Lunchbox Meals: Quick, Healthy Lunch Ideas

If you have to pack a lunch every day, you know how tedious and boring it can get, and sometimes you may run out of ideas. Here are some quick lunch box ideas to use year-round for both kids and adults.

With healthy ingredients and simple preparation, you can make quick lunches any day of the week, and because of the variety of options, you can always do something new and different.

Sandwiches:

Here’s a simple approach to creating sandwiches quickly. Just choose from each category and you will have a sandwich made in no time.

Bread:

Pick your favorite variety or take a look at the suggestions below.

– wholemeal bread

– pita pocket

– dark rye bread

– sourdough bread

– bagels (plain or flavored)

– hamburger buns

– soft rolls (choose your favorite)

– soft shell omelette (wholemeal or flavored)

Spread:

– skim mayonnaise

– fat-free sour cream

– plain nonfat yogurt (Greek style is thicker and creamier and makes a nice spread)

– mustard (spicy, honey, Dijon, horseradish, etc.)

– All-Natural Low-Fat Creamy Bottled Dressings

– avocado (a ripe avocado can be mashed and used as a delicious spread)

– pesto (a little basil pesto or roasted red pepper)

Fillings:

– tuna (canned, packed in water and drained)

– thin slices of smoked salmon

– thin slices of low sodium and minimally processed cold cuts

– chicken (baked, broiled or grilled and thinly sliced)

– hummus (regular or flavored variety)

– nut butter (peanut, soy, sunflower, cashew or almond)

– vegetarian hamburger or patty (cooked as directed on the package)

– baked tofu (choose your favorite flavor and cut into thin or thick slices)

– cheese slices (low-fat varieties or vegetarian cheese slices)

Tasty additions:

Add a variety of veggies or fruits to your sandwich for great flavor and nutrition.

Vegetables:

– sliced ​​tomatoes

– sliced ​​cucumbers

– pickle seasoning or sliced ​​pickles

– lettuce (soft varieties are great like Bibb lettuce or green or red leafy varieties)

– bell pepper strips (natural or toasted)

– pitted and chopped black or green olives

– thin slices of jicama, peeled

– thin slices of chayote

– cabbages

Fruit:

(fruit works especially well in nut butter sandwiches)

– thinly sliced ​​apples

– grapes

– chunks of chopped dried cherry or any variety of nuts

– sliced ​​bananas

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Soups:

Soups are a great idea for lunch. Keeping the soup warm until lunchtime can be a challenge, but if you heat the thermos first, with some very warm water from the tap for a few minutes, then pour it in and add the hot soup, it will usually stay quite hot. until hot. ready to eat.

Choose your favorite soup, either homemade or store bought. When shopping for store-bought varieties, look for all-natural, low-sodium ingredients. Add a few simple sides along with a thermos of hot soup and you’ve got a quick and easy lunch. Here are some garnish suggestions to go with your hot soup.

Fittings:

– small salad: lettuce, tomato and cucumber with Italian dressing

– veggies and gravy: carrot and celery sticks with all-natural ranch-style dressing or hummus for dipping

– fruit and yogurt: apple slices with low-fat vanilla yogurt for dipping

– potatoes: diced cooked potatoes garnished with a little skim sour cream and chives

– cheese and crackers: low-fat cheese cubes and whole grain crackers

– chips and salsa: baked pita chips with dipping sauce

– bread sticks and fruit: flavored bread sticks and a small container of applesauce

– cheese and fruit: low-fat string cheese and a box of raisins

– French fries and fruit: bag of baked potato chips with a piece of fruit

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Pasta and noodles:

Hot or cold cooked pasta or noodles are a simple lunch idea that can be made quickly and easily. These can be made ahead of time and served hot or cold before placing in an insulated container. Just pick something from each category, combine, and create a pasta meal in minutes.

Pasta or Noodles:

Cook according to package directions, drain and place in a bowl.

– small pasta shapes: elbow macaroni, farfalle, penne or rotini (or your favorite)

– varieties of long noodles: thin spaghetti, fettucini, rice noodles or udon noodles

Sauces:

Depending on what you choose, heat the amount of sauce you are using in a saucepan or simply add your choice of sauce to warm cooked pasta.

– marinara

– pasta sauce with vegetables

– Italian dressing

– peanut sauce

– fat-free sour cream (alone or mixed with dried herbs of your choice)

– combination of mustard and fat-free sour cream or mayonnaise

– sauce (your favorite variety)

– basil or roasted red pepper pesto mixed with skim sour cream or skim Greek yogurt

Vegetables:

Here is a suggested list of vegetables that you can use in any combination. Use any of these or your favorite combinations. If using frozen vegetables, cook according to package directions and if using fresh, use raw or lightly cooked until tender, whichever you prefer.

– artichoke hearts (frozen or marinated in jars (drain before use))

– asparagus (frozen or fresh) – cut into one-inch pieces

– broccoli (frozen or fresh) – cut into small pieces

– carrots – sliced ​​or diced

– celery – sliced ​​or diced

– mushrooms – sliced

– bell peppers – chopped

– roasted sweet red peppers (in jars – drain before use) – cut into small pieces

– tomatoes – diced

– sweet onions – chopped

– peas (frozen or fresh)

– corn kernels (frozen or fresh)

– young spinach leaves (fresh ones work best and the heat from the warm pasta will soften the leaves perfectly)

Additional features:

These are just a few simple flavor enhancers that add a bit more to pasta or noodle dishes. Use these ingredients alone or in whatever combination you prefer.

– pitted and chopped green or black olives

– chopped nuts

– grated or cubed low-fat cheese

– any canned beans (rinsed and drained before use) such as black, cannellini, chickpea, or kidney

– chopped sun-dried tomatoes

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Quick and easy salad meals:

Just choose something from each category and you can create a salad meal in minutes. The wide variety of combinations you can create will always give you something new at lunchtime.

Vegetables:

Choose vegetables for your salad. There are a variety of prepackaged green salads in grocery stores these days, from spring mixes, romaine lettuce, arugula, baby spinach, and more. You can choose these products and even make combinations of them for an interesting salad base.

You can also just buy the fresh variety in heads by themselves and make your own combinations. This route is cheaper than the packaged variety, but if time is short, you can’t beat the packaged veggies.

Vegetables and fruits:

Choose a variety of vegetables and / or fruits to put on your salad with a rainbow of colors for the most nutrition. Some tasty combinations are:

– cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, celery or

– red peppers, artichoke hearts, golden chives

– grape tomatoes, avocado, hearts of palm or

– grated carrots, shredded cabbage, tangerines or

– diced apples, blueberries, strawberries

Fillings:

Here are some suggestions for fillings that will make a salad a meal.

– cooked chicken (cubed) – either grilled, baked or broiled or

– cooked seafood (cut into small pieces) – tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab or lobster or

– cooked grains – brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa, buckwheat or wild rice or

– cooked beans – black beans, chickpeas, butter beans, lima beans, kidney beans, azuki beans, cannellini beans or edamame or

– cooked meat (cut into small pieces) – steak, ham, pork chops or roast beef or

– eggs – chopped hard-boiled eggs, cooked omelette cut into pieces or cooked scrambled eggs or

– cooked pasta – (smaller varieties work best like rotini, elbow macaroni, couscous, or farfalle)

Dressing room:

Choose an all-natural, organic, and low-fat variety. Making your own dressing is always an option and you can control all the ingredients that way, but if your time is too short, there are so many varieties available today that you can always find something delicious.

Toppers:

These simple touches of topping will add an extra layer of flavor to salads. Use as many or as few as you like.

– croutons: simple or flavored varieties

– cooked crumbled bacon: use turkey bacon to reduce fat or try the vegetarian variety

– walnuts: use a pinch of chopped walnuts such as walnuts, walnuts, almonds or pine nuts

– Shelled seeds are also a good addition like: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds.

– baked tortilla chips: crumble and sprinkle over your salad

– grated cheese: use a low-fat variety and sprinkle over the salad

Try these simple lunchbox foods whenever you need them. They’re quick and easy to put together and will give you a variety of ideas so lunches are never boring.

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