Healthy but easy to make lunches

[Butterz]

I need some ideas for healthy but really easy to make lunches. I need about four good ideas because thats the amount of days I will be considering ideas. Can anyone help me out? I need to have some sort of lunch that will fill me up and energize me tho. I like most chicken, beef, meat, and vegetables. Thanks.

 

[Haggis]

Homemade soup, salads and sanwiches.

Infinite variety exists in any of the above categories and all can be incredibly healthy. Of course it all depends what you put in/on them.

Search for some of the comprehensive sanwich threads that have sprung up over time for inspiration.

 

[mudbug]

good ole salad always works. Vary the veggies/meat players, add a coupla croutons and a tablespoon of your fave dressing. Or skip the croutons and eat a nice little roll (better yet, an apple) as an accompaniment.

 

[marmar]

A small salad, careful with the dressing and/or veggie sticks (carrot, celery, etc.), a small fruit or small baggie of dried fruit, and half a sandwich (meat and cheese).

An alternative is to have a heartier salad with some steak, chicken, or nuts, cheese, and crutons instead of a sandwich and some fruit.

Another is a pasta salad (cold pasta; walnuts; tomatoes, peppers, spinach, other veggies), fruit, and a small yogurt.

A fourth, and the easiest to make, is to throw some triscuit, a baby cucumber, carrot sticks, a small handful of nuts, and either a small yogurt or a cheese stick.

All of those are ideas for easy to pack lunches, and based on what I make myself. I don't eat a lot of meat at lunchtime, so ideas with those don't really come to mind.

I consider healthy having a balanced lunch, so I try to get dairy, protein, fruits, veggies, and grains in it. I usually get full pretty easily. Depending on what dinner was the night before, sometimes it can be a good lunch. I don't know if you mean to eat at home or to pack though.

 

[Little Miss J]

I often take thai chicken salad for lunch, or a meat and salad sandwich or some dry biscuits (crackers) with a small tin of flavoured tuna with some vegie sticks.

 

[htc]

If you opt for a salad, try to use a field green mix, spinach or some other dark leafy green. You'll get the most bang for you buck for most nutrients. I pack a lot of salads for lunch. I like them and they're easy. Like others said, go easy on the dressing. One way I find I can do this is if I pack the salad w/ stuff that I like that's probably got a little more calories than your basic cucumber, carrots. Stuff I always have on hand:

avacado
egg
dried cranberries
tomato
carrot
cucumber
red onion
kalamata olives
feta cheese
capers

 

[BreezyCooking]

I normally have leftovers from the previous night's dinner for lunch, but if that's not available, I'll usually do a substantial soup, vegetarian or turkey chili, or a salad with a protein component - fish, poultry, meat, beans, cheese.

And what about wraps? Flour tortillas come in all sorts of flavors these days, & you can roll them up with healthy lean deli meats, cheeses, salad components, veggies, & a few schmears of your favorite dressing.

 

[jkath]

Here's something you make the day (or evening) before. It's a fantastic leftover that is easily portable.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/75510-post7.html

 

[biev]

When I lived in Quebec and had access to a wide range of fresh vegetables, I would make a salad each day with 3 random vegetables, one topping (alfalfa, nuts, cheese, raisins, pear, orange, or the occasional hard boiled egg...) and either oil, rice vinegar or lemon juice as a dressing. I didn't necessarily use a kind of lettuce. I'm not that big on ruffage

Normally, I guess you would have a sandwich with that. I was never a big eater. But, this is a good way to keep eating salad every day without getting sick of it. I do it with fruits in the morning, now. It's the same principle.

 

[Butterz]

Thanks a lot for the ideas everybody. Does anybody have something a little more meat oriented though? I would like to have one or two days with a meat course as the main lunch. I know you guys have some nice ideas.

 

[biev]

Well you can always vary the type of meat you use in sandwiches, subs, fajitas... that's pretty much what I would go with, but then again I'm not too big on meat at lunchtime. My husband likes these though.

 

[Claire]

If you're looking for more meat, yet easy to make during the week, then I suggest doing that time-honored, old-fashioned thing of making a nice roast -- chicken, beef, lean pork loin -- on the weekend, making enough for leftovers. Freeze half the leftovers for a selection over coming weeks, then use part of it during that week. The meat can go into salads, wraps, and sandwiches. After doing this for a few weeks, you'll find yourself with frozen meats that can be thawed the night before and chopped into your salads or sliced into sandwiches the next morning to give you variety from what you cooked last weekend and have leftover.

I also make and freeze chilis, curries, and other kinds of stews and freeze in 1 cup containers. Nuke and eat. Again, a bit of work once a week, but easy for those weekday lunches.