Sprouted Tortilla Wraps!

Spring is here! Except it really doesn’t feel that way here in Toronto where one day it will feel like a summer day and the next day you see flurries. Sad times.

My favorite spring/summer food is a nice light wrap or sandwich, especially on a really hot summer's day (hopefully that's not too far away!). We’ve been on a wrap craze at my house lately...I don’t know why it took me so long to make my own wraps but we are addicted now. The keys to a healthy, nutritious wraps are what you use as the actual wrap, filling it with healthy things and omitting any sort of fattening dressing or sauce.

Whole grain and whole wheat wraps are not always the best choices because they are highly refined, even though the labels claim they are “whole” grain/wheat which they are legally allowed to do even though they don't have the entire wheat grain. They usually remove the wheat germ and/or bran which contain the most nutrients. They also many times contain white flour and lots of artificial flavors, coloring and artificial preservatives. Vegetable wraps are similar because adding a little bit of spinach or tomato powder allows manufacturers to say they are “vegetable wraps.” 

So what does that leave us to work with then? Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Wraps. 

SO good. This company has been around for a long time and my dad would swear by them. That’s because they use many different nutritious whole, organic grains and seeds in their products and they sprout them-something that is very rare to find in store bought breads and wraps. Sprouting activates enzymes in the grains, makes the nutrients more readily available, and contains tons of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. They also have an alkalinizing effect on the body, which prevents the body from becoming to acidic and creating an environment that diseases just love. It’s also much easier for the body to digest so if you find that you have trouble digesting grains, this might be a better option. Their breads are amazing as well and they have gluten free brown rice wraps as an alternative. They can be found in the freezer sections at your local health food store and sell for about $4 for a pack of 6 in Canada so I’m sure they are at least a dollar or two cheaper in the US. Definitely worth the cost in my opinion since they're more filling-especially with the 5g of fiber per serving! One word of advice: let these defrost in the fridge or on the counter because heating them and leaving them uncovered will make them very crispy.

The filling can be anything you can possibly think of. Our favorite is this one: 

Ingredients: 

-Hummus 

spread on the entire surface

-Avocado

-Cabbage

-Spinach

-Bell peppers

-Hemp seeds

-Onions (not for me though!)

-Grilled chicken 

(Sliced a chicken breast in half into cutlets, seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, lemon and grilled on the stovetop until cooked)

-Wrap it up like they wrap a burrito at Chiptole (I'm a serious Chipotle junkie so I've seen enough burrito wrappings to last me a lifetime)

End Result: A perfectly balanced lunch

Basically this has 5 different vegetables, two sources of protein, one carb and only healthy fats! It is so filling that I sometimes can only have one half, mainly because the Ezekiel wraps are dense with nutrients and fiber that keep you fuller for longer as opposed to processed, refined “whole wheat.”

The Hummus is a great alternative to mayo and sauces and adds a lot of flavor. The possibilities are endless- make a breakfast burrito, turkey roll ups, add some hot sauce etc. Vegetarian options can include beans, tomatoes, and quinoa.