Lunch Ideas

Regularly making lunch yourself over eating takeout is the best way to go. It will save money and you control the ingredients. During the week, I like a quick lunch that I can just heat up and eat without thinking about what I'm going to have and spending a lot of time preparing it. On Sundays, I use the crockpot to make soup, stew or chili. I make something that is full of vegetables and some sort of vegetarian protein, usually red or green lentils, chickpeas, split peas or black beans. I add broth which is usually vegetable or chicken bone broth. I top it off with a bunch of healthy spices. It's good, quick and nutritious. Adding meat instead of beans and beef broth instead of chicken or vegetable broth would also work. I also make a salad for dinner the night before and save half of it for lunch. The salad usually consists of spinach and/or mixed greens, cucumber, pepper (no seeds), red or yellow onion, olives or avocado, black pepper. I sometimes add in tomatoes (no seeds - they cause inflammation), radishes, feta cheese. For the dressing, I just drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar over the top. If I use red wine vinegar, I sprinkle a little Italian seasoning over the top. During the week, this guarantees I will have one good, healthy meal a day, just in case dinner goes off track. The soups page has the recipes of what I usually rotate through each week. I like soup with the salad because it's a little more filling and adds a little extra nutrition. Some other lunch ideas are:

• a heartier salad with a protein like hardboiled eggs, chicken, tuna, turkey or steak. Drizzle olive oil over it or add avocado for a healthy fat. Balsamic or red wine vinegar along with a few spices like black pepper or Italian seasoning will also add flavor. Also, make sure to use good quality greens, not just iceberg lettuce.
• chicken, egg or tuna salad on a lettuce, gluten free or keto wrap or bread with a pickle for prebiotic benefits
• leftovers from dinner
• bento box lunch with a protein like cheese/cottage cheese/hardboiled egg/deli meat, gluten free crackers, carrots and hummus, fruit like berries or grapes, piece of dark chocolate

Challenge: Evaluate what you are currently eating for lunch on a regular basis. If you tend to order out, try making lunch yourself a day or two per week. If you regularly make your own lunch, make sure it contains a protein, fat and fiber. #ads Lunch Recipe Books