Fat Food: Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

April 22, 2011


A couple of times a year, my husband decides that he’s fat.

This is a little bit vexing for several reasons: a) the man is not, nor ever will be, in any shape or form, fat. b) sometimes he will decide that he’s fat at the most inopportune times (eg: two weeks before Christmas) c) when hubs decides he is fat, he asks for my help with Le Regime, and because he’s an awesome dude, I cannot say no. d) helping hubs with Le Regime is a pain in my ass.

Le Regime is usually some high-protein, low-carb affair. It’s also usually one that requires him to eat little small meals about six times a day.  Meals that I,  unofficial design coach of Le Regime, need to prepare and pack up for him every day.

Did I mention that this is a pain in my ass?

But here’s the good news: a) he’s incredibly grateful. b) it forces me back in the kitchen and out of the usual rut. c) he’s a man, and men can drop 8 pounds in, like, a day so my pain is short-lived, even if it kind of pisses me off how easy it is for him.

Currently, hubs is in fat mode. Spring Regime is game on, readers.  And while this means that I may be a little scarce around Blogland (food prep takes Hella Lotta time, dudes), it also means that I’ll have some healthy (and tasty) treats to share with you.

This chicken salad wrap is the first recipe up to bat, and it’s a keeper. If you’re truly going all Nazi on the carbs, you can just eat it without the flatbread, on a bed of greens, and feel extremely virtuous.  However, in hubs’ case, I like to use one of those high fiber wraps, just to get him through until his next little nosh.

If summer shorts and the dreaded swimsuit are looming dark in your brain, give this dish a try. And go easy on that  Easter candy, wouldja?

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

serves 4


2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used rotisserie)

1/4 cup each finely chopped celery, onion and radish

1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1 tablespoon capers, drained

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

leaf lettuce

4 whole-grain wrap breads, about 8-9 inches in diameter

In a large bowl, combine chicken, celery, onion, radish, artichoke hearts, capers and flat-leaf parsley.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and balsamic; add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine dressing with chicken mixture and toss to coat; taste again and adjust salt and pepper, if necessary.

Place wrap bread on a flat surface. Top with lettuce and chicken mixture. Roll-up, burrito-style, cut into halves and serve.

{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }

Maria April 22, 2011 at 5:17 am

Looks delish and filling! Hubs is a lucky man…and we are equally lucky to be able to glean this FABULOUS Le Regime recipes…You are awesome, Kitch!

Quick question…artichoke hearts packed in marinade or without the extra added oil? Discuss.

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TKW April 22, 2011 at 7:44 am

Maria,

Good question! You could use either, but I used the non-marinated ones. I just drained them and patted them dry.

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Erica@PLRH April 22, 2011 at 5:36 am

Would you please come be my La Regime coach? Please? (sad eyes and pouty lip)

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BigLittleWolf April 22, 2011 at 5:54 am

That chicken wrap is looking mighty good. (Especially pondering bathing suit season. Ugh.)

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Meister @ The Nervous Cook April 22, 2011 at 6:04 am

Mr. Nervous does the same thing, though it basically means I have to stop bringing him home peanut-butter cookies from all over town every day, rather than changing our dinner routines (which are already pretty low on the “I feel fat”-encouraging scale). I hate having to stop bringing him peanut-butter cookies, though, and am always relieved when the mood lifts for him.

Hope your hubs feels svelte again soon, though it looks like nobody suffers on delicious dinners even when he’s on Le Regime!

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Lindsey April 22, 2011 at 6:10 am

This looks delicious … and I’m giggling because my husband is on a similar kick, and because I made chicken salad on greens last night for dinner! Not as wonderful as this, I’m sure, and I can’t wait to try this version.
xox

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TKW April 22, 2011 at 7:45 am

Lindsey and Meister,

Glad to know I’m not the only one with an abs-obsessed husband! Sigh…

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jessica April 22, 2011 at 6:13 am

Uh, where is the feta? This sreaming for feta (or is that just me?)!

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TKW April 22, 2011 at 7:46 am

Jessica,

Have you been hiding in a corner in my kitchen? How did you know that I added feta to mine? Hubs’ regime says no dairy (the horror) but let me tell you–feta was a terrific addition!

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Virginia April 22, 2011 at 6:53 am

I’m totally making this. And sharing it with my MIL who loves her some wraps.

My husband also has “fat” moments where he declares himself obese. The man has a 33 inch waist. It makes me want to drop kick him from here to Siberia. Meanwhile, I can’t lose 5 pounds in a month to s ave my soul.

Stupid Y chromosome.

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C @ Kid Things April 22, 2011 at 6:55 am

Considering that I’ve been on a chicken salad sandwich for lunch kick for the past 2 weeks, this looks very yummy!

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Tiffany April 22, 2011 at 7:19 am

Yum. I eat like hubs and it is a pain in the ass. I wish I could lose 8 lbs in a day like men do. Frustrating!!!

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TKW April 22, 2011 at 7:47 am

Tiff, I’ve seen you, Missy, and you are slender and perfect as is! xo

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Gale @ TDT April 22, 2011 at 7:53 am

Since I am NOT on Le Regime, I can’t help but say… this would really benefit from a big smear of mayonnaise!! :) Nevertheless, it still looks good. I’m a sucker for capers.

For the record, it’s not the Easter candy that gets to me. It’s several days of leftover roast lamb and pan gravy. Mmmmm.

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TKW April 23, 2011 at 7:08 am

I don’t feel tempted by candy, either. It’s the leftover mashed potatoes. Step away!

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Justine April 22, 2011 at 7:59 am

LOVE the opener to this post. It’s a great LOL to my rainy morning here.

What is it about men and their wraps? My Guy loves wraps too. This sounds like a keeper. But wait a minute! A Med wrap sans Feta? Sacrilegious! Oh, right. We’re talking lean cuisine here. We’re both suckers for Feta at home so maybe we’ll just add a teensy weensy bit and pretend it’s still pretty healthy for us. Denial is a wonderful thing. And a diet’s worst enemy.

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jacki April 22, 2011 at 8:16 am

I love this. I love that your husband is trying to lose weight, which leads to you posting healthy and delicious recipes, right when I’m starting to shed the 65 pounds (yikes) I gained during my pregnancy. Things like this never line up for me. So happy. :)

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Jenna April 22, 2011 at 8:31 am

The ‘dreaded swimsuit’ is right!! Thankfully this year I landed in a gold mine–I bought a Land’s End bathing suit top (to go with my bathing suit bottoms, currently either a little black skirted affair, or board shorts) that covers ALL OF ME. Every inch of my long torso. I can’t explain how excited I am about it, since it’s the kind of bathing suit I don’t have to suck in my stomach to wear. So no Le Regime for me–at least not yet!

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TKW April 23, 2011 at 7:10 am

Jenna,

Sounds like a true gift! Kind of like my Victoria’s Secret MiracleSuit. It sucks in all of the floppy bits!

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Contemporary Troubadour April 22, 2011 at 9:34 am

Mm yes, the one downside of planning a tropical vacation: having to care at least a little about what my ass and gut look like in a swimsuit. On Le Regime we will go … after mid-May.

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Cathy April 22, 2011 at 9:47 am

Okay I must confess – I thought this recipe had promise for me until I saw that it has radishes, olives and capers. I make one seriously bad Italian girl. I’m sure it’s delish.

Oh and when my hubs feels fat, he makes me feel all bad for cooking the same stuff I always do. Go figure.

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Katybeth April 22, 2011 at 1:01 pm

I know why do men always plan these regimes at the height of Holiday time–is it written somewhere?

How nice that you are so supportive and he is so grateful…that makes all the difference-doesn’t it?

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Sherri April 22, 2011 at 1:49 pm

Yummage. Enjoying this version of Le Regime :-).

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Mary Lee April 22, 2011 at 2:58 pm

Excuse me, but are you talking about the handsome hunk whose picture you ran by us a few weeks ago? Fat? No, but if he thinks so, his EYESIGHT is going!

I love wraps. I love them most when someone else makes them for me. Maybe I’ll pass this recipe on to my favorite lunch place.

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TKW April 23, 2011 at 7:11 am

Mary Lee, yes, indeed. The man is clearly blind or daft or both.

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SuziCate April 22, 2011 at 5:22 pm

One word, well not exactly a word but an expression-MMMMMM!!!!!

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bryan April 22, 2011 at 6:44 pm

OK I might me a little like your hubs (well except for pasty white). Sometimes for no apparent reason I will decide that I am to thick in the middle.

Are my pants tighter? NO
different number on the scale? NO

I’ll just call it my time to not make sense ;~) Guys get to do that too once in a while right?

That wrap looks/sounds AWESOME!
b

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Dana April 22, 2011 at 8:30 pm

We’ve got something of the opposite running in the house. I’ve been facing an unhappy tummy for the last couple of weeks (darn exam stress), and haven’t been cooking my normal amount. Mister is complaining that he needs to be fed more, lest he waste away.

Flair for the dramatic? Yeah a little.

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TKW April 23, 2011 at 7:13 am

Dana, your poor, emaciated, starving husband! I’m sure he looks like a war victim by now. *snicker*

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faemom April 22, 2011 at 11:00 pm

That looks awesome! And you are a wonderful wife. And see, this is my problem with dieting . . . all that damn prep work for something tasty AND diet-y.

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Biz April 23, 2011 at 7:08 am

The regime is back! Like you said, it will be short lived considering how fast men lose weight – drives me nuts!

That looks delicious though – never thought to add artichoke hearts and olives to it, but my husband would love that too – sans the capers – we both think those are nasty.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

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grace April 23, 2011 at 11:43 pm

easter candy isn’t my vice…it’s the carrot cake that gets me. every time. :)
i love the ingredients in this wrap, and it’s depicted wonderfully!

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Linda @ Bar Mitzvahzilla April 24, 2011 at 12:35 am

Gawd, you’re a saint, TKW! My husband decides to diet (and he’d better not, Mr. I-Weigh-155-Pounds!, I just point him to the Lean Cuisines in the freezer… Bad, bad wife, I know. And does it drive me crazy that “fat” for him is gaining, like, three pounds? Urg.

Anyway, looks yummy. (and, yes, I’m alive. The book is published!)

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TKW April 25, 2011 at 4:46 am

Linda,

Can you email me the link for where I can buy it? And tell others to buy it? Congrats!

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Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday April 24, 2011 at 6:08 pm

This is how it goes in my house:
Matt: “I’m fat”
Me: “Let’s start eating healthier”
…one week later…
Me: “Well, did you weigh in this week?”
Matt: “Yeah, I lost 5 lbs! You?”
Me: “I think I lost half a pound, but I just pood, so…yeah maybe nothing”

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TKW April 25, 2011 at 4:47 am

LOL @Samantha! It’s maddening, isn’t it?

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Legume April 25, 2011 at 4:25 am

Your pictures looks like waiting to be enjoyed.
Happy Easter !

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rebecca @ altared spaces April 25, 2011 at 9:03 am

When I’m feeling fat I eat everything bad for me. It’s when I’m feeling skinny that I can eat all the healthy stuff. So, um, could someone please tell me the phone number to dial, the potion to drink or the happy mantra to speak that seems to magically make me have that juicy feeling when I crave a chicken wrap instead of chips?

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TKW April 25, 2011 at 3:29 pm

Rebecca,

Sneak a few chips into the chicken wrap and call it good, I say.

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KLZ April 25, 2011 at 11:48 am

David will only go to the gym if I do. Which is a pain in the ass for sure.

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Amy @ Never-True Tales April 25, 2011 at 1:26 pm

I hate how easy it is for men to lose weight. My husband just thinks about dieting–just mulls it over really–and BAM. Down five to ten pounds. I diet religiously for a week, practically lose my vision due to low calorie consumption (can that happen? I swear it has…) and lose 2/3 of a pound. Which I gain back once I eat anything but lettuce again.

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TKW April 25, 2011 at 3:32 pm

Amy,

That gain is purely due to water weight, darling. Don’t you know that?
Plus, men add one salad a day to their diet and promptly take 11 craps in a 24-hour period.

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Rudri Bhatt Patel @ Being Rudri April 25, 2011 at 4:48 pm

My hubby can think about weight loss and the pounds melt away. He just has to be good about eating for a couple a days (at least it seems like it) and 5 pounds melt away – just like that. I am still running and watching what I eat and am lucky for a .5 pound weight loss. So unfair!

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Heather April 25, 2011 at 7:17 pm

You must understand that every time you post a kickass recipe like this my honey goes all ape shit and makes me print it, get the ingredients and work MY ass off!!! So, know that you’ve got a buddy in the kitchen with you, suffering through La Regime right along side you :)

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elizabeth April 26, 2011 at 6:08 am

It’s not fair how easy it is for men to lose weight–my husband is the same way. His regime means eschewing all pasta (what?) and I hate when he gets on those kicks.

That said, he’d be pretty stoked about this wrap. It looks really delicious.

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Paula April 26, 2011 at 9:09 am

Sounds like this has some heavy-duty crunch. And I like just about anything in a wrap. I think you’re lucky your hubs goes through these phases–better than denial.

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Belinda April 26, 2011 at 12:16 pm

Looks delicious! I’ve been feeling fat for two weeks (could it be the sticky bun/chocolate croissant madness I’ve just been through?) and have been making simple wraps, too. I’ll try this using lavash. Thanks!

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The Curious Cat April 30, 2011 at 4:51 am

Everyone gets their fat days sometimes hmm? That wrap looks sexy hot! I want…it is lunch time…must seek something similar! xxx

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Jane April 30, 2011 at 8:38 am

You described my husband to a “T.” ……only I’m not so nice in the kitchen when he goes on his binges. For example, when he gives up sweets – suddenly that’s all I crave and I bake like a madwoman. If he’s giving up coffee, I’ll decide I want to pinch pennies, skip my Starbucks and make the wonderful aroma saturating treat at home every morning. Yep. I’m evil that way.

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