Do you find yourself reaching out to ordering takeaway as its too hard and time consuming thinking about what you can make for lunch when you have less than 15 minutes?
Tatiana, an experienced Dietitian working for Body Fusion located in Sydney shares her tips for balanced lunches:
1. Prepare your ingredients in advance
Save time by preparing before your work week even begins! Staple ingredients can be used to make lunch meals during the week quickly and help save time. This will make sure If you only have 5 minutes during the morning rush or 10 minutes during your working from home lunch break you can easily make a delicious and nutritious lunch for yourself.
Some of Tatiana’s recommendations are:
· Cut vegetable sticks (carrot, celery, snow peas) and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
o These can be eaten alongside a dish that lacks vegetables
· Poach a whole chicken and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days
o This can then be used to make a wrap or sandwich or salad
· Hard boil eggs and store in the fridge for up to 4 days
o This then can be used to add into a wrap or salad
· Make homemade hummus or tzatziki and store for up to 7 days in the fridge
o This then can be added to the base of a sandwich
· Buy ready-made salad mixes
o This then can be used to increase the vegetables in a lunch meal
· Boil quinoa and store in an air tight container for up to 7 days in the fridge
o This then can be used to make a nourish bowl or served with a side of protein such as tinned fish, shaved turkey or lean beef strips
2. Prepare a whole meal in advance
To save even more time and remove the daily thought of “what am I going to have for lunch today”, Tatiana recommends lunch meal preparation. She herself spends a few hours every Sunday to make lunch meals for herself and her partner.
Tatiana’s process is;
1. Plan two meal ideas using healthy website or family cookbooks
2. Purchase what needs to be bought
3. Prepare the meal
4. Pack the meal into 8-10 containers (enough for 2 people)
5. Store it in the fridge for up to 5 days
3. Double your night meals so there is enough for lunch leftovers the next day
If you are already making the meal, then why not make enough for 2 meals! OR make extra of you main meal staple and re-use it in a different way for lunch the next day.
Some of Tatiana’s creative suggestions for your leftovers are:
· Grilled Chicken – Make chicken rice paper rolls with slaw, rice noodles and soy sauce
· Boiled rice or pasta – Use it as a base of a nourish salad bowl with lots of vegetables and a protein source
· Mince Meat – Serve it with some rice and frozen microwavable veggies
· Roasted veggies – Combine it with eggs and cheese to make a frittata