Do you ever get bored with the same-old, same-old sandwich, bread roll with boring fillings that make you cringe?  It comes to lunch-time where one is supposed to be excited with the opportunity of a break from the desk or home duties – only to be confronted with a tuna bread roll with a little soggy tomato (if you are super-lucky).  Need some inspiration, need some excitement, need your lunch to lift you up for the rest of the afternoon…… read on and your new lunches will have yourself wowed with your uber-tasty creations.  It is a great way to save money, use up the vegetable crisper and have your tastebuds tantalised.

Let’s do lunch….. each week – choose 2-3 grains to have on hand; 2 different proteins and 12 different salad ingredients.  For each daily lunch, choose one grain, one protein, one healthy fat and at least 4 different coloured vegetables. Next week, choose and rotate different grains and proteins to minimise your wastage each week. Prep your salads (without adding the soggy tomato) when cooking dinner the night before will help with the time factor, and even co-ordinating a little extra protein to go into your lunchbox works well.  There are some great lunch kits, bowls and mason jars and glass décor containers that are perfect size to start layering and filling your beautiful ingredients ready for the office.  Team up with a reliable and like-tasting workmate with the lunch prep duties – one day one of you does the two lunches and then vice-versa.

•  grains – have cooked small pots of tricolour quinoa, brown rice, wholemeal pasta, freekah on hand; wholegrain crackers (my faves at the moment are seeded spelt crispbreads); Mountain Bread, sourdough spelt bread – as croutons or bruschetta slices with olive oil
•  protein – sliced chicken breast, shredded beef, tuna, salmon, sliced turkey breast, dry roasted nuts, seeds, leftover BBQ chicken, boiled egg, lean roast beef slices, mozzarella cheese, shaved parmesan, brown lentils, chickpeas, grilled lamb backstrap, felafel, chickpea pattie
• salad – rocket, baby spinach, lettuce, kale, grape tomatoes, cucumber, sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced snow peas, green beans, capsicum, fresh herbs, lemon zest, dry coleslaw, carrot, leftover roasted/grilled vegetables (sweet potato, pumpkin, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant), sprouts, radish, baby beets, tabouli
•  healthy fats – avocado, olive oil dressing, nuts, olives, tahini dressing

add some wow factor …. fossick for an ingredient of interest like roasted pumpkin, walnuts, dollops of labne yoghurt, shavings of parmesan, grilled haloumi with hint of lemon & mint

Try these delicious lunches…..

quinoa salad – quinoa, diced chicken breast, rocket, sliced snow peas, lemon zest, fetta cheese, asparagus and pecans

layered jar – vinaigrette, wholemeal pasta, chopped tomatoes, tuna, rocket, basil, salad onion, shavings of parmesan cheese, pinenuts  OR  red wine vinaigrette, freekah, labne yoghurt, chopped green beans, salmon, baby cos lettuce, thinly sliced radish, snow pea sprouts, dill, lemon wedge

lamb & kale salad – mix of baby spinach and kale, grilled lamb, diced cucumber, olives, roasted capsicum, grape tomatoes, fetta cheese and sourdough spelt croutons

brown rice salad – brown rice, diced carrot, parsley, rocket, sultanas, sunflower seeds, pepitas, capsicum, shallots with shredded chicken and tahini dressing (tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, s&p)

grilled vege salad – roasted capsicum, roasted pumpkin, field mushroom, zucchini, raw cherry tomatoes, chickpeas on a bed of spinach

nourishing salad bowl – bed of quinoa in centre, 1/4 avocado, baby spinach topped with tomato, grilled pumpkin slices, grated beetroot, boiled egg (if at work)/soft-poached egg (if at home), drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of dukkah

my favourite Mediterranean heaven– baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, capsicum, felafel (in separate container to heat in microwave), hummus and tabouli