Mediterranean Wraps

Hello! 
So I was filling in at a different work location and one of my co-workers was complaining about how tired she always is.  As she went on, she mentioned how low her iron count is.  We got to talking, and it got me thinking.  I also have really low iron count, and I have been exhausted lately too.  Having a busy work schedule has made it hard for me to get in good meals that are high in iron, and are just healthy in general.   Having low iron can make you cranky and tired.  Even if your tired, it can make you have a hard time falling asleep at night.  I decided to google Iron Rich meals, and came upon this recipe on www.eatingwell.com (An amazing website!).  This recipe is simple, and good for leftovers to eat the next day for lunch! My review for this recipe is at the bottom (:

Here is the recipe:
                                                   INGREDIENTS

Yum! It smelled so good!

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup couscous, preferably whole-wheat
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound chicken tenders
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 4 10-inch spinach or sun-dried tomato wraps or tortillas

PREPARATION

1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in couscous and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, mint, lemon juice, oil, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Toss chicken tenders in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon of the parsley mixture and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place the tenders in a large nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat until cooked though, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Cut into bite-size pieces when cool enough to handle.
4. Stir the remaining parsley mixture into the couscous along with tomato and cucumber.
5. To assemble wraps, spread about 3/4 cup of the couscous mixture onto each wrap. Divide the chicken among the wraps. Roll the wraps up like a burrito, tucking in the sides to hold the ingredients in. Serve cut in half.

NUTRITION

I used fresh lemon juice! 1/4 cup
was a medium sized lemon

Per serving: 479 calories; 17 g fat ( 3 g sat , 11 g mono ); 67 mg cholesterol; 49 g carbohydrates; 0 gadded sugars; 34 g protein; 5 g fiber; 653 mg sodium; 382 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (57% daily value), Folate & Vitamin A (40% dv), Iron (32% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 3

Exchanges: 3 starch, 4 lean meat, 2 fat

(Taken directly from, http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/mediterranean_wrap.html)

• My Review:

I thought this was a really delicious recipe.  I'd give it a B+, only because I personally used too much garlic.  I also added a little bit of mayo (okay, maybe defeats the purpose of how healthy this is supposed to be, but it cut down the garlic taste a bit).  Next time I probably won't be using any garlic, maybe only a pinch.  The cucumber with the lemon and parsley was a great combination.  Also: I did not add mint, I personally am not a fan of adding mint to things.  I will be making this again! Overall, it was a very simple recipe to make and to follow.  I highly recommend this, and also to visit eatingwell.com for other iron rich recipes too!