Lunchbox Meals – Ideas for quick and healthy lunches

If you have to pack a lunch every day, you know how tedious and boring it can be, and sometimes you can run out of ideas. Here are some quick lunch box ideas to use year-round for kids and adults alike.

With healthy ingredients and easy preparation, you’ll be able to make quick lunches any day of the week, and with the variety of options, you can always make something new and different.

sandwiches:

Here’s a simple approach to creating sandwiches quickly. Just choose from each category and you’ll have a sandwich made in no time.

bread:

Pick your favorite strain or take a look at the suggestions below.

– wholemeal bread

– pita pocket

– dark rye bread

– sourdough bread

– bagels (plain or flavored)

– hamburger ‘bread

– soft rolls (choose your favourite)

– soft shell tortilla (whole wheat or flavored)

Spreads:

– fat-free mayonnaise

– fat-free sour cream

– plain nonfat yogurt (Greek style is thicker and creamier and spreads well)

– mustard (spicy, honey, Dijon, horseradish, etc.)

– creamy, low-fat all-natural bottled dressings

– avocado (a ripe avocado can be mashed and used as a delicious spread)

– pesto (a little basil pesto or roasted red pepper)

Fillings:

– tuna (canned, packed in water and drained)

– thin slices of smoked salmon

– thin slices of low-sodium, minimally processed deli meats

– chicken (baked, grilled or grilled and thinly sliced)

– hummus (regular or flavored variety)

– nut butter (peanut, soy, sunflower, cashew or almond)

– Veggie burger or patty (cooked as directed on package)

– baked tofu (choose your favorite flavor and cut it into thin or thick slices)

– cheese slices (low-fat varieties or vegetarian cheese slices)

Tasty Additions:

Add a variety of vegetables or fruits to your sandwich for great flavor and nutrition.

Vegetables:

– sliced ​​tomatoes

– sliced ​​cucumbers

– gherkin relish or sliced ​​gherkins

– lettuce (mild varieties are great like Bibb lettuce or green or red leafy varieties)

– sweet bell pepper strips (simple or roasted)

– pitted and chopped black or green olives

– thin slices of peeled jicama

– thin slices of chayote squash

– cabbages

Fruit:

(fruit works especially well on butter pecan sandwiches)

– thinly sliced ​​apples

– grapes

– pieces of chopped dried cherry or any variety of dried fruit

– sliced ​​bananas

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soups:

Soups are a great idea for lunch. Keeping the soup hot until lunchtime can be a challenge, but if you heat the thermos first, with some very warm tap water for a few minutes, then pour it out and add the hot soup, it will usually stay quite hot until that it is ready to eat.

Choose your favorite soup, either homemade or store-bought. When shopping for store-bought varieties, look for all-natural, low-sodium ingredients. Add some simple sides along with a thermos of hot soup and you have a quick and easy lunch. Listed below are some suggested side dishes to go with the hot soup.

Fittings:

– small salad: lettuce, tomato and cucumber with Italian dressing

– vegetables and dip: carrot and celery sticks with all-natural Ranch dressing or hummus for garnish

– fruit and yogurt: apple slices with vanilla-flavored low-fat yogurt for dipping

– potatoes: cubes of boiled potatoes seasoned with a little skimmed sour cream and chives

– cheese and crackers: low-fat cheese cubes and whole-grain crackers

– chips and salsa: baked pita chips with dipping sauce

– breadsticks and fruit: flavored breadsticks and a small container of applesauce

– cheese and fruit: low-fat string cheese and a small box of grapes

– chips and fruit: small bag of baked chips with a piece of fruit

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Pasta and Noodles:

Cooked pasta or noodles, warm or cold, are a simple lunch idea that can be made quickly and easily. These can be made ahead of time and served hot or cold before being placed in an insulated container. Just pick something from each category, combine them, and create a pasta meal in minutes.

Pasta or Noodles:

Cook according to package directions, drain, and place in a bowl.

– small pasta shapes: elbow macaroni, farfalle, penne or rotini (or your favorite)

– varieties of long noodles: thin spaghetti, fettuccine, rice noodles or udon noodles

Sauces:

Depending on what you choose, heat the amount of sauce you are using in a saucepan or simply add your choice of sauce to the warm, cooked pasta.

– marinara

– sauce for pasta with vegetables

– Italian dressing

– peanut sauce

– non-fat sour cream (plain or mixed with dried herbs of choice)

– combination of mustard and fat-free sour cream or mayonnaise

– salsa (your favorite variety)

– roasted red pepper or basil pesto mixed with nonfat sour cream or nonfat Greek yogurt

Vegetables:

Here is a suggested list of vegetables that you can use in any combination. Use any of these or your favorite combinations. If using frozen vegetables, cook them according to package directions and if using fresh, use raw or lightly cooked until tender, whichever you prefer.

– artichoke hearts (frozen or marinated in jars (drain before using))

– asparagus tips (frozen or fresh) – cut into 1-inch pieces

– broccoli (frozen or fresh) – cut into small pieces

– carrots – sliced ​​or diced

– celery – sliced ​​or diced

– mushrooms – sliced

– sweet peppers – chopped

– roasted sweet red peppers (packaged – drain before using) – cut into small pieces

– tomatoes – diced

– sweet onions – chopped

– peas (frozen or fresh)

– corn kernels (frozen or fresh)

– baby spinach leaves (fresh ones work best and the heat from the warm pasta will soften the leaves perfectly)

Additional features:

These are just a few simple flavor enhancers that add something extra to pasta or noodle dishes. Use these ingredients alone or in any combination you prefer.

– pitted and chopped green or black olives

– chopped nuts

– grated or cubed low-fat cheese

– any canned beans (rinsed and drained before using) such as black, cannellini, garbanzo, or kidney

– chopped dried tomatoes

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Quick and Easy Salad Meals:

Just choose something from each category and you can create a salad in minutes. The wide variety of combinations you can create will always give you something new at mealtime.

Vegetables:

Choose the vegetables for your salad. There are a variety of prepackaged salad greens in grocery stores these days, from spring mixes, romaine lettuce, arugula, baby spinach, and more. You can choose these products and even make combinations of them for an interesting salad base.

You can also just buy the fresh variety in single heads and make your own combinations. This route is cheaper than the packaged variety, but if time is short, you can’t beat prepackaged greens.

Vegetables and fruits:

Choose a variety of vegetables and/or fruits to put in the salad with a rainbow of colors for the most nutrition. Some tasty combinations are:

– cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, celery or

– red bell peppers, artichoke hearts, golden chives

– Grape tomatoes, avocado, hearts of palm or

– shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, tangerines or

– diced apples, blueberries, strawberries

Fillings:

Here are some suggestions for fillings that will make a salad a meal.

– cooked chicken (diced) – either grilled, baked, broiled or

– cooked shellfish (cut into small pieces) – tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab or lobster or

– cooked cereals – brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa, buckwheat or wild rice or

– cooked beans – black beans, garbanzo beans, lima beans, lima beans, kidney beans, adzuki beans, cannellini beans, or edamame or

– cooked meat (cut into small pieces) – steak, ham, pork chops or roast beef or

– eggs – chopped hard-boiled eggs, chopped cooked omelet, or cooked or scrambled eggs

– cooked pasta – (smaller varieties work best as rotini, elbow macaroni, couscous, or farfalle)

Dressing room:

Choose an all-natural, organic, and low-fat variety. Making your own dressing is always an option and you can control all the ingredients that way, but if time is too short there are so many varieties available today that you can always find something delicious.

First:

These easy toppings will add an extra layer of flavor to salads. Use as many or as few as you like.

– croutons: plain or flavored varieties

– crumbled cooked bacon: use turkey bacon to cut down on the fat or try the vegetarian variety

– nuts: use a pinch of chopped nuts such as walnuts, walnuts, almonds or pine nuts

– shelled seeds are also a good addition such as: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds

– baked tortilla chips: crumble and sprinkle over your salad

– grated cheese: use a low-fat variety and sprinkle over the salad

Try these easy lunchbox meals whenever you need them. They are quick and easy to prepare and will give you a variety of ideas so that lunches are never boring.