Easy Lunch Ideas

Cilantro is a leafy herb that is popular in Mexican and Thai cooking. If you've had guacamole or pad thai, you've probably tried cilantro. It looks like parsley, but has a stronger, more distinct flavor. In my community, Cilantro is very easy to find, and always located with the fresh lettuces at the store. Depening on where you live, you may have to go to a specialty market to get it.

I almost always have leftovers for lunch, rather than something new. If there are no good leftovers, quinoa and frozen vegetables, maybe with some chili sauce and tofu.

Pam

I sometimes bring in leftovers or will fix a batch of soup and portion it out, then just grab a container every morning.

Most of the time though, every Monday I bring in a package of wraps/low-cal grain bread/low-carb tortillas, a container of turkey breast, a container of spinach leaves, a bottle of mustard, and a bunch of Greek yogurts. I leave this in the fridge all week at work and just assemble my lunch every day.

I do this too. Once I have made a couple of soups and frozen individual portions, I just grab whatever kind I feel like that day, and microwave it at lunch time. Chicken and vegetable soup with orzo, mexican black bean soup. Thai sweet potato soup, butternut squash soup, etc. lots of different options out there. It is so worth making your own stock, but if you can't then buy the reduced or sodium free broths at the grocery store.

Be careful with canned or prepackaged soups. They usually have a ton of sodium, even the low fat varieties. You are much better off making your own soup, and it will taste way better made from scratch.

I like to make a big batch of soup on the weekends and put into individual take along bowls. Grab and go!

I also make my own stock to cut down on sodium.

bump ;)_

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.

BUMP