5 quick and healthy lunches to help make good food decisions
Eating healthy is always a good idea; but sometimes it seems inaccessible. But if you start with the right ideas and the right stuff in your fridge, each step gets successively easier. Here’s a few recipes to help you get started.
- Greek chopped pita salad. The same old garden salad can get boring after a few days, which is why you should regularly update your roster of salad recipes. This Greek chopped pita salad is as simple as it is colorful and flavorful. All you need are romaine lettuce, feta, garbanzo beans, cucumber, a whole-wheat pita, and low-fat vinaigrette. Chop the pita, cucumber, and romaine, and then toss the ingredients together for a fun, fresh salad.
- The “healthy Elvis.” You’ve probably heard that The King loved his deep-fried PB, banana, and bacon sandwiches. Make a slightly less decadent version of his favorite snack for lunch using whole-grain bread, two tablespoons of your favorite nut or seed butter, a sliced banana, and just a drizzle of sweet agave on top. Opt for nut butter sans the added sugar; the ingredient list should only be one word long (“peanuts” or “almonds”).
- Mozzarella and spinach mason jar salad. Mason jars were previously used exclusively for pickling and canning, but recently chefs and DIYers alike have discovered their many other purposes. For instance, you can build a salad in a mason jar. This recipe guides you step-by-step through the process, starting with a layer of balsamic dressing on the bottom, then grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, pasta, and spinach. The strategic order of the salad strata ensures that nothing gets soggy. Just shake and dig in at lunchtime.
- Tuscan tuna wrap. A splash of freshly squeeze lemon juice; a dash of olive oil; a sprinkle of fresh parsley. These are the components that bring out subtle, complex flavors from the light tuna that serves as the centerpiece of this wrap. Mix all the ingredients together, tuck them inside of a whole-grain tortilla with fresh spinach, and enjoy right at your desk—or take a walk outside and get some fresh air with your lunch.
- Mushroom and bell pepper frittata. If you have some time on Sunday to make your lunches ahead of time, whip up this easy frittata and divvy it up into slices for each day of the week. It works for breakfast or lunch. All you need to make it are eggs, red bell peppers, mushrooms, and frozen peas. You can tweak the exact amounts to make more servings at once, and add even more veggies if you have some on hand.