Easy Ways to Make a Huge Flavor Upgrade to Your Basic Lunch
Not feeling up to packing your own lunch but are tired of the boring prepared options at work? We have a quick and easy technique to pack more flavor and nutrients into basic dishes with little effort. Simply choose the office food-base you need on each day, bring a few additions and you have yourself a healthy and tasty meal, made quick. Here’s how:
Five food-based recipes that you can hop around for your healthy office lunch:
Monday: Seasonal Salad
Get that soggy salad image out of your mind. Salad is the easiest dish you can play with to make a huge impact. Adding a juicy topping such as mixed berries adds sweetness to a salad while refreshing your body. Swapping out that bland ranch dressing for something exotic is a quick fix to bring your salad to the next level. Spicy Thai-style salad dressing tingles your taste buds and recharges your brain for the afternoon shift. Pickled and grilled vegetables are also an excellent topping to pair with your salad for an extra healthy kick. Don’t forget to play with the color for visual (and taste!) impact.
Tuesday: Wraps
Wraps are the hassle-free lunch. All the healthiness of a salad delivered in a quick, convenient, and (mostly) mess free outer wrap. The first addition to think about is your meat. Bring a lean steak or grilled chicken seasoned with spices. After you’ve chosen your meat, find a complimentary vegetable addition that will add more nutrients to your wrap. We love ginger yams with chicken, avocado with salmon, and coleslaw in a pulled pork wrap.
Hint: If you cook the pulled pork yourself, you can save the juice as a soup stock for the next day’s recipe. Sauces and dressings are the easiest way to transform a wrap, but be careful what you choose. It’s easy to make a healthy wrap unhealthy based on the sauce addition.
Wednesday: Homemade Soup
Soup is like a pool of nutrients, full of vitamins and fiber. We recommend preparing it the night before to ensure the vegetables are soft enough- and to save you time in the morning. Adding walnuts incorporates crunch in the texture and supports your heart and brain health. We recommend a good old fashioned chicken soup, especially during cold and flu season!
Thursday: Fried Rice
Fried rice is an excellent way to use up leftovers from last night’s dinner, and there’s no wrong way to make it. Add whatever vegetables you have left with rice in a pan and fry them together. We recommend adding an egg for protein as it will keep you full until dinner. Other favorite additions include sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and even turmeric. The latter has numerous health benefits, such as delaying diabetes, fighting heart attacks and cancer, and even healing brain stem cells.
Friday: Sushi
By Friday it’s easy to forget your lunch or not feel up to making one. You can do it! Visit your nearest supermarket and grab some sushi, or roll it yourself. It doesn’t take too much time- we promise! Just prepare your fillings the night before and combine them like you’re preparing a sandwich, only roll your filling in seaweed. We love adding avocado, sweet potato, and even mango to our sushi. It’s Friday- you deserve a quick and healthy meal.
Whether you pack your lunch or use an office delivered lunch as your base, it’s easy to infuse more flavor and nutrients to it with a few simple ingredients.
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