By TMoM Team Member Anna Keller
Whether you’re a mom who works outside of the home, stays home with kids, or works from home, lunchtime is a reality of your day. And, if you’re anything like me, lunch feels like it sneaks up on me just about daily!
Anyone who follows me on Instagram knows that my go-to lunch is a huge salad topped with, well, anything we happen to have on hand. One reason is because I love a good salad, but they’re also quick and easy to throw together – a major win.
Here are a few lunch ideas (one of which is more detail on the aforementioned giant salad in case that’s of interest to you) that will hopefully give you inspiration to make that midday point simpler and more delicious:
Giant Salad
As I’ve already shared, this is what I eat for lunch four or more days a week, on average. My husband loves huge salads as well (he packs one to take to the office and I make mine at home every day), and because we both eat them we always keep lots of things on hand to make putting together a salad easy and pretty mindless. Some of our favorite toppings include: cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, prepared tofu or tempeh (for me – I’m plant based), rotisserie chicken (for him – he’s not!), prepared lentils, frozen brown rice to pop into the microwave or prepared quinoa, hummus, kraut, banana peppers, carrots (shredded are my fave for salads!), and pumpkin seeds.
Souped Up Soup
This time of year, this “recipe” is also a staple at our house. You can easily throw it together on the stovetop (with help from the microwave) and pack it for lunch or enjoy it in your kitchen. You can find the “recipe” for this incredibly easy dish, which includes just a handful of items (all of which you can grab from Trader Joe’s) here! (Bonus: This is also a lunch my 4-year-old daughter loves, and requests often.) I love enjoying it with apple slices and toast or crackers.
Lettuce Wraps
Because I’m plant-based, this tempeh version is a great lettuce wrap recipe for me, but if you eat meat you could find a similar one with chicken (like this one!). Either way, this is an awesome dish to make either as a dedicated lunch or for dinner the night before with the plan to use leftovers for lunch the following day.
Tofu Scramble
This is something I often throw together as a quick lunch (on days I need a break from a giant salad) that also incorporates tons of produce, which I love. It’s SO quick and easy: Just chop up lots of veggies (I like including things like bell pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, and kalamata olives) and add them to a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain some tofu (no need to press) and crumble the tofu into the pan. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, and I like to add some spinach toward the end as well. Top with hot sauce (Cholula is my pick!) and salt and pepper, and serve with toast on the side.
Fajitas
Sauté some bell peppers and onions, add tofu or chicken or shrimp, and throw a couple of tortillas into the mix – along with a side of beans and rice and a dollop of salsa – and you have a tasty Tex-Mex lunch at the ready! This is another one you can make first as a dinner and then use the leftovers as a lunch.
For more lunch ideas, visit our recipes category on Triad Moms on Main!
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