Healthy work lunch concepts:
Nourishing bowls- For the base use grains, then add a protein source and lots of greens. Pack a light dressing to drizzle over your healthy lunch. Ideas include chicken hummus bowl, salmon sushi rice bowl, sweet potato and lentil bowl, black bean burrito bowl.
Satisfying sandwiches- change up your typical sandwich with pittas, club sandwiches and toast toppers. You can even pack ingredients separately and assemble your sandwich at work to ensure freshness. Try a healthy Caesar pitta, stuffed Moroccan style pitta, chicken & avocado toast, turkey and spring onion wraps.
Hearty salads- Mix up your lunch menu by experimenting with different bases, layer up with colourful and flavoursome toppings then amp up the flavour and texture further with nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and dressings. Try guacamole & mango salad, smoky chickpea salad , beetroot & halloumi salad, pesto chicken salad.
Pasta salads- pasta is a lunchtime favourite that can be served cold or reheated in a microwave. Examples include garlic mushroom penne, pesto & kale pasta, chicken pasta salad, tuna pasta salad.
Homemade wraps- use flatbreads and tortillas to add variety to your lunchtimes, protein rich fillings are always a hit including chicken or fish. Try spicy chicken & avocado wraps, roasted chickpea wraps, butter bean curry wraps, lemony salmon & lettuce wraps.
Soups- budget friendly, portable and super healthy lunch idea. Try cooking a big batch, then reheat it when you want it, you could even freeze it. Try a Mexican bean soup, rustic vegetable soup, carrot & ginger soup.
Protein pots- make a perfect snack or lunch based on portion size. Try steak & broccoli protein pots, tuna niçoise protein pot or chicken protein pots.
Find these recipes and more here:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/healthy-food-guides/healthy-lunch-ideas-work
Tips around healthy work lunches:
- Make a big batch ahead of time- cook a meal in advance that wont go strange after a few days in the fridge. Then pack it into lunchboxes that you can grab in a morning before work.
- Include an element/ingredient that excites you- think about what draws you in to ordering food out and try to incorporate elements of this into your lunch. For example some feta cheese, salami, noodles or guacamole.
- Be flexible- use lunch to repurpose leftovers or use spare produce that would otherwise go to waste.
Further resources and recipes available here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/healthy_lunches_for_work
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/lunch
https://cooking.nytimes.com/article/easy-healthy-lunch-ideas
