Because we get busy, it's easy to turn to fast food or vending machine snacks for lunch. But with just a little planning you can have easy and healthy lunches every day of the week.
Lunch Is The Most Important Meal
Maybe like me, you learned that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But according to Ayurveda, lunch should take center stage.
Humans live in rhythm with the day. Energy is highest when the sun is high in the sky. Ayurveda teaches us that our digestion is at its peak in the middle of the day. Therefore, today I want to focus on making 5 Easy & Healthy Lunches!
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The List and Basic 'Recipe'
In no particular order:
Open-faced Egg Salad on Toast. Hardboil about 1 egg per sandwich. You can do this several days ahead of time and just keep the eggs in the fridge. Peel and chop the eggs, add just enough mayo and a squirt of mustard, then add in some chopped olives. Serve on toast with a small side salad.
Smoked Salmon Flat Bread. Spread tzatziki (plain greek yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, dill) on flatbread. Top with red onion, capers, smoked salmon, and chopped radishes. Serve with a boiled egg and Brussels sprout salad (shredded Brussels sprouts, lemon juice, salt/pepper, grated parmesan).
Keep it simple with a big tossed salad full of veggies with a side of cheese and crackers.
Grilled Vegetable Panini. You can grill up some zucchini and red bell pepper just for the panini, or make grilled veggie pizza for dinner and use your leftover grilled veggies with some shredded mozzarella to make a panini for lunch. Read this previous blog POST about grilling vegetables.
Taco Salad. I skip the ground beef, combining quinoa and black beans with taco seasoning. Then I use jarred organic salsa as my dressing.
Bonus - Make up a big pot of a veggie stew, add some cooked quinoa, and a couple of cans of your favorite beans (black, navy, pinto, garbanzo, or cannellini beans). Viola, a week of hearty lunches.
Variations
Skip the mayo, use mashed avocado instead. Not a fan of olives? Use diced radishes, green onion, and/or celery. Flavor it up with fresh herbs. Dill, basil, parsley, and cilantro are great options.
Instead of smoked salmon, this would be a great way to use up any leftover salmon or chicken from last night's dinner. Don't have capers, try olives. Up the veggie content with some chopped arugula.
Or, change it up completely - top the flatbread with hummus, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, grilled zucchini, and feta crumbles.
When it comes to salad, throw everything including the kitchen sink. You can use any kind of salad green, top with raw veggies, grilled veggies, beans, mushrooms, cheese, pasta, quinoa, boiled eggs, etc., etc. The more the better. You can keep your dressing simple by using some vinegar and olive oil, or get creative.
Use a fancier bread. If you don't have a panini press, you just make it like you're making grilled cheese sandwiches. The choice of veggies is up to you, but things that can be sliced thin work best - zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, roasted red peppers. Use whatever cheese you have on hand. Use more than one type of cheese. Add in leftover chicken if you want.
If you eat meat, go ahead and make some taco meat (or use leftovers from Taco Tuesday). You can skip the black beans and just use taco-flavored quinoa (sprinkle some taco seasoning into your cooked quinoa). You could also use leftover Spanish rice. I often cheat with fresh chopped salsa as my veggies, but if you don't have that, simply toss in some red onion, grape tomatoes, and some peppers (bell, poblano, or jalapeno depending on your heat preference). If you want to dress your greens with something other than jarred salsa, make a quick dressing with lime juice, a dash of cumin, salt/pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Making a big batch of vegetable stew is a great way to empty your crisper drawers, use up half bags of frozen veggies, or use up leftover cooked veggies. Use whatever you have for veggies and then add in protein with quinoa or leftover meat.
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