Quick Lunch and Snack Recipes
If lunch seems blah and you’re out of ideas for quick, easy snacks, you’ve come to the right place. Interesting lunches don’t just happen in restaurants. They can easily happen at home, too – or even in the office, if you plan ahead a little. As for snacks, they’re a piece of cake. Or perhaps you’re better off with a piece of egg. Here are some ideas.
- Better sandwiches. Sandwiches are a classic lunch offering, but to keep you going all afternoon, make sure they are high in protein and low in simple carbs. For a special treat, try mixing low fat cream cheese with a little orange peel zest and about ¼ teaspoon of honey. Spread this on thin slices of whole wheat bread and add a layer of sliced strawberries as the “meat.”
- Salad with punch. Salads are a fine low calorie lunch, but Michelin Chef Arrigo Cipriani’s Carpaccio Cipriani is better than your average salad. It combines high protein, high iron beef with nutritious greens and tasty parmesan cheese.
- Healthy soups. Soups are a popular lunch choice during cooler months, but ready made soup is often either high in sodium or low on taste. Instead, try an exceptional soup like Eggplant Caviar with Tomato Sauce or Squash Soup with Goat Cheese Gnocchis.
- Breakfast for lunch. Eggs are both healthy and an excellent source of protein, making them a good choice for lunch. Punch up your eggs by adding them to a vegetable mix, as in Jean Bardet’s Eggs with Fresh Mushrooms recipe, or give a Truffle or Mushroom Omlette a try.
- Nutty snack. Nuts are high in protein and fiber and many nuts (including almonds and walnuts) are high in healthy omega fatty acids. A handful a day is heart healthy and gives your brain a boost.
- Turkey wraps. Pretzels and breadsticks are popular snacks, but add a little protein to avoid feeling hungry before dinner. For example, take a thin slice of turkey or chicken breast and spread some mustard on it, then wrap the poultry around a single breadstick.
- Crackers and eggs. Instead of snacking on handfuls of high carb crackers, make the snack last by slicing a hard boiled egg and laying the slices on top of whole grain crackers.
- Cappuccino. Does cappuccino really count as a snack? It does if it’s Pumpkin Cappuccino with Cardamom, a blend of pumpkin purée and milk that’s easy to whip up in a blender.
