Need a Quick, Healthy Lunch? Here’s Your Fix!
For most of us, lunch is almost an afterthought. It’s a corner store sandwich or leftovers from dinner. But that doesn’t need to always be the case. Here are a few easy (and protein-filled) lunch recipes that you can whip up in fifteen minutes.
Lemon & Dill Tuna Salad
With shredded tuna as a source of lean protein, this salad is a punch of health and flavour. The taste of the lemon and dill can be further enhanced by adding sumac, a Middle Eastern citrusy spice. If salads are not your thing, you can easily turn this into a sandwich or wrap.
Stuffed Sweet Potato With Hummus
Are you a fan of baked potatoes? Here’s a healthier version for you. You can make this by combining sweet potatoes with black beans, kale, and hummus; a Mediterranean twist on an American classic. Up the protein by adding chicken or turkey to finish the meal.
Brie and Blackberry Grilled Cheese
Consider this your elevated version of a PB&J. Instead of peanut butter, use high-protein brie cheese, and instead of regular jam, use a sweet-and-savoury blackberry preserve to make this delectable sandwich. From children to seniors, this one’s truly a crowd pleaser.
Cucumber & Tomato Sandwich
A prime contender for the next summer staple on your menu, this sandwich is easy to make and delicious to eat. All you’ll need is cucumbers, tomatoes, and cream cheese. You can amp up the flavour by adding chopped chives, dill, or basil to the cream cheese.
Chicken & Cucumber Wrap
First, the chicken—cooked and shredded. Second, the dressing, made by combining cream cheese, avocados, and chopped up cucumbers with the herbs of your choice. Mix and put it in a whole wheat wrap, and you have a fun, healthy lunch on the go.
Chicken Coleslaw Bowl With Sesame Dressing
Take any kind of coleslaw and dress it with almonds and a sesame dressing (even a store-bought dressing would work), and top it off with any chicken of your choosing. For an extra kick, top it with toasted almonds or peanuts for a bit of crunch.
Baked Tofu & Edamame Salad
Looking for a more Eastern-inspired flavour palate, this is the salad for you. Start by tossing shredded red cabbage, edamame, baked tofu, and chow mein noodles in a bowl. For the dressing, combine sesame oil (chilli oil if you’re feeling frisky) with soy sauce and vinegar and enjoy.
Tuna & White Bean Melt
Fast, filling, feel-good and perfect to eat on the go, this tuna melt sandwich is packed with nutrition. Protein and omega-3s from the tuna, fibres from the white beans and carbs from the bread, consider this a well-balanced meal in itself.
Jar Veggie Salad
We’ve all heard of a dessert jar, but have you ever heard of a salad jar? If not, this is your sign to make one. Mix up veggies with a protein and dressing of your choice and store them in a mason jar in the fridge for a quick, healthy on-the-go lunch.
Chicken Avocado BLT Wrap
If you love a BLT sandwich, try making this Mexican spin on a classic. Instead of bread, use tortillas and mix in some avocados and chicken along with your bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes to make a BLT wrap (or taco if you will).
Chicken Tex-Mex Soup
Onions, pepper, black beans, chicken stock, and a shredded rotisserie chicken are on the shopping list for this quick, hearty soup. Cook together everything but the stock and keep it prepped in your fridge. When you’re ready to eat, add the broth and slurp away.
Chicken, Spinach & Feta Wraps
Another rotisserie chicken remake, you can make this wrap by tossing shredded chicken in a dressing of your choice with the spinach and feta and wrapping it all in a neat roll. The chicken and feta give a filling protein boost, while the spinach gives you the vitamins and minerals you need.
Chopped Italian Sandwiches
Little Italy on a slice of bread, this sandwich involved chopping all the ingredients, mixing them together and arranging them in a single layer on a slice of bread. You can add ingredients like olives, sundried tomatoes, and bell peppers for a flavourful twist.
Sriracha Tofu & Peanut Dressing
Siracha-flavoured baked tofu and a peanut vinaigrette dressing can dress up even the most basic chopped salad. If you keep the tofu and dressing prepped in the fridge, you have a high-protein lunch ready almost instantly. Just top it on any store-bought salad or even broccoli or Brussels sprouts and dig in.
Spicy Homemade Cup Noodles
Did you know you could make your own cup noodles at home? Add bouillon paste, miso, and chilli-garlic sauce to mason jars along with noodles and the toppings and protein of your choice. When you’re ready to eat, add hot water, shake and microwave.
BBQ Chicken Tacos
This shredded BBQ chicken taco is just what you need. You can make it using leftover chicken, veggies or your choice and black beans. Pair it with either a homemade or store-bought red cabbage slaw for the best flavour profile.
Shrimp & Feta Wrap
You can buy pre-cooked shrimp at the seafood department of your grocery store, or buy frozen, cleaned and deveined shrimp and steam them. Mix it up with any veggies or your choice, avocados, and feta, and wrap it in a whole wheat wrap for a quick, on-the-go lunch solution.
Spring Roll Salad
Essentially, it’s a spring roll without the rice paper. Finely chop up all the veggies of your liking, season them with sesame oil and soy sauce, add shrimp (or any protein of your choice) and top with whole seeds.
Kale, Quinoa & Chicken Salad
To make this quick and easy salad, all you’ll need is some cooked chicken, kale, and a bed of cooked quinoa. You can season it with a ready-made vinaigrette to make the process easier. Pro tip: Add the chicken while it’s still hot to wilt the kale just a little and make it easier to chew.
Salmon Sushi Bowl
Love the flavours of sushi but can’t spend time making the rolls? Turn it into a protein-rich rice bowl. Top seasoned sushi rice with chicken, tuna, or avocados, sesame seeds, chopped cucumbers, and carrots for a tasty, healthy, instant lunch.
Quesadillas With Peppers & Onions
Amp up your regular quesadillas with sauteed peppers and onions to give a flavourful kick. If you pre-cook the veggies, you can basically build an entire quesadilla in less than ten minutes. If you’re looking for a healthy, flavour-packed lunch, this is the meal for you.
Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich
If you’re tired of eating the plain old Costco rotisserie chicken, why not turn it into a sandwich? Just shred it up, add mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, or any other dressing, veggies of your choice and voila! You have a quick-to-assemble, easy-to-eat sandwich on the ready.
Baked Potato Topped With Marinara
Have you run out of pasta but have extra pasta sauce lying around? Try this innovative recipe. Top a baked potato with marinara and chicken for a scrumptious meal that doesn’t take an hour to make. Adding shredded chicken and veggies can make the whole meal more nutritious.
Salmon Couscous Salad
If you’re looking for a way to put leftover salmon to good use, say no more. It can be used as a great topping for a couscous salad, along with fresh veggies and a vinaigrette dressing. The salmon and veggies give it enough protein and vitamins to make this a healthy meal.
