I don’t know about you, but I always find lunch the hardest meal to plan.
It’s especially difficult to think of something that is good for you, keeps you full all afternoon, can be taken in as part of a packed lunch AND doesn’t take too much faff to make the night before.
I really struggle to come up with new ideas to stop things getting boring, and surely I can’t be alone! If you find yourself getting stuck for lunchtime inspiration, check out the list below of five of my favourite healthy lunch ideas.
If you’ve got any ideas for me to try, let me know in the comments!
Lentil and veggie pasta
Cook down some red lentils and chopped tomatoes along with vegetables of your choice (mine are always onion and mushroom, everrrry time) and season, then serve with some pasta. It tastes delicious hot or cold so makes great leftovers, and the lentils make a thick sauce so it won’t go runny or watery overnight.
Avocado, tomato and hummus sandwiches
Smoky, creamy grilled avocado, thick slices of juicy tomato and red pepper hummus is a totally different and super healthy way to jazz up your sandwiches!
Burrito bowls
Burrito bowls are an absolute fave of mine. You can mix and match the filling to suit your taste (or whatever you’ve got to hand!). I usually opt for brown rice, peppers and onions, sweetcorn, mixed beans, salad, avocado, cheese and sour cream, it’s yummy all thrown together in a bowl but, of course, you could always wrap it up into a traditional burrito.
Sweet chilli wraps
Sweet chilli is a brilliant flavour to use for packed lunches as it won’t lose its kick. Also, I often make my wraps with mixed vegetables and they can go a little limp overnight so the punchy sweet chilli sauce helps to hide that.
Vegetable soup
The only one on this list you have to heat up, vegetable soup is a really tasty, nutritious option if you’ve got a microwave to nuke it in for a minute or two. Check out my recipe for a really cheap, incredibly scrumptious frozen vegetable soup!
#ThisGirlEats 