{"id":2851,"date":"2020-11-12T08:19:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T13:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitality-vixens.com\/?p=2851"},"modified":"2020-11-16T09:50:06","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T14:50:06","slug":"5-easy-healthy-lunch-ideas-besides-salads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitality-vixens.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/12\/5-easy-healthy-lunch-ideas-besides-salads\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Easy & Healthy Lunch Ideas! (Besides Salads)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You guys have been asking for some healthy lunch ideas that are easy to whip up any day of the week. So, here we go! I’m sharing a few of my favorite lunches that are so simple to whip up in a pinch. If you like this type of post and want more, comment below & let me know! Also, I’d love to know which one of these lunches is your fave. \ud83d\ude0b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is it Important to have Easy Lunches at Home?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I eat these lunches on the regular and hope that you guys enjoy them too. With a full-time 9-5 job, it’s easy to fall into the trap of getting fast food or ordering UberEats, etc. You just don’t have a ton of time for lunch, so having a healthy option isn’t always the priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every once in a while, treat yo’self, girl! Have pizza for lunch or order Postmates from your favorite Greek place. You only live once so eat the dang food that you love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just try not to do it every day, because eating out adds up in a couple ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. It’s not always the healthiest option and you don’t often know exactly what’s going into your food or the nutritional content. (Depending on where you order out from!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. It can be EXPENSIVE. We’ve been eating out a lot more than normal the past month, with the move. And dang… I definitely felt the impact on my bank account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are periods of time where eating out is completely necessary. And other times when it’s just fun and you want something easy, that you don’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you’re eating out every day, you’ll definitely feel the impact in the 2 ways I listed above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Can I Make for Lunch Besides Sandwiches & Salads?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, I hated eating sandwiches because it’s what we were always told to eat for lunch. \ud83d\ude02 I thought they were so boring and wanted to eat ANYTHING else besides sandwiches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I love sandwiches, but still don’t want to eat them every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what I’m saying is it’s nice to have options. & when it comes to healthy lunch ideas (or any meal, for that matter), there are tons of options to choose from!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve listed a few of my favorite easy & healthy lunches below. Try em out, see what you think, and let me know in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Easy & Healthy Lunch Ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best lunches in my opinion meet 3 requirements: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Easy and can be made in less than 10 minutes <\/li>
  2. Healthy(ish) and leaves me feeling full for the afternoon <\/li>
  3. Full of yummy flavors and satisfying (no one really wants to eat salads every day<\/em>)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So I believe these healthy lunch ideas meet all 3 of those requirements! Let’s get into it…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Avocado Toast+<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"avocado<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    I added the plus on there because this isn’t your basic avocado toast. I like to switch things up with my avocado toast because: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. when you eat it all the time, just smashed avocado on toast gets boring… & 2. I like to incorporate meals that are balanced with carbs, protein, and healthy fats. So just eating avocado on toast doesn’t do much in the protein category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The way I’ve been making my avocado toast lately is with an over easy egg, everything but the bagel seasoning, and sometimes throwing some cheese or hot sauce on there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are a million other recipes you can make to spice up your cado toast – but this one is so simple & delicious, that I just keep coming back to it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If I have a tomato on hand, I’ll throw a couple tomato slices on there too – for extra health. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I used gluten-free multigrain toast for mine, but you can use whatever your toast preference is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Gluten-Free Everything Bagel with All the Goods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"gluten-free<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    I’ve been eating gluten-free recently (you can read all about my 30-day challenge here<\/a>), so I’ve been loving the gluten-free everything bagels from Trader Joe’s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Honestly, this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t use to be the biggest fan of everything bagels. (Or bagels in general.) They usually didn’t sit well with my stomach and I would feel pretty low energy after eating them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But once I found these gluten-free bagels from TJ’s – which I think taste pretty dang similar to regular bagels (maybe slightly drier)… My life changed forever. *Dramatic*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These everything bagels are SO DANG GOOD & I’ve been making bagel sandwiches nonstop since trying them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This baby has an over easy egg (seeing a trend here? ;)), smashed avocado, spinach, a cheese slice, and either a little cream cheese or garlic hummus. I typically season my avocado with cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is such an easy lunch to whip up in 5 minutes and tastes like you bought it out at a caf\u00e9! I usually have some fresh fruit, veggies & hummus, or some sweet potato chips on the side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Veggies Added<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"cauliflower<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Since I started eating gluten-free<\/a>, I’ve grown to love cauliflower crust pizza. You don’t have to eat fully gluten-free to munch on this healthier alternative though. It’s a tasty way to get your pizza fix while adding in some extra veggies & fiber to your meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I like to buy the plain cheese cauliflower crust pizzas from Trader Joe’s. They’re fairly small so between Jeremy & I, we can easily eat a whole pie between the 2 of us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I spice these bad boys up by adding on extra chopped up veggies and spices. I’ll typically dice up bell pepper and onion to add on top, as well as some spinach. As far as spices go, I usually add garlic, pepper, and red pepper flakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This not only adds extra nutrients & fiber from the veggies, but also a lot of extra flavor on the pizza. I just throw the raw veggies & spices on before cooking the pizza & it comes out perfectly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is an easy meal that only takes about 20 minutes to cook (which you don’t have to be actively cooking for most of that time, while it’s in the oven). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This turns out delicious and is a really simple way to make a balanced meal out of a pizza!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Pro tip:<\/strong> If you have some leftover cooked chicken, etc., from the night before – throw it on there too! This adds some extra protein and will keep you full even longer from this meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Easy Burrito Bowl<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"copycat<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    This one takes a little bit of pre-prep, but the burrito bowl itself is easy to throw together in 5 minutes or less. I used ground chicken for this bowl, but you can use any type of meat (or other protein) you like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Just whip up your protein of choice the night before or at the beginning of the week, then you’re good to go! You can easily have the canned beans, corn, etc., pre-measured out as well, but it’s not necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When lunchtime rolls around, just heat up some pre-cooked rice (you can buy this at Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, etc.). Then microwave your beans, leftover protein of choice, and corn. Slice up some avocado and grape\/cherry tomatoes & voila! You have a full healthy & delicious burrito bowl in under 5 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I love to add on some salsa and\/or shredded cheese too, for extra flavor! You can also throw on some sour cream (or 2%\/whole milk Greek yogurt, which is an excellent healthy substitute and tastes eerily similar). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. On the Sweet Side: Greek Yogurt Parfait<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Light<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    If you’re in the mood for a lighter & sweeter lunch, you can’t go wrong with a yogurt parfait. The protein from the Greek yogurt and nut butter will keep you full for a while, even thought it’s a lighter lunch. The healthy fats from the nut butter will also help to keep you satisfied (& not craving a dozen chocolate chip cookies an hour later ;)).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I’ve been loving the Two Good brand Greek yogurts lately because they are low on sugar and naturally sweetened with Stevia. If you’re not a fan of those, you can also easily sub out plain Greek yogurt and sweeten it yourself with honey, pure maple syrup, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I’m not a fan of non-fat Greek yogurt (I think it tastes sour & gross), so I typically go with a 2% of whole milk yogurt option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    On this bowl, I topped it with a sliced banana, walnuts, peanut butter, cinnamon, and a little granola. I also mixed in some (defrosted) frozen blueberries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The great thing about yogurt parfaits is that you can easily customize them to your cravings. Swap out the fruits, nut butter, nuts, seeds, etc., to fulfill any craving! I also love adding some dark chocolate chips when I’m in a chocolatey mood (aka always ;)). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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