I do not know about you, but when I’m at work or school and I’m hungry for lunch, I generally go for immediate food. It does not help when there are ten different fast food places within my radius of work, and even worse has a mini food court in my university center. With all the fast food restaurants around me, it is hard to say no to unhealthy choices. However, I’ve started packing my lunches for school and work and it really helps ease the temptation of fast food.
Today I have some great lunch ideas for you to take to school or work. These taste great warm or cold, and they’re‘very fast to make. These may not be as healthy as the healthy ones, but they’re absolutely healthier than regular fast food. And they’re delicious!
Peanut Butter English Muffins
This lunch is super quick to make and super delicious! It’s easy to tuck in a lunch box and take it to work or school without the trouble.
All you want to do is cut an English muffin in half and toast in half. Once crunchy to your taste, spread peanut butter all over the muffins. This is optional, but you can even add some granola or fresh fruit on top.
For a couple of sides, I have carrots and honey mustard (or whatever sauce you like — hummus will work too!), and a few SmartPop popcorn. I like to have two sides because if I‘I’m too full for a second side at lunch, I can all the time have it as a snack later! And since I have a very sweet tooth, I added a few squares of dark chocolate for dessert.
WRAPPED SANDWICH
This lunch is also super quick, but it is something you can make the night before if you do not‘do not want to deal with prepping food in the morning (I feel you, kid!).
Get a whole grain tortilla and begin by spreading one of your favourite condiments. Instead of your typical mayonnaise and mustard, I’d go for some healthy cream cheese or hummus. Then, add meat, cheese (I use low-fat cheese), and vegetables. Roll your tortilla and you have a delicious wrap!
For my side, I had pickled spears (low calorie and fat free, just watch the sodium!). I also chopped up some apples with chilled whipping/peanut butter sauce, which in fact doubles as both a side and a dessert. I believe a hard-boiled egg or celery stick would make a good accompaniment to this meal, too. And if you do not‘t be apples for dessert, you can all the time opt for chocolate covered raisins instead.
COLD PASTE
I’d recommend preparing this one the night before too, but however you want to do it, it is sure to be delicious.
Start by boil some intact wheat noodles. Once cooked and dried, discard some mozzarella cheese into the dough. Remove the noodles from the heat and funky utterly. Once cool, add the marinara sauce. Be careful with this; you do not‘do not want to drown your noodles in sauce as many marinara sauces are loaded with sugar. I put about half of the sauce‘s portion size to my noodles.
For extra, I added fresh prunes and a little bit of reduced fat Cheez-it. Since I had time from making this the night before, I made some chocolate covered pretzel sticks for dessert.
SANDWICH BAGELS
I love bagels and that I love sandwiches, so clearly this needs some combination!
Cut your bagel in half and toast all sides. I find that eating a whole bagel for lunch is too much, so I eat half for breakfast and the other for lunch. For your lunch bagel, you can absolutely add your favourite sandwich dressing, but I spread cream cheese on top instead. Add your cheese, meat and vegetables. The combination of the sandwich meat and the cream cheese is actually delicious!
I had grape and smoked gouda cheese for accompaniments, together with pretzel sticks, and Brookside dark chocolate acai berries for dessert!
DIY FOOD
I’m sure you have seen these floating around on YouTube and Pinterest, but they’re so funny. If you loved Lunch as a child (or if you still love it like I do), you will love it.
Cut up regular deli meat and cheddar cheese into smaller slices and pack some Ritz crackers. That‘Really it’s! You have your own DIY Lunch.
In addition, I eat some fresh strawberries, clementines, and trail mix. I tossed some extra M&Ms into my trail mix for a little dessert! The whole meal was very satisfying (maybe because I put too many cracker/meat & cheese slices in my meal). I finished up eating most of my trail mix as a snack throughout the day because I was too full at lunch.
ZUCCHINI PIZZA
This is unquestionably something you will want to prepare the night before. This is not my own recipe (credit to Damn Delicious!) but I have a hard time eating a low-carb diet, so I wanted to include this one!
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Slice the zucchini into mini slices. Heat some oil over medium heat, and warmth the zucchini slices (about two minutes on all sides). Place on a baking sheet, add marinara sauce and cheese. You can even add some pepperoni or other toppings if you wish. Bake for about two minutes. I made a whole zucchini, but I only ate half at lunch.
For my side, I eat some low fat cheese. My second side also pairs for dessert. I spread peanut butter and caramel sauce on whole wheat tortillas (see, I can‘t live without carbs), wrap a banana in it, and cut it into small rolls.
COLD QUESADILLA
Nice. That’s all you need to know.
You‘We’ll start by adding cheese and shredded chicken to a whole wheat tortilla. You can add any vegetables or other spreads you like, ensuring you keep all the ingredients on only one side of the tortilla. When you‘After adding your ingredients, fold the tortilla in half. Heat it on the stove until it reaches your desired crispiness. Add a little salsa on the side for more flavor if you wish.
As an aside, I had the BBQ Pop Chips (these are great because if you only eat half the portion size, you‘I’m full!). I also had a yogurt parfait that in fact doubled as a side and for dessert!
FRUIT SALAD
So you can absolutely make a signature fruit salad with all of your favourite chopped fruit and perhaps a drizzle of some good (really good!) yogurt, but I have another idea. This is really my favourite food in this article.
You’ll be slicing mozzarella cheese, two prunes, and a few strawberries (you can in fact choose whatever fruit you want). I also poured the balsamic vinegar into a separate container. If you want, you can even add spinach or lettuce to it “salad,” Also. At lunch, I drizzle some vinegar over the fruit, but I’ve in fact found that I like it better without any dressing. So if you can live without it, you‘will absolutely cut some calories and sugar.
I chose low-fat cheese with thin oats and granola bars as my sides. I chose the dark chocolate acai berry again for dessert! The fruit salad is so filling that I barely touched the crackers or granola bars at lunch.
BURRITO BITES
Who needs Taco Bell, right? For this one, it’s‘It’s essentially a burrito cut into small pieces (because who does not‘t like bite size food?). I personally do not‘it does not like this cold, but it tastes super good at room temperature or warmed up. you, too‘absolutely wanted to set this up the night before, but still have not‘it does not take long to make!
Start by heating your beans on the stove (I use the fat free refried beans from Rosarita). Once cool, spread a thin layer on whole wheat tortillas. I then added a little salsa on top, followed by shredded chicken and cheddar cheese. You can even add avocado, onions and other vegetables. I then rolled the tortilla into a brilliant tight burrito and cut it into about six pieces.
I use a scoop of salsa and oven-baked Tostitos as a side (otherwise you can make your own chips by toasting the tortillas). For dessert I made some chocolate covered strawberries.
I hope this nine ideas that can motivate you to ditch fast food ideas. And hey! Maybe you will be really excited for school or work, knowing that you have a delicious lunch waiting for you.
(For my container, I highly recommend Rubbermaid‘and LunchBlox. I can‘cannot tell you how convenient it’s. Plus, the size is great for portion control!)
