Are you having trouble avoiding snacks and drive through lunches? Lunch is one of those meals that people tend to forget to plan. They get too busy and by the time their body is telling them they must eat, it’s too late. The result is a vending machine or drive through lunch full of fat and sugar and lacking nutrients.
Here are 5 healthy lunch ideas
1. Italian tuna wrap
Tuna is full of protein and healthy fats. It’s also really inexpensive and quick to make into a meal. To prepare, simply add a bit of Italian salad dressing to a can of tuna packed in water. Just enough for flavour. Add lettuce and tomato to a whole grain lavash or Mountain bread, add tuna and season with salt and pepper to taste. You have a great healthy lunch that leaves you full and satisfied for hours.
2. Big Salad
A quick way to use leftover chicken or turkey. Use it to make a salad for tomorrow’s lunch. Chop leftover chicken or turkey and add to a bowl. Add a handful of rocket or baby spinach, some cherry tomatoes, grated carrot, 1/4 avocado, a few bean and a sprinkling of pine nuts or chopped almonds. Dress with extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar. A satisfying, protein rich, lunch. Add apple slices or coleslaw for fibre and a serving of fruit.
3. Bento Box
The bento box has been used for hundreds of years in Japan for lunch and it’s a wonderful way to provide variety and nutrition to your lunchtime. Egg, tuna, salmon or chicken on a bed of lettuce for one section of the bento box provides your protein. Use fresh berries or strawberries for fibre and antioxidants in another section. Add hummus or guacamole for your third section and add crunchy veggies like carrot sticks and broccoli for your fourth and final section. You can mix it up and keep your bento box interesting every day of the week.
4. Soup
During the summer a cold soup like fresh gazpacho really refreshes and on cold winter days a warm soup hits the spot. And the good news is you only need a thermos for both seasons. We have an image of grandmothers or mothers slaving over a hot stove for hours cooking soup however, many soups are quick and easy recipes often taking less than twenty minutes to prepare. And you can prepare them ahead of time and freeze them. Simply thaw the night before and you have a healthy lunch.
5. Fried Rice
Fried rice from a restaurant is going to be sky high in sodium and often fat too. However, you can make great fried rice at home and it’s the perfect quick meal. Cook brown rice a day or two ahead of time. Chop up leftover meats. You can use tofu, lentils, shrimp, beef, lamb, chicken, egg or pork, just about any meat goes well with fried rice. Add peas, carrots, onions and other fresh or frozen veggies you have. Heat it all in a sauté pan with a little oil and add soy sauce to taste. Place in small sealable microwavable containers and you have lunch.
It’s not difficult to eat a healthy lunch. It just takes a little advanced planning. Five minutes to plan your week, a few minutes to prepare your lunch and you’ll lose weight, feel great and never have to rely on that vending machine or drive-thru again.
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