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Streamlining Lunch: My New Favorite Thing

8/2/2017

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Lunch: It can be the toughest meal both for people with "regular" work schedules and for those of us whose days may be a little less structured. Sometimes there are too many choices ("I have a Potbellys, Jimmy John's, Chipotle and Panera nearby! I don't know what to get!") and sometimes we feel like there are no choices at all ("I have a Potbellys, Jimmy John's, Chipotle and Panera nearby! I'm so sick of them!"). And a lot of the time whatever we finally do choose for lunch can be completely void of nutrients. 

I was in this slump until I had dinner with my awesome neighbors one night. I had a total A-HA! moment as soon as I saw the salad Eliza was preparing for our meal:
Picture
Isn't this stunning?
Here's what was so A-HA! to me about it: It wasn't just about the greens which, let's face it, can be a reason for me NOT to eat a salad! It was compartmentalized with a huge variety of veggies, proteins and tastes. Looking at it this way, I realized I could turn this kind of salad into an everyday lunch that would be easy to prep on Sundays!

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Sauteed kale and quinoa is the base; I added tomatoes, roasted sweet potato, yellow peppers, black beans, avocado, a sprinkle of goat cheese and cilantro. Didn't feel like loading up on a ton of protein this week.

Here are some basic steps to prep for a compartmentalized salad (trademarking that soon, haha):
  1. Choose what greens you'd like (Arugula? Kale? Romaine?);
  2. Choose a grain you'd like a little bit of (Brown rice? Quinoa? None, thank you very much? I only add about 1/4 cup cooked);
  3. Choose 2-3 non-starchy veggies you're in the mood for (Peppers? Cucumbers? Asparagus? Red onions? Go nuts here);
  4. Choose your protein if you'd like (Hard-boiled eggs? Grilled chicken? Non-meat-related protein?);
  5. Choose a starchier carb that will take longer to break down (Legumes? Sweet potatoes? Again, for this I only add about 1/4 cup);
  6. Choose a dressing (Oil and vinegar? Hummus or baba ganouch which are my current fav "dressing" replacements? Ranch?)
  7. Chop/roast/clean/prep/grill/hard boil whatever you need to for a week's worth of lunches in one go;
  8. Place all of the items in separate containers;
  9. Put your salad together the night before so it's ready to grab and go in the morning!
And voila! You have a nutrient-dense meal that will add up to cost a lot less than going to Panera every day and you'll likely avoid the mid-afternoon slump!

Picture
In this more Mediterranean take, I've got a mix of greens, tomatoes, cucumber, paprika-spiced roasted sweet potatoes, feta, quinoa, cut up chicken that you can't see and baba ganouch and basil. NOM.

Try this out with your favorite ingredients and tell me how it goes!

I'd also love to know: What are YOUR go-to lunches during the week?
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