When you are at work all day, it can be challenging to eat healthily. The best option for lunch usually seems to be just grabbing some fast food up the road. However, bringing your own lunch to work is a great way to save money and eat healthily. But it can be hard to come up with ideas for meals that are both affordable and tasty. This article will give you some helpful ideas for healthy meals that are great for packing with you to work.
Contents
Salmon With Quinoa Salad
Salmon is great for lunch because it takes very little time to make, keeps well in the fridge, and tastes delicious. This recipe only takes about half an hour to prepare but is packed full of healthy goodness. It is very high in protein which will help keep you full through the day. It also contains many healthy nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins. To make this recipe even healthier, use olive oil instead of the usual cooking oils because it’s lower in saturated fat and higher in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
Ingredients:
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- 2 fillets of salmon
- 200g quinoa cooked as per packet instructions
- 1 avocado diced small
- chopped tomato
- Leafy greens of choice
- Flat-leaf parsley for garnish.
Place the salmon in a pan and cook it on each side for about 5 minutes or until flaky. While this is cooking, prepare the salad by cutting up all the veggies and mixing them together with your leafy greens in a large bowl. Then add cooked quinoa and mix everything together. Pack it up, and it’s ready for work!
Chicken & Tomato Pasta
This meal only takes about half an hour to cook and can last in the fridge for three days, so you don’t have to worry about making it every day. It is full of healthy protein, which will keep you feeling full for longer while being low in fat and high in fiber. Another great benefit from this meal is that tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that helps protect the body against free radicals.
Ingredients:
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- 200g Pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons basil puree
- 1 teaspoon garlic puree
- Pinch salt and pepper.
- 500g chicken fillets cut into strips.
- 2 large tomatoes
Cook pasta per packet instructions, then drain and rinse in cold water to stop it from cooking further. Heat oil in a large pan and add chicken strips. Cook until brown on all sides, then remove from pan and set aside. Add pasta and basil puree, garlic puree, salt, and pepper to the oil in the pan. Mix well, add back in cooked chicken strips and toss everything together until thoroughly mixed into the sauce. Dice up your tomatoes and spread them evenly across the top. Then pack your pasta to go!
Stuffed Peppers
These stuffed peppers are tasty and easy to put together in about thirty minutes. They contain everything you need for a healthy meal, such as complex carbs, fiber, and protein. This recipe is made even more delicious by adding feta cheese which adds flavor and calcium to each bite. It also contains green peppers, which are rich in vitamin A.
Ingredients:
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- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large bell peppers
- 1 onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 275g lean ground beef
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 250g whole-wheat couscous
- Fresh parsley for garnish.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash and dry peppers, then remove tops, cores, and seeds. Cook the lean ground beef until it begins to turn brown. Then add your ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil to a bowl, then mix thoroughly. Stuff peppers with the mixture until they are almost overflowing. Place peppers in a baking dish with about an inch of water at the bottom. Cover dish with foil and bake for half an hour or until peppers are cooked through. While the peppers are cooking, prepare couscous by bringing one and a half cups of water to a boil. Once it starts boiling, add in couscous and cook until all the water has been absorbed, around ten minutes. Allow peppers to cool for a bit before storing them. Then they should be all ready for work!
Chicken Brown Rice & Veggies
This meal is delicious and easy to put together. The chicken and brown rice combination gives it an incredible amount of protein while also high in complex carbs, fiber, and healthy fats. The veggies make it an extremely nutritious meal and add a tremendous flavor. This one will last you all week and is good hot, cold, or anywhere in between.
Ingredients:
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- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup brown rice
- 3 carrots
- 1 head broccoli chopped
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
Preheat oven to 350F. Cut chicken breasts into strips and season with salt. Spread on a baking sheet covered with foil, then place chicken in the oven for thirty minutes or until fully cooked. While you are waiting for the chicken to cook, prepare your rice by bringing three and a half cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add in brown rice and reduce heat to simmer for roughly twenty minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. While everything finishes up, you can chop your veggies! Allow the chicken to cool before cutting/shredding it into chunks. Now that everything is prepped, you can finally put it all together! Throw your veggies into a large bowl and add rice, chicken, and olive oil. Mix thoroughly until fully combined, then store in containers to take to work!
Quinoa & Chia Breakfast Bowl
This breakfast is perfect for anyone who has a busy schedule because not only does it taste great, but you can make it the night before and have it ready to go when you wake up. This meal consists of complex carbs in the form of quinoa and chia seeds, giving you lasting energy throughout the day. It also contains protein in the form of eggs and healthy fats from flaxseed which contributes to optimal heart health. The sweetness of this dish comes from the bananas, which will satisfy your sweet tooth while still giving you a substantial amount of nutrients.
Ingredients:
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- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 bananas sliced into discs
- 3 eggs beaten
- 2 tablespoons flax seeds
Preheat oven to 350F. Bring two cups of water to a boil, then add the quinoa and reduce heat until it is simmering. Cook for roughly ten minutes or until the quinoa absorbs all the water, then remove from heat and allow to cool. In the meantime, add chia seeds into a bowl, add three cups of water, and stir thoroughly. Wait for at least fifteen minutes so they can absorb all the water before adding them in with the quinoa. Add salt, vanilla extract, olive oil, beaten eggs, banana slices, and flax seeds. Stir until thoroughly combined, pour the mixture into a baking dish, and bake uncovered for half an hour or until the edges start to get crispy. The chia seeds will add a gelatinous texture, so simply omit them if you want more of a traditional consistency! Refrigerate overnight and enjoy in the morning at work!
Conclusion
All of these meals are delicious and easy to make. They will give you lasting energy throughout the day, keep you full for a decent amount of time, and will help you remain healthy. These meals should last about a week in the refrigerator if you don’t eat them first! Try them all and see which one you like the best! Remember, these are just a few examples. There’s an endless amount of recipes out there that are healthy and perfect for bringing with you to work!
