Hot dinners have always been our thing. In fact, we find a heated dinner meal to be so much more satisfying than a cold one—even if it’s a cold meal that we love. We think it must be something about the way we grew up. After all, as kids, our cook-it-from-scratch momma prepared us quick lunches that were brown bagged and on-the-go, but at dinner, when we’d meet up with the rest of the fam (here’s lookin’ at you, dad and Alex—our older brother 😉 ) meals we’re slow cooked and hot like jalapenos! (Pssst… our Turkey Stir-fry Fiesta, Lentil Vegetable Soup and our One-Pot Black Bean Quinoa Chili with Avocados were inspired by our mom’s hot dinners.) But for lunches, we’re cool as clams about the cold lunches we’d eat back then and that we grab now.
Although our go-to lunches that usually require no heat are easy to grab-and-go and eat wherever, sometimes it’s nice to feel like you put a little more effort into your food and made something a little bit special. We all deserve a treat! That’s how making this apple, brie and arugula flatbread makes us feel. The best part about this though is that it actually is really easy and takes hardly any time, with a total of 4 ingredients! You can pack the ingredients separately, throw them together at work, and while it’s best heated in a toaster oven for just a couple minutes, you can toss it in the microwave too (it just won’t be quite as crispy) or you can even eat this cold! This yummy treat has fruit, greens, protein, dairy and whole grains so you’re packing a pretty great nutritional punch too!
Psst… a lil secret about arugula— arugula delivers a lot of bang per bite! It’s a cruciferous veggie like our green lov-ah 😉 – kale and like cauliflower, and has antioxidant benefits and flavonoids with benefits such as lowering blood pressure, preventing cholesterol from sticking to arteries, increasing blood flow, lowering inflammation—and one of our favorites… detoxifying power! Yup, the phytochemicals in arugula have been shown to detoxify carcinogens before they damage your cells.
Apple, Brie, and Arugula Flatbread
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
1/2 Granny Smith apple
1 oz French Brie cheese
1, 14oz whole wheat flatbread (we used one that’s 100% whole grain, high in fiber [6 grams] and protein [7grams] and low in calories [120])*
1 cup arugula
Directions:
1. Slice apple and brie into very thin slices.
2. Layer apple slices on flatbread, then put brie slices on top.
3. Pop in the toaster oven at 450 degrees for 5 minutes (or microwave for 30-60 seconds to melt cheese).
4. Remove from oven, top with arugula, and enjoy!
*If you can’t find a flat bread with the nutrition stats recommended above, look for one that’s 100% whole grain with at least 3+ grams fiber, 4+ grams protein and around 120 calories or less
Nutrition Information (Nutrition Facts will vary depending on the flatbread you choose. Analyzed using nutrients mentioned in the ingredient list: 250 Calories, 15 g Protein,10 g Total fat, 30 g Carbohydrate, 13 g Fiber, 8 g Sugar, 30 mg Cholesterol, 400 mg Sodium
- ½ Granny Smith apple
- 1 oz French Brie cheese
- 1 14oz whole wheat flatbread (we used Flatout brand because it’s high in fiber [6 grams] and protein [7grams] and low in calories [120!)
- 1 cup arugula
- Slice apple and brie into very thin slices.
- Layer apple slices on flatbread, then put brie slices on top.
- Pop in the toaster oven at 450 degrees for 5 minutes (or microwave for 30-60 seconds to melt cheese).
- Remove from oven, top with arugula, and enjoy!