Looking for delicious, nutritious options? Wrap it up!

A sponsored post for Helga’s Wraps

As you would know, I’ve been trying really hard over the past few months to change the way I eat: eating smaller portions, choosing more veggies and dropping the carbs. It’s been a bit of an adjustment, but now I am there, the better choices are coming easier and I am feeling better than ever.

While Rob and I are on board with it, it’s harder to bring three kids along with us (actually, the baby will eat anything) so it’s just the bigger two that can show resistance. They need as much re-training as we do!

One thing I have always found with my girls, and our endless number of nieces and nephews is that when it comes to eating better food and being more adventurous with what they eat, if it’s either cut up and put in the middle of the table AND then wrapped, it gets eaten. I don’t know the science behind this, but I’ve got 10 years of experience under my belt and I know that it works.

The magical wrap!

I’ve recently tried Helga’s own range of wraps (Wholemeal Lower Carb, Traditional White and Mixed Grain). In October 2016, Goodman Fielder commissioned the University of Newcastle to undertake a study which looked at the publicly available nutritional information of Australia’s 22 top selling wraps – representing 80% of the market in volume of sales . The study showed that Helga’s wraps contain 40% less salt than the market leader and none of the artificial preservatives. To view the report click here.

I thought I would share some of the meals that have been go-tos for me, and with the addition of the magic wrap: enjoyed by the girls as well. You don’t have to add salt to have a tasty meal…get creative with herbs and spices for other flavours to kick start your meals.

Dinner: Lamb with tomato & cucumber salad

Lamb backstrap is a great lean cut of meat that has been on high rotation around here. Portion size has been something I have been focusing on and have found that a 200-300g piece is actually enough for all of us so while this can be expensive, a small piece like this will do the trick. Bulked up with lots of salad, this has been a winner. Rob and I eat it as is, but the girls like it wrapped up in Helga’s Wholemeal Lower Carb wraps.

200-300g lamb backstrap
Sprinkle of cumin, coriander seeds and pepper (rubbed into meat)
1 vine of small tomatoes
1 cucumber
Handful of dill roughly chopped
Handful of goats cheese (crumbled)
Handful of pitted black Kalamata olives
Olive oil & pepper as dressing
Zest of one lemon
Helga’s Wholemeal Lower Carb wraps

1. On a piece of baking paper sprinkle on some cumin, coriander seeds and pepper then place the lamb on it and run into both sides.

2. Heat a frying pan with a small amount of oil until hot, then place the lamb on, leaving it for 2-3 minutes to form a crust. Turn and cook again for 2-3 minutes.

3. I like to eat lamb with it pink inside so I always set aside in a piece of foil to let it rest.

4. To prepare the salad cut the tomatoes into quarters and place into a large salad bowl.

5. Peel the cucumber in strips leaving a little of the skin aside so that when you cut it you get a stripy pattern. Cut into thick slices (1-2cms) and add into the bowl.

6. Crumble on some goats cheese (you could use feta if you prefer), as well as a handful of dill plucked off, some olives, the zest of a lemon and then drizzle with olive oil and pepper as a simple dressing.

7. Cut the rested lamb into slices about 1 cm thick and place on top of the salad to serve.

I take it to the table like this, with some wraps set aside for the kids.

Rob and I eat it as is, the girls eat it in the magic wrap! If I was to put this in front of them they would turn up their noses. With tongs and wrap? It would get tried, at least, and eaten!

Lunch: Roasted veggie wrap

A good trick I have also found has been roasting up a whole stack of veggies at the start of the week and having them ready in the fridge to go. They get added into salads or into my mouth pretty much every time I open the fridge, or thrown into wraps with some feta or goats cheese for an instant yummy lunch. You can use whatever veggies you like, the bigger the range of colours, the prettier and better for you it will be. Eat a rainbow!

Bunch of baby Dutch carrots (peeled and cut in half length wise)
Couple of zucchinis (diced into 1cm cubes)
1 red onion (quartered)
1 sweet potato (diced into 1cm cubes)
1 red capsicum (diced into 2-3cm cubes)
3-4 garlic cloves (skins on)
Olive oil & pepper
Helga’s Mixed Grain wraps

1. Prep all the veggies and throw them into a roasting pan with a good drizzle of olive oil and pepper. Throw into a hot oven (200 degrees fan forced) for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. I occasionally open the oven and give them a good toss around.

2. These then sit in my fridge for the week or if I have a fresh batch around lunchtime then it gets thrown into a Helga’s Mixed Grain wrap with some feta or goats cheese (whatever I have at the time) on a big bed of rocket or baby spinach (again, whatever I have at the time). Go hard with the leafy greens, they will fill you up and give you lots of iron!

SO yummy.

Dinner: Roasted tomato & chicken wraps

This has been a go-to lunch or dinner for Rob and I. A small amount of chicken (about 100g each) with some roasted tomatoes, chilli and then LOTS of greens. You can add in olives or capers for a burst of flavour too. With the addition of a wrap, the girls have this for dinner too.

1. Into a roasting pan add a carton or two of cherry tomatoes with a small drizzle of olive oil and pepper. Whack into a hot oven (200 degrees fan forced) for 15-20 mins. If I was doing this for just us and not the girls I would also add in some red chillies (cutting them into thirds with the seeds in) they are sweet and spicy and add such a great depth of flavour to the tomatoes.

2. While they are roasting, cut a chicken breast into smaller strips. Try and use organic if you can, I have found that one breast (around 400g) is more than enough for all of us.

3. Once the tomatoes are starting to get some colour, release their juices, take the roasting pan out and place the chicken strips in. Put it back in the oven for 12-15 more minutes or until cooked through.

For dinner I would then plate up for Rob and I a big amount of leafy greens (baby spinach or rocket or maybe both) place the chicken strips on, then the tomatoes on top. Again, add some olives or capers for a burst of flavour – even add in some of those roasted veggies you might have in the fridge.

For the girls? Serve with some wraps and dinner will be eaten. The Helga’s Traditional White wraps go well with this.

It’s a yummy and pretty healthy dinner option for us all. You can also prep the tomatoes and chicken at the start of the week and have cooked in the fridge ready for go for a quick lunch (just add a wrap).

You can find out more about the study commissioned by Goodman Fielder and the full range of Helga’s wraps here.

Do you find that wrapping food up helps it get eaten or at least tried by kids?
What is this magical phenomenon?
Does your family eat many wraps?

Comments

  1. Roasted veggie wrap looks beautiful for lunch. Cook enough for the week in one go, fantastic idea!!

  2. The centre of the table trick worked with Miss M, my granddaughter, now in remission from leukaemia. The chemo changed her taste buds and foods she liked , suddenly she hated. Putting food on plate was a struggle. A pile of vegetables on large plate in middle of table worked wonders. She could hep herself and always ate far more than she would have if I had served her food on a plate. Her dad and I deliberately made no comment on her eating. Just watched. Everything went down.

    • Jan I often think about your granddaughter and hope she’s doing well x

      • Thanks Beth. She has been declared in remission for some months, hair has grown back in honey blonde, big bouncy curls. Of course she wants it thick and straight. She will have regular tests for very many years down the track. Very many years. The diabetes and pancreatitis has gone with stopping certain chemo drugs but she occasionally has aching joints, a by product of treatment. She started high school yesterday!

  3. Yes we’ve discovered wraps here too. Since we discovered the burrito’s I’ve used the taco wraps thing but I’ve bought some wraps for work lunch. So easy. It’s like our alternative rice paper rolls and mostly we use chicken. The lamb combo looks so good. Will have to try that. Did not know that Helga’s was a better choice. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Linda Jenkins says

    When my kids were younger they loved DIY tacos = all the fillings in bowls and then choice of wraps or taco shells – winner every time

  5. Lisa Mckenzie says

    Good tips Beth I prefer wraps than bread!

  6. Can you please do more posts on cooking for toddlers? Not just recipes, but strategy! My 2.5 yo is driving me mad right now. Will eat nothing but fruit and maybe two other things. Is this just a phase???

  7. Yum! Your wraps are so gourmet! Do Rob and the girls realise how lucky they are to have you? I wish I was not the main cook these days, so over it! (And I don’t think I am that good at it either just quietly). Would love a cook! I love the idea of just chucking dinner into the wrap for lunch!

  8. I’m heading back to work this week (yay!) and I am definitely in need of some quick, delicious cook-ahead options for lunches and dinners. These all look great!

    Thanks Beth.

    I’ll be adding a rainbow of vegetables and some wraps to my shopping list.

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