Get Fit with Carrie: My Favorite Healthy Lunches

Hey everyone! I am back with my monthly ‘Get Fit with Carrie’ post! Today I thought I’d talk about some of My Favorite Healthy Lunches. I feel like lunch should be healthy AND easy, because I try to be the most productive during the daytime hours. 

 

I am an easy person, I typically eat the same exact same lunch for a full week and then I’ll switch to something else for another full week. This way I can buy ALL of the ingredients ahead of time for the lunch I’m having that week and I can prep it on Sunday night (if I need to). I try to stick to vegetarian lunches and a lunch that takes me less than 10 minutes to prepare (or less!).

Buffalo ‘Chik’ Patty Wedge Salad

This is one of my absolute favorite lunches to eat! This one is probably the most work, so I try to prep two salads on Sunday night, then I’ll prep two more at a time going through the rest of the week. It is much easier to make 2 salads at once than just 1. Plus, I feel the salad stays fairly fresh this way.

 

Instructions/Ingredients for this salad:

 

Preheat your oven to 420 °F. Peel and cut up a sweet potato into cubes. Add to greased baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.

 

1/3 of an Organic Iceberg Lettuce Head (Get organic, it is so much better tasting!). I tear it up into small pieces on the plate instead of keeping it as a wedge.

 

Place all of these ingredients on top of the iceberg lettuce:

1/4 Cup Grapes, Cut in Half

12 Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in Half

1/4 Cup Cucumber

3 Medium Strawberries, Sliced

1/4 Cup Stringless Sugar Snap Peas

1/4 Cup Blueberries

1/4 Cup Blackberries

1/4 Cup Cauliflower (I usually buy this already cup up, I’m lazy!)

Sprinkle of sunflower seeds on top

 

Microwave one Morningstar Farms Buffalo Chik Patty (don’t get the buffalo chicken nuggets, they’re not as good!) and cut into cubes. Add warm on top of the salad.

 

Add 1/2 of the sweet potato cubes to the top of your salad.

 

Drizzle thinly 2 tablespoons of Marzetti Simply Dressed Blue Cheese Salad Dressing on top of the salad.

 

Sprinkle some sunflower seeds on top.

 

IT IS SO GOOD!!! I’ve given this recipe out to so many people!

 

Bean Burger with Cubed Potatoes

I used to be part of the FASTer Way workout group and I was in their vegetarian Facebook group. The admin of the board gave us all his favorite vegetarian black bean burger recipe and it is SO good (and easy!). I will make these and freeze them, so that I have them on hand for later. I tend to prefer this recipe in the summer!

 

Ingredients:

2 cans of black beans

1 cup oatmeal

1 Tbsp Milled Flax seed

2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp of McCormick’s Hamburger seasoning

2 Tbsp Maple syrup

Garlic powder, Onion powder to taste

Mix flax seed and water and let sit. **This is your ‘egg’ for binding everything together.

Grind the oats into a coarse flour (this is optional).

 

Instructions:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Drain and rinse black beans.
3. Coarsely grind black beans and add to dry mixture along with flax ‘egg’ and maple syrup.
4. Place frying pan over medium heat with a little oil.
5. Mix everything together thoroughly and roll into 2 inch balls.
6. Press balls into patties and cook 3-4 at a time depending on the size of your pan.
7. Cook for 3-4 minutes and flip.
8. Makes 8 medium-sized patties.

 

 

Here are some of my favorites to add to my Charcuterie for 1 spread:

100 Calorie Packs, Cashews

Grapes

Cherry Tomatoes

Broad Bean Buffalo Wing Snack by Bada Bean Bada Boom

Creamy Light Cheese Wedge from The Laughing Cow

Artisan Nut Thins—Sesame Seeds by Blue Diamond (to spread the cheese on!)

Mini Organic Sweet Peppers

Berries (Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries)

Pimento Olives to Go from Pearls

Hummus and Pita Chips

Stringless Snap Peas

Cucumbers

Carrots

etc, etc.

Breakfast for Lunch: Protein Waffles with Blueberry Mint Chia Jam

These waffles are really delicious and make for an easy lunch! I will make them up on Sunday night and freeze some of them for later in the week.

 

 

  

I used fresh mint in my garden for the jam last year! Here is how to make the jam:

 

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon chia seeds

 

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring blueberries, mint and maple syrup to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes. Mash berries with a fork.
2. Remove jam from heat; taste and add a bit more maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter jam.
3. Return to a boil, then stir in chia seeds; cook for 1 minute to soften seeds. Let jam cool slightly, then transfer to a container. Cover and chill until ready to use.

 

Then, to make the protein waffles, I usually make the recipe up in several small bowls for each day of the week that I want a protein waffle for lunch.

 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon flax meal

1/2 ripe banana, mashed with a fork

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (1/4 cup)

6 tablespoons of almond milk

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup rolled outs

1 teaspoon maple syrup

 

Directions:

1. Combine the flax meal and 2 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl with a fork, then set aside for 5 minutes. This will be your ‘egg’.
2. Mix the banana, protein powder, almond milk, cinnamon, oats, baking powder and maple syrup together in a bowl. Add the flax egg.
3. Spray your waffle maker and spread half the mix onto the the griddle. After that is done, spread out the other half of the recipe. You’ll get 2 waffles per recipe.
4. Once done cooking, spread with the blueberry mint chia jam and enjoy!

Trader Joe’s Salads, Burritos & Sandwiches

I haven’t been going to Trader Joe’s as much, but when I do go… I will usually get enough lunches for the week, because they’re all SO good! And, yes… this is a week I may have some meat! I am a sucker for a good salad or sandwich.

 

Fit Flavors/Local Meal Delivery

We have a local meal delivery place called Fit Flavors and we will usually order from them once a month and we’ll order enough lunches for the week. I usually stick with their breakfast or vegetarian options. The meal pictured above was peppers, mushrooms and rice with a cheese and tomato sauce topped ‘veggie’ hamburger. It was delicious!

Subscribe to Curly Crafty Mom via Email!