. Just keep in mind this will add anywhere from 90 -120 calories depending on the brand.  For added crunch and bulk, you can also add cucumber, carrot shreds, shredded cabbage – all available in the supermarket and very cheap.

My Roast Beef Wrap can also be made the night before at home and packed for lunch. If it takes you more than 5 minutes to make, something is wrong. The total cost? Maybe $3, depending on the price you paid for the meat. I suggest buying a pound of meat and keeping it in the fridge, then you’ll never be caught short.

Nutrition wise here’s how this low carb, high protein, high fiber wrap stacks up:

- ¼ Pound Roast beef = 160 calories, 4 grams of fat, 30 grams of protein

- Lettuce = Neglible calories, no fat, a little fiber

- ½ tomato = 10 calories, 2.5 grams of carbohydrates

- ½ Pear = 45 calories, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber

- 2 slices Thin Sliced Low Fat Cheese = 120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of protein

- Condiment = 50 calories, fat and carbohydrate dependent on use

Total = This comes in right around 385 calories, with 43 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 12.5 grams of fat + 3 additional grams depending on your dressing and 4 grams of fiber.

Sounds good? Give it a try and let me know how you like it!