Reader Mailbox: Lunch Ideas

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Former reader Lindsay writes…What are some fun lunch ideas.

The reason reader Lindsay asked me this question is because I told her what I eat for lunch: veggies. You see, on Sunday or Monday (depending on the cluster F the Whole Foods parking lot is), I buy a veggie tray from Whole Foods. It’s about $7 and you get broccoli, peppers (red, yellow and green), tomatoes, carrots, celery and cauliflower. Each morning I make a baggie of veggies for my lunch. I pair that with fruit, nuts, whole wheat wrap or some $2.50 Whole Foods hummus (best on the planet). In all, it’s a pretty healthy, filling lunch. Well filling for me. I can’t eat a big lunch at work or I’ll want to fall asleep at noon.





I’m not a health expert by ANY means, but sometimes I have some good ideas. So here are some other lunch ideas.

·         Quinoa: I went on a little kick of making a big bowl of quinoa early in the week and then adding in some veggie and a splash of soy sauce throughout the week. It’s good hot or cold and you can always add in shrimp or chicken. 

·         Veggie Wrap: Whole Foods has some awesome whole wheat wraps that are like $2.00 for like 6. Well, I take these a put a little hummus inside. Then, I’ll add some veggies…either one or all of the following: mushrooms, asparagus, cucumbers and a little feta here and there.

·         Salad: In Chicago salad was my go to lunch. A little lettuce, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, and peppers and you’ve got a pretty salad. I also keep salad dressing at work (if people don’t use it).

·         Tuna & Soup: Not together, but these are two staples that I always keep in my desk for those days when you forget lunch.

·         Veggie Burgers: I try and avoid processed foods when I can, but its rather difficult. One processed food that I don’t mind buying is veggie burgers. You can quickly zap them in the microwave and they are typically under 100 calories!

·         Tomato Salad: In the summer, I love to make a good cucumber and tomato salad with a bit of olive oil, basil and feta.

If you can’t tell, I’m like 60% vegetarian lol. I eat meat and fish during dinner, but by day I’m a veggie gal!

I couldn’t do this on my own, so I consulted the internets for some other recommendations…

·         Kale & Apple Salad
·         Veggie Pita Pocket
·         Southwest Pasta Salad – even a quick whole wheat pasta with a bit of cheese and Italian salad dressing would be great.  
·          Greek Salad
·         Chopped Lunch Salads
·          

Brady and I are now big fans of rotisserie chicken. For the two of us, we get at least four meals or more out of one $9 chicken!

Oh and you can never go wrong with PB&J!