I bring my lunch to work most every day. Sometimes, I am able to bring leftovers from the night before, but there is not always enough left for that or it’s something that doesn’t work well for bringing for lunch. While a Hot Pocket or a cup of noodles or a sandwich is ok in a once in a while, I get tired of those real quick. Eating out adds up quickly even if you only do so once or twice a week. So this week I want to share some lunches that are quick to put together and easy to eat even if your lunch is usually on the go.
A well balanced lunch is essential to keep the last half of your day from dragging on due to your lack of energy. First, think light. If you eat too much or too heavily for lunch, you will be so full you will want a nap instead of working. Also think healthy. While one cookie or a small candy bar is ok, half of a family size pack is not. The sugar rush will wear off around 2 or 3 p.m. and leave you crashing and ready for a nap. Pack a bottle of water or juice to complete your lunch.
Coming up with a good lunch does require planning in advance at least some. Try not to plan for fried foods, most of those do not taste the same reheated. You want grilled like chicken or fish or crockpot meats like roast. You can make a meal out of it one night and turn it into a wrap or salad for a quick light lunch. So, consider lunches when you are planning dinner as well. Although, you don’t have to eat it for lunch. Pick up some deli meat for an easy wrap! When making that trip to the store, you also want to pick up some healthy sides to take for your lunches. Fruits and vegetables or baked chips, crackers or cheese are all options you can easily pick up on the weekend and prepare in advance to help your lunches come together in a snap.
Most of my lunch prep is done only the night before. If you are going to pack them all on say a Sunday afternoon, make sure you keep certain things separate. Most fruits and veggies go bad faster once they are cut. So tomatoes (if needing to dice), avocado, onion, melon or sliced strawberry are all best used early in the week or wait to slice them. Your meals later in the week can include the things you don’t need to cut. Grape or cherry tomatoes are a great alternate to dicing a Roma. Save your grapes and snap peas or broccoli for lunches later in the week. Meat can cause other foods like lettuce to spoil faster so keep your meat separate from your salad until ready to eat.
While you are at the store, pick up some containers to keep your lunch in. While you can use sandwich baggies, if you take your lunch daily, it contributes to a lot of waste. You can pick up containers of all sizes at Walmart or even online. Some have compartments for keeping food apart and some have small containers for things like salad dressing or condiments. Go look around and see if you can’t find something that suits you.
Plan your lunches for next week and do some prep in advance and see if you don’t feel a little better in the afternoons. You can easily change these recipes up a little for your tastes and use blueberries or raspberries instead of strawberries or melon instead of grapes, substitute the meats or swap for spinach. Have fun with it and you can easily make it through the week. Make your grocery list and meet me in the kitchen for some grown up lunchables you can take to work!

Taco Lettuce Cups
1lb ground beef
1oz pkg. taco seasoning
2/3 cup water, if needed
Lettuce leaves (I used Romaine, but butter or Bibb leaves would work well too)
Shredded cheddar cheese, tomato, onion, avocado, sour cream or other toppings as desired
In large skillet, brown beef until no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Add taco seasoning and water. Cook until liquid is absorbed. Spoon meat into lettuce leaves and top with desired toppings.
I paired this with grape tomatoes, sliced avocados and sliced strawberries.

Crab Rolls
2 Tbsps. Miracle Whip
1 stick celery, finely diced
½ lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp. chopped tarragon
1 cup white crabmeat, flaked
1 avocado, diced
8 mini submarine or brioche rolls
Butter, softened
Put mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice and tarragon in bowl and stir well. Fold in crab and avocado. Taste and season as desired. Split rolls down middle (but not completely), and spread with butter. Toast butter-side down in skillet over a medium heat until golden. Cool a little. Fill with crab mix as desired.
This one was pretty filling by itself. I finished it off with celery sticks and grapes.
Recipe adapted from lifemadesimplebakes.com.

Sushi Cups
2 avocado peeled, seeded, peeled & diced
6 cups sushi rice, cooked & hot
¼ cup rice vinegar seasoned
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsps. sesame seeds
1 cup crab, diced (I used imitation crab, but you can use shrimp or even salmon)
Drizzle vinegar over hot cooked rice, gently fold to mix. In small bowl, pour soy sauce over avocado and toss to coat. Place cold water in separate bowl, mix in salt. Dip your hands into bowl before shaping each rice bowl. Place 1/2 cup sushi rice in your hand, make an opening in middle of rice. Place avocado and crab in center and roll bottom in sesame seeds.
I finished this lunch off with grapes, snap peas and baby corn.
Recipe adapted from producemoms.com.

Salad for One
Obviously on this one, make your salad as you want it. Leaving something off and adding as you desire.
1 cup lettuce, shredded or sliced
1 hardboiled egg, sliced
¼ tomato, diced
Shredded cheese
Other salad toppings as desired such as croutons, ham or chicken, diced onion, etc.
Salad dressing of choice
Toss lettuce, tomato, cheese and any other toppings together. Place in lunch container. I kept my dressing and croutons separate until I was ready to eat my salad. I added grape tomatoes, snap peas and sliced strawberries to this lunch.