Mondays are
always tough for me as the weekend can often times be a bit difficult to bounce
back from. Even if you’re weekend was a relaxing one, prepping for Monday is never
exciting. Recently I have been spicing up my Sunday evenings by getting
creative with my brown bag contents! With my work schedule back in full swing it
can sometimes seem like nothing to go ahead and spend that $10 a day on lunch but, as many of you know, eating out adds up. Look at it like this... If you
spend a $10 minimum on lunch every day, think like a salad $7.00 and then a
bottled water or Diet Coke $1.75- 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year (and maybe
like 2 weeks for vacay give or take – woot woot!) man oh man does that add up…
that’s about $2,500!
I get it, lunch
isn’t the most glamorous meal of the day. As a matter of fact, I’m sure a lot of
you out there find that it’s easier to hit the nearest drive-thru, or place a
lunch order at your local sandwich shop or cafeteria/commissary, than stand in
front of the fridge at 6am trying to figure out what you’re going to eat 5
hours later. But beyond the cost savings a brown
bag lunch has to offer, most meals packed at home are healthier than foods at
restaurants and often times tastier. This doesn’t mean you must condemn
yourself to life of ingredients between 2 slices…
Falling into a lunchtime
rut filled of PB&J’s is the quickest way to send yourself straight to the
drive-thru. Salads are my secret weapon for avoiding lunchtime boredom! The ingredient
options are endless and the prep is cake! Below are my 7 go to salads which are
no fail and keep my lunch hour from being a snooze fest!
1.) Healthy Taco Salad
Im a true sucker for Mexican food... I actually brought this salad twice last week! While I substituted the tortilla chips with blue corn tortilla thins the remainder of the contents this delish lunchtime goodie is laced with are some of my favs:
Ground turkey, nonfat greek yogurt with a hint of lime juice, jalapenos, and cilantro, black beans, tomatoes, corn and nonfat cheese!
This salad I absolutely love! It’s portable, it’s healthy, it’s pretty, and it’s loaded with texture and flavor.
I have honestly made this little beauty right from my cubicle! I first had this salad courtesy of being ingrid (mish you lovely lady) it is sooo good and super simple! The "hardest" part is baking and bring the chicken but i seem to have that down! I highly suggest this yummy delight!
You cant go wrong with a traditional Greek salad! In a large bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, chickpeas and parsley. Add oil, lemon juice and pepper; toss well. Add feta and toasted pita and toss again. Garnish with a dash of paprika!
Something about a spinach salad always reminds me of summer... the recipe about calls for bacon but tofu or turkey bacon is just as tasty and adds that perfect texture a spinach salad needs.
Like i said... Im a sucker for a good mexi dish... so after stumbling upon this Mexican style quinoa I just had to try out this heart healthy recipe which is full of flavor and color! Its a vegan dish made with lime, cilantro, corn, and black beans which you can indulge in however you fancy as it can be served hot or cold.
7.) Skinny Egg Salad aka mayo-less egg salad
And last but not least (as a matter of fact my lunch this afternoon) Skinny Egg Salad inside a flat bread pocket thin. The link to the recipe above calls for mayo, but I opted for no may and used a bit of Dijon mustard instead. Just combine chopped hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, curry powder,
almond slices, and chives, scoop into a carb of your choice (or into a lettuce cup) and top with fresh spinach.
For more simple and sensational brown bag go to's you can check out my Lunch Box pinterest board! Below I have included a pinterest-peek of this board below of some added lunch time favs & snacks!
Cored sliced apples with almond butter, oats, nuts, and chocolate chips
Biggest Lose Southwestern Chicken Pile-Up
Avocado Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Burrito
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