Do you have a meal that is the most challenging for you? Mine is lunch! I get bored with sandwiches. And while I love leftovers, I don’t always have them available.
Here are some of the ideas I’ve come up with – hope you find something that works for you.
Sweet potato with toppings. I microwave a sweet potato when I’m ready, but if you planned ahead you could bake one or more ahead of time. Top it with chopped veggies and, if you wish, chopped turkey or other meat. My local grocery carries some good brands of deli meats without additives that I like to use.
Brown rice salad. This is what I’m having today. I have a little left over rice and broccoli from last night’s dinner. I’ll chop up the broccoli, along with a little onion and maybe some carrot or celery and add it to the rice. I’ll probably chop up a little of the nice deli meat that I just got. Add a little balsamic vinaigrette and it makes a quick and delicious whole grain salad.
Spinach salad with baked tofu. Rinse a little spinach and add another veggie or two. You can add garbanzo or other beans if you have them available. The other day I was looking for a protein to add, and tried chopping up some baked tofu. I was surprised at how much I liked it in the salad. You can buy the tofu already baked or bake it yourself. It gives it a much firmer flavor than the usual jelly-like texture of tofu. It’s even good cold! Just add a dressing and some sunflower seeds.
Tuna sandwich. I’m not a big sandwich fan, but I’m trying to eat more fish. Be light on the mayo or use an oil and vinegar type dressing instead. I like to toast it in a dry pan. Use chunk light tuna for less mercury, and if you can find it, choose one without salt added.
Yogurt cheese. I just got a yogurt maker, and one of the things I plan to experiment with is yogurt cheeses. I’m using skim milk as a base, so the cheese will be low fat. You make it by suspending the yogurt in cheesecloth for a few hours, so that the excess moisture drains off. You can add garlic and herbs for flavor. I think this would be good on whole grain crackers or as a potato topping.
Bean spread. This was a great discovery for me. You can puree a can of beans with ¼ cup of olive oil, the juice of a lemon or lime, and some seasonings (like garlic, onion, cayenne, cumin, etc) to make a spread. It is amazingly good. You can use it as a vegetable dip or as a spread for whole grain bread.
Grilled cheese with sauerkraut. I try to limit my cheese, so don’t have this as often as I would like. I keep the cheese slices thin, use whole wheat bread, and toast it in a dry pan. I came up with the idea of adding sauerkraut when I was looking for more ways to eat sauerkraut (which is a form of fermented food and good for digestion). It is great with the cheese.
Hope these give you some good ideas. Please share your lunch ideas with me! I’m always looking for new ideas for a healthy lunch.
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Eat well!
Thanks Ann – great idea, I’ll give it a try myself.
You can buy the tofu already baked at Big John’s, or you can bake it yourself. You can either cube the tofu or bake the whole block. Top it with various seasonings for flavor.
I’ve roasted cubes. I sprinkled a little soy sauce and seasonings over it and stirred to mix. It bakes for 45 – 60 minutes at 360 degrees. It seems to me that if you baked the whole block that you could even marinate it first. I’m tempted to give that a try!
Let me know how you like the baked tofu. I like it much better than the regular texture of tofu. Kathy