Nutritious lunches, either for the workday or the school day are challenging for many people.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve exercised at the start of the day, or will do after work or school, what you eat at lunch is so important. Getting an adequate amount of protein to keep you satiated and help your muscles recover, enough carbohydrate to keep your energy up, and enough fat to keep your hormones happy is essential. Not mentioning the amazing benefits you’ll receive from fresh foods full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
At lunch time you can really make or break the rest of your day!
Here are our top tips:
Leftovers!! If you can simply cook enough dinner the night prior to take a portion for lunch the next day, this is the easiest and quickest option.
Pick a protein and base your meal around that. It should be at least a palm size amount. Meat, Fish, Beans, Tofu, Falafel. Once you’ve picked that then add your extras to it.
Vegetables as the first extra! This could be cooked veggie leftovers, it could be salad greens, a bulk tray-bake of roast veggies, or raw veggie sticks. It doesn’t matter, just get 1-3 cups of veggies into the meal.
If you chose starchy root veggies as your option, then you’re done on the carb front. If you didn’t, next add some carbs. This might be rice, quinoa, a wrap, a pita, pasta or bread. This is in addition to the protein and veggies and shouldn’t be the majority of the meal.
Next add your hormone loving healthy fats. This might be a sprinkle of nuts or seeds, it might be olive oil, or avocado, or eggs, or even coconut milk in a curry.
Finally, make it taste yum! Spices and herbs are your BFF. You want to enjoy your lunch, so add something that’s going to make you WANT to eat it. You can even prep the same basic foods, but make them taste very different by adding different seasonings to them. Keep those taste buds entertained!
Quick ideas for getting a balanced meal:
“One tray bake” with chicken thighs, cabbage, carrot, zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil, soy, sesame seeds + chilli. Make multiple meals worth and leave portions in the fridge.
Pan fried falafel stuffed into pita or a wrap with hummus, fresh tomato or salsa, sprouts, sliced olives. Keep the filling in a separate container and add to the wrap when you’re ready to eat it.
Beef mince fried with Mexican style spices and tinned tomato. Load it with grated carrot, zucchini and finely diced broccoli. Serve it on rice or quinoa. Or even serve it on corn chips if that will get the whole family keen on it.
Make a “snack box” with hard boiled eggs, chopped raw veggies with hummus or cottage cheese to dip, wee handful of nuts, a piece of fruit or a couple of bits of dried fruit. The options here are endless and you can take enough in the box for lunch and afternoon tea.
Frittata with eggs whisked with cumin and dill. Layer canned salmon, thinly sliced spinach, capsicum and zucchini over a dish, pour over the eggs. Sprinkle with a little grated cheese and bake. This can make multiple lunches at a time and is easy to portion. Serve with a salad or on its own.
We hope you enjoy your lunches this week and let us know your fav lunch ideas when you see us next!
