Easy Lunches
Hello Dear Love Thy Health-ers,
Yes this is you.
I have been asked to make a list of EASY LUNCH IDEAS that will be added to as we go.
Obviously this is not just about easy. Most Importantly it is about having more energy and vitality in your life and eating fresh real food in each meal. Eating beautiful energy filled whole foods gives us so much energy. WE all need more greens and colorful vegetables in our day and this is how to do it.
The key is to use my shopping list below and be ready to build your fabulous plate up with these great foods. If you have nothing the house but a bit of bread, lettuce and cheese, you may find yourself wanting an afternoon nap. That's all I'm sayin' for now.
I would really love you to just notice how good you feel after a week of eating like this. ....and if you don't feel like cooking dinner, these throw together bits of goodness (often now called Buddah or Poke’ bowls) are perfect for both lunch and dinner....and breakfast if you like. You can always put your salads, greens & sprouts in a spare glass jar. Or use a lunch box for snacks when your not sure if you are going out for lunch, so that you always have healthy options especially when the afternoon sugar cravings happen. In the afternoon go for a small palm of nuts, seeds and a cup of instant miso soup.
Enjoy!
TRUSTY SALAD DRESSING:
Make this easy salad dressing to keep in the fridge.
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil, 1/4 cup flax seed oil, 2-3 pinches Maldon or Celtic Sea Salt & black pepper plus a clove or 2 of garlic.
*Keep this dressing in a jar in the fridge for use on salads daily. Apple cider vinegar is known to help reduce cholesterol, stimulate digestive enzymes and increase thermogenesis - increasing fat burning.
YOUR SHOPPING LIST
- Keep these items in da house and buy organic where possible.
Our family buys a large organic box of veggies every week and eat it all. - no waste and no packaging.
(Note you may have an organic veggie co-operative in your area - Google-'organic veggie co-operative')
Green dark leafy lettuce mix or a bag of rocket or baby spinach. Alternate this weekly.
1 Cabbage purple or green
Carrots, cauliflower, beetroot, red capsicum - for grating & dipping
Green fresh beans - eat them raw & dip them in hummus
Sprouts; lentils, chickpeas, peas, mung beans & any other sprouted legumes
Eggs - organic & free range
Oily fish - salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, anchovies (tinned or leftover)
Nuts - walnuts, almonds, sunflower & pumpkin seeds. (not peanuts)
Hummus dip
Pesto
Falafel balls. Freeze fresh from Turkish shop or from supermarket fridge. Choose those with no preservatives.
Organic spelt or rice crackers (specialty health food shop bought)
Miso soup - Sprial brand is organic. You can buy a tub of miso paste & divide for work into a jar.
Sauerkraut recipe here & Kimchi (do not buy the supermarket one off the shelf, purchase from in the fridge section at the health food shop)
Almond paste
Tahini
Keep In the Freezer - falafel balls, left over soups, left over stock, casseroles, Bolognese sauce.
Edamame beans - now available frozen at supermarkets
PUTTING IT TOGETHER LUNCH IDEAS
MIXED GREENS WITH PROTEIN OF CHOICE - 2 EGGS POACHED OR BOILED or SALMON LEFTOVERS or TINNED TUNA or 1 LAMB OR BEEF CHOP. Add trusty dressing, a dollop of hommas, sprouts & sauerkraut.
LEFTOVER BOLOGNAISE WITH SPINACH - So you cooked spaghetti bolognaise (meat or vegetarian option) last night or you have a portion in the freezer and don't want to eat pasta. - Just add the steaming sauce to a big bowl of baby spinach leaves instead of pasta. Add Maldon or Celtic Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, Parmesan cheese & VOILA! YUM YUM YUM. Full of energy, magnesium ... I could go on!
YUMMY CABBAGE & BITS - thinly slice some cabbage. Add a blob of hommas, sprouts, walnuts & homemade sauerkraut. Add trusty dressing. Add palm sized protein of your choice.
HOMMUS & FALAFEL BALLS - Add in some crispy raw green beans & carrots sticks too.
LAST NIGHTS SALAD - so last night you grated carrot and fresh raw beetroot and made a tasty salad with an orange squeezed on top as the dressing and you made double, right? Well you can have that with a palm sized portion of protein of your choice. eg: 1 left over lamb chop, 1 piece of chicken, 1 small palm size of fish, 1/2 cup of dahl or 1/2 cup of chickpeas or lentils cooked or from BPA free a can. https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/food-warnings-and-safety/plastic/articles/bpa-in-canned-foods
KIMCHI OR SAUERKRAUT WITH EGGS A bed of baby spinach leaves, two poached eggs. Just add kimchi.
EASY KIMCHI SOUP - Poach 1-2 eggs, add eggs with the boiled water to a large bowl, add miso paste or sachet, thinly slice white cabbage, add extra fish sauce & chilli to taste. - voila! you have an instant Asian soup. - Delicious!
Share the love with friends & email me your ideas Christine@lovethyhealth.net
Tuna Rocket Salad
Tuna, rocket, avocado, sprouts and my homemade olives & sauerkraut.
Vegetarian Salad
Vegetarian salad with; leftover pumpkin, raw mushrooms, peas, leafy greens, cucumber, goats cheese, nasturtiums with trusty salad dressing.
Poached Egg Salad
2 poached eggs on a bed of mixed greens, hummus dip, left over roast veg, sprouts & sauerkraut. Plus trusty apple cider vinegar, olive oil dressing. EASY! - see the shopping list for essential items to keep at home.
Mango Salmon Salad
Salmon, mango, pomegranate, spinach, cabbage, Maldon salt, pepper & trusty salad dressing.
Variation Poached Eggs on Rocket & Cabbage
2 poached eggs on a bed of rocket & sliced cabbage. Add any sprouts, trusty apple cider vinegar dressing from the cupboard, salt & cracked pepper. EASY! - see the shopping list for essential items to have at all times.
Salmon Rocket Salad
Salmon strips, rocket, tomato & trusty dressing.
Falafel Balls
For those of you who don't have to to cook these, they are available in the fridge section of most supermarkets. Just look for the ones with no preservatives (no numbers in the ingredients on the pack).
You can also purchase from a Middle Eastern type food outlet and freeze from fresh.
Healthy Snacks Box #1
Carrot, spelt cracker, avocados, strawberries, nuts, seeds & sultanas.
Healthy Snacks Box #2
Carrot, Mixed salad and sprouts in ajar, Spelt Crackers, Spiral brand miso soup sachets, Kiwi, Nut & seed mix
Bolognaise Sauce & Baby Spinach
Add your bolognaise sauce to a bed of raw baby spinach, steamed silver beet or rocket. Easy. just don't have the pasta tonight and see how good you feel!
Eating out
Eating out? Keep it simple - This is salmon, brown rice, miso and veggies from Coracle Cafe Restaurant in Yarraville.