Streamlining Lunch: My New Favorite Thing

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:

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!

---

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!

---

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?