Bringing my lunch to work everyday has been something that I have been striving for – it helps save money and for health reasons. Part of my meal plan for the week includes food that I use to make different lunches during the week. Depending on the type of day I am having and how much time I have for lunch dictates what I am going to eat for the day. I usually settle on foods that can be eaten relatively quickly as most of my lunches are working lunches. Here are just a few options that I have eaten in the last 2 weeks that were easy to prep and delicious to eat.
Dole Ready to Eat Bagged Chopped Salads
A friend of mine used to bring these to work all the time and I wanted to try them. I did and man are they good. They come in a variety of different flavors. The one pictured is Sesame Asian which comes with sliced almonds, garlic wontons, kale, carrots, romaine, cabbage, and a sesame ginger vinaigrette dressing. It has just the right amount of crunch, sweetness and tanginess that I love. I literally bring it in my lunch bag with a bowl, and pour the salad in the bowl with some of the other ingredients and bring home the rest to have the next day. It is so good.
Turkey Roll-Ups
My kids and husband love lunch meat. I buy turkey and ham to last the week for sandwiches and roll-ups for lunches for everyone throughout the week. I don’t like ham, but I love turkey roll-ups and will make them with a slice of cheese (1 slice divided into the roll ups) with mustard. The above picture has 3 roll-ups and a bowl of fruit. I also added a 100 calorie pack of cocoa roasted almonds for a snack that I’ll eat later in the day (around 3pm).
Lean Cuisines/Smart Ones/Frozen Meals
Not the ideal lunch because of the sodium content, but towards the end of the week when the fridge is looking kind of sparse, a lean cuisine can definitely save the day to keep me from spending $10 on ordering food at work. At my grocery store they tend to have great specials where lean cuisines can be as cheap as $2. Both Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine have a lot of great options for lunch and are delicious (I have not had one that I did not like). The ones pictured up above were both delicious and ready to eat in 5 minutes!
Cut up Veggies & Dip
I love bringing cut up veggies to work. It takes very little time to prep – I just wash the veggies, cut up the cucumber (I don’t like the skin), throw some pre-cut baby carrots in, add some grape tomatoes and I put in some Nabisco garlic and herb Good Thin crackers and a side of low-fat ranch dressing. It’s tasty, healthy, and filling.
Yogurt & a Banana
I love this Chobani Greek Yogurt – It comes with chocolate and strawberry pieces for the topping – it is crunchy, sweet and delicious and perfect for a really quick lunch on the go. I did have a banana with this lunch as well, but I ate it before I took the picture.
So these 5 lunches are just some of the kinds of lunches I pack and have for myself throughout the week. I aim for easy, quick, healthy and delicious. What are some of your picks for a quick and easy lunch?
*Disclaimer – The products shown I bought because I enjoy them – I was not compensated in any way by these companies for this post.
