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    Published: September 11, 2021 · Last Modified: December 30, 2021 by Elise Harlow, MS, RDN · This post may contain affiliate links

    Simple Healthy Lunch Ideas

    Healthy meals doesn't have to be complicated to be delicious and nutritious.

    Sandwich on a whole grain seeded bun with lettuce and avocado.

    I get it, even when I do have the time to make an elaborate lunch, I never want to. There's something about lunch that I want it to be quick, easy, and nutritious.

    Having a homemade lunch doesn't have to be complicated. If you are prepared with groceries, you can have a balanced homemade lunch in less time than it takes to order takeout!

    For some reason, even when I have the time to make a more elaborate lunch, I never want to. I always want something that is fairly quick and on most days, packs a lot of nutrition.

    By making your own lunch instead of going out to eat, you have more control over your food and the ingredients used to make your meal. Restaurants main goal is to make their food taste good and for you to want to come back. Your health is unfortunately not a factor when choosing the types of foods and cooking methods to use. Don't get me wrong - I love going out to eat and sometimes there's no way you could make me cook another meal at home. However, on the day to day, cooking at home can significantly improve your nutrition.

    Homemade lunch doesn't have to be complicated, elaborate, or take a lot of time. When looking for an easy, healthy meal to make there are a 4 things that I try and make sure to include.

    4 components of a healthy lunch

    1. Protein source
      • Examples: chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, tempeh, edamame, beans, nuts, hummus, hemp seeds etc.
    2. Grain or starchy vegetable
      • Examples: quinoa, brown rice, bread, crackers, pasta, potato, peas, corn, etc.
    3. Healthy fat
      • Examples: avocado, olive oil, nuts, flax seed, chia seed, hemp seeds, hummus
    4. Fruits and/or veggies
      • Any fruit or vegetable
      • You may notice there are some overlap with the foods listed above. Some foods contain more than of of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats). For example, nuts contain both protein and fat. When thinking about building meals, it is ok to count the nuts to either one of those food groups.
    Several lunch ideas in picture form - ultimate veggie sandwich, almond butter & banana sandwich, quinoa and apple salad, and hummus pizza,

    Lunch Ideas That are Ready in 5 Minutes or Less

    Ultimate Veggie Sandwich

    Protein: chicken + hummus

    Grain: whole grain bread

    Vegetables: spinach + tomato + shredded carrots + cucumber

    Fat: avocado

    Instructions: spread hummus on 1 slice of whole grain bread, next add sliced/mashed avocado, then layer on all the veggies you want, add chicken and top with the second slice of whole grain bread.

    Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter) & Banana Sandwich

    Protein: almond/peanut butter

    Fruit: banana

    Grain: whole grain bread

    Fat: almond/peanut butter

    Instructions: Add nut butter of choice to 2 pieces of whole grain bread, add sliced bananas and enjoy! Feel free to change up the type of fruit used. You can try sliced strawberries, mashed blueberries, raspberries, etc. You can also play around with adding cinnamon or some extra flavor.

    • Whole grain bread recommendations: Dave's Killer Bread (sold at pretty much all grocery stores and sometimes Costco); Food for Life Ezekiel bread; Canyon Bakehouse for a gluten free option

    Quinoa, Apple, and Walnut Salad

    Protein: quinoa & walnuts

    Fruit & vegetable: mixed greens, apple & cranberries

    Grain: quinoa

    Fat: olive oil

    Instructions: start with some mixed greens, add ~¼th cup quinoa, ¼th an apple (chopped), 1-2 tablespoons dried cranberries, small handful of walnuts and toss with lemon and olive oil!

    Hummus Pizza

    Protein: hummus

    Grain: naan or pita

    Vegetables: cucumber, tomatoes, onion

    Fat: feta

    Instructions: start with a piece of naan or pita bread. Spread on the hummus and then add quartered cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, feta, and diced red onion.

    Want to learn more about healthy meal planning?

    Click here to read my post post on healthy meal planning made easy.

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    Welcome to The Flourished Table! I'm Elise Harlow, a Registered Dietitian based in Newport Beach, CA. I have a passion for everything food related and living a healthy lifestyle. Through my healthy recipes, individualized nutrition coaching, and meal planning services, my goal is to show you that good nutrition and cooking at home can be easy, fun, and tasty! Click here to learn more about me!

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