Bagel Sammich!

I struggle a lot with healthy lunches. Something portable, delicious, and healthy. I have been known to eat 3 packs of fruit snacks and a bag of chips for lunch. Yikes! I always pay for my bad lunch choices, because by days end Im exhausted, hungry, and grumpy. And then that turns into not wanting to make a healthy dinner because Im so "tired" (really Im just hungry), so I end up eating 6 slices of facon and some goldfish. I go to bed feeling awful and the cycle continues.

So I have started planning my meals for the week, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its more work at the beginning of the week, but having my meals planned saves me stress throughout the week, and I make sure to get the nutrients I need. My challenge now that I have been planning is that after I eat something for a week, I get sick of it and have to try something new.

Salads are great, but I usually need to take a break from them after a few weeks. So this week Im trying something new, a bagel sandwich. Im using vegis I like, but this is really flexible, so use the vegis you have or look nice in the grocery store:

Healthy bagel sandwich

Ingredients: 1 serving, increase as needed

1 whole wheat bagel(ALWAYS check the bagel label and make sure 1st ingredient is WHOLE WHEAT FLOWER)

A "smear" of homemade scallion cream cheese(recipe to follow)

2-4 slices of red onion

Handful of baby spinach

12-15 Capers(if you like them,  since Im a salt-aholic, these are my guilty pleasure)

Carrots, shredded

1 slice of tomato

Any other vegis you like

HOMEMADE SCALLION CREAM CHEESE:

Making your own flavored cream cheese is super easy, and healthier because you dont get all the added chemicals most flavored cream cheese have. This should keep for 3-5 days, depending on your storage container.

8 ounces low fat or fat free cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup chopped scallions(2-3 scallions)

1 tbsp milk

pinch of salt then salt to taste.

Place cream cheese, scallions, milk, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth.