Easiest Packed Lunches
You may have quite the busy work week coming up, but check out these easy packed lunches that will keep you fueled and cause some lunchbox envy in the cafeteria.
No More Soggy Salads
Follow: Food Faith Fitness
Salads are the perfect lunch to make the night before and easily take to lunch. Or are they? There is nothing worse than a soggy salad with wilted greens and boring toppings. Avoid this faux pas and make a salad layered in a jar with your liquids on the bottom and your crisp greens on top. At lunchtime, simply shake to combine or pack a plastic bowl to serve the salad in. Find the recipe idea here.
Tomato, Pesto, and Prosciutto Tart
Follow: Scrummy Lane
Everyone loves pizza, but this colorful tart is better than a greasy slice. Bake the pastry crust the night before and pack in a container separate from the ricotta cheese, tomatoes and prosciutto so it doesn’t become soggy. At lunch simply top with the mixture of cheese and toppings and dig in. Plus, it is so beautiful and sometimes the splash of color is just what you need to energize you for the second half of the day. Find the recipe here.
Sweet Pumpkin Bread
Shutterstock: Yulia von Eisenstein
Sometimes a little something sweet can make a big difference at lunch. Made with honey, spices, and pumpkin a slice of this sweet loaf is delicious and you will still feel good about packing it for your kids. Bake it the night before and easily pack a slice to-go that doesn’t have to be kept cold. It would also be a special bread swap to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Find the recipe here.
Curried Chickpea and Mango Salad
Follow: Cooking and Beer
Cook the cauliflower and chickpea curry the night before and pack in a separate container from the greens, lime juice, mango and jalapeño. At lunch toss together and enjoy! This dish is a great vegetarian option that isn’t lacking in flavor. Find the recipe here.
Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich
Follow: Cooking LSL
Egg salad sandwich receives a delicious and easy addition of avocado. Boil your eggs the night before, and make a few extra to top salads or as a quick breakfast later in the week. Everything else for the salad (onions, herbs, salt, and pepper) can also be combined the night before, but leave the avocados until the morning so they do not brown as much. Be sure to add a splash of lime juice to the mix to slow down oxidation. Pack between slices of bread or over greens for a great new take on a basic egg salad. Find the recipe here.
Lentil Tacos
Follow: Floating Kitchen
Cook lentils. Make salsa. Pack. This lunch is a fun change from the usual salad or sandwich and can easily be prepped the night before. Although still delicious cold, the tacos are best served in a lunchroom with a microwave to reheat the assembled tacos. Extra lentils are great addition to salads, too. Find the recipe here.
Cold Chicken and Noodles
Follow: The Woks of Life
Bring some cool cultural flair to your lunchbox with Sichuan noodles. Spend 25 minutes the night before cooking the chicken, or better yet, use leftover chicken. Make the sauce, cook the noodles, pack, and top with scallions, peanuts, and cilantro. This is a great recipe if you don’t want to do anything in the morning or have to worry about bringing a container that is ok to reheat in. Find the recipe here.
The Best Potato Salad
Follow: Cooking and Beer
Potato salad may sound too summery or like nothing new, but this recipe is something special. A cool, tangy potato salad does without the usual creamy mustard base and works with a maple dressing and slightly soft egg yolks for a gourmet easily packed lunch. Feel free to hard boil your eggs if you are more comfortable packing a solid yolk. The best part may be the fact that if you prepare it all the night before, the flavors will have time to sit and intensify overnight. Find the recipe here.
