Easy Lunch Ideas

jadedone

1. leftovers

2. salad (bring a separate container for your dressing): leftover meats, veggies cooked or raw and even some starches: potatoes, rice

3. DIY sandwich/wrap: i like to bring all of my ingredients to make a sandwich
a. bag of mixed greens or arugula
b. jarred roasted red peppers (these keep forever)
c. hummus or tapenade (lasts for 1 week or more. tapenade is pretty much forever)
d. pita or flatbread (lasts at lease 2 weeks in the fridge)
e. leftover protein from dinner (or deli meat)
f. Chopped salad (cucumbers, carrots, fennel, celery, chickpeas, parsley in a vinaigrette) keep easily for a few days even with dressing or make a coleslaw with a vinaigrette

4. I make soup occasionally and freeze it: lentil w/ sausage and brown rice, curried lentils, minestrone, beef stew, chicken or beef curry. When desperate you can take it out and eat up.

5. I have a few go to frozen favorites: Amy's veggie lasagna, kashi meals, kettle cuisine meals. These are healthy, preservative-free and hearty

6. DIY lunchable: crackers, cheese, chopped veggies, olives, nuts, dip (hummus, diy yogurt dip), a few pieces of salami or chicken or nitrate free deli-meat. This will also have your snacks for the day!

7. english muffin or flatbread pizzas. You can easily make these ahear of time and freeze. Take your "bread" brush the top with a little bit of olive oil, add tomato paste, italian seasoning and garlic powder with fresh ground pepper and crushed peppers. Add all of your favorite veggies (you may want to blanch them first if you want them to be more "cooked." Season with a bit more salt and pepper. Top with a bit of cheese, mostly something strongly flavored. Lie flat until they completely freeze, then place into individual serving sizes. At lunch, throw it in the toaster oven until hot, crispy and melted.

I also like to store some salad dressing and a few condiments in the fridge just in case.

jadedone

Another easy item is what I will call a Mediterranean bowl. Easy to make with pantry or freezer staples.
1. make a lemon vinaigrette: juice of one lemon, finely chopped onion or garlic, 1 tbs of whole grain mustard, 2 tbs of olive oil
2. Take 1 cup of frozen artichoke hearts, 1 chopped roasted red pepper, 1 cup of chickpeas, 2 cups of fresh spinach or i cup of cooked greens. Optional: chopped parsley, chopped olives, capers, leftover chicken or fish. Microwave for a minute or two and top with some of the dressing. You can add bulgur, couscous or quinoa for a grain. Also, chopped tomatos, fennel, squash, or cucumber is a good addition.

DANCERPURPLE

BUMP

NiciS72

I usually bring leftovers from the night before. I purposely make enough for 4 servings so my husband and I get two meals out of what I make. So today I had a burger-no bun and then I made a quick salad of mixed greens with cherry tomatoes and peppadeux peppers with Newman's Own Light Balsamic.

My standby if I'm running late and don't have leftovers is tuna salad. I dollop a tablespoon of light miracle whip and pickle relish in a container and then throw 2 packs of low sodium starkist tuna in my bag. I mix it up at work. If I happen to have a boiled egg I'll throw that in too!

Another great option is rotisserie chicken. Chop it up into servings and grab and go with it.

For veggie alternatives how about cutting up a bunch on Sunday and then putting in a ziplock and taking a small tub of hummus to dip in.

That's what I can think of off the top of my head. Hope they help!