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.
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Lunch Recipe Books