Low Fat Lunch Time Ideas

Garden Pasta Salad

This simple summery salad is made using ingredients you could find in your garden, and although this recipe calls for some specific ingredients, feel free to omit them for ingredients you may have.
Ingredients:

  • 275g wholemeal pasta tubes
  • 300g broccoli florets
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 courgette
  • 1 red onion
  • 150g cherry tomatoes
  • 150ml cider or white wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • Handful freshly chopped parsley
  • 10 basil leaves, chopped
  • Salt and pepper

Method of Preparation:

  1. Thinly slice the onion and the courgette. Slice the pepper in half and remove the seeds and the pith and then thinly slice. Place all vegetables, excluding the tomatoes, into a pan of simmering water, cook for two minutes, then put into a bowl of ice water. Remove and then set to one side in a bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and add the pasta to the vegetables. Whisk the oil with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper then pour over the pasta and vegetables. Stir in the basil and parsley, then leave to cool. This salad will last a good few days in the fridge and will taste even better the day after you make it.

Be sure to use extra-virgin olive oil in your dressings as it is totally heart-healthy. This recipe serves 4.
Calories per serve – 420

Healthy Vegetable Slice
  • 3 Eggs
  • 50 ml skinny milk
  • 40g grated cheese
  • 72g Grated Mushroom
  • 37g Grated Carrot
  • 180g Grated Zucchini
  • 80g Diced steamed sweet potato
  • 16g diced Red Onion
  • 21g Diced lean bacon
  • Salt optional.

Mix Eggs, milk & cheese in a bowl.
Dry fry onion, bacon and mushroom then add remaining vegetables.
Cool the mixture, add to egg mix and mix together.
Pour into a small oven dish (22cmx 22cm)
Bake in preheated oven 170 degrees for approx 35 minutes.
Serves 4 approx. 170 calories per serve.

Broad Bean & Feta Salad

If you cannot find low-fat feta, you may be able to find something called ‘low fat salad cheese’ instead, which tastes very similar.
Ingredients:

  • 450g shelled fresh broad beans
  • 225g cherry tomatoes
  • 200g low-fat feta cheese
  • 12 black olives, stoned
  • 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • Small handful freshly chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper

Method of Preparation:

  1. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Put the broad beans into boiling salted water, and cook for two minutes before draining. Place into a bowl.
  2. Crumble the feta into the bowl with the broad beans and add the tomatoes. Chop the olives in half and sprinkle in the feta.
  3. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together then pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Stir well to combine.

You could heat all of the ingredients in a frying pan until just warm so that this is a warm salad; although it is just as delicious cold. Recipe serves two.
Calories per serve – 262

Ploughman’s Lunch

This low-fat version of a classic Ploughman’s lunch is a brilliant lunchbox idea. If you’re worried about the chutney falling everywhere, pop it into a little container.
Ingredients:

  • 1 apple
  • 50g low-fat cheddar cheese
  • 4 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 baby gem lettuce leaves
  • 1 small carrot
  • ½ small red onion
  • 2 tbsp. chutney of your choice
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

Method of Preparation:

  1. Leave one lettuce leaf whole and use it to hold the chutney. Shred the other, finely slice the onion and grate the carrot. Mix the lettuce, onion and carrot together and put into the lunchbox, topped with the cherry tomatoes.
  2. Core the apple and cut the apple into wedges, sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent it from browning and then add to the lunchbox.
  3. Add the cheese and you’re ready to go! Cut it into chunks or cubes if you prefer.

Make this a little more filling by adding some lean ham and maybe a wholemeal roll. Recipe serves 1.
Calories per serve – 338

Chicken & Roasted Vegetable Wrap

This is a great lunchtime dish as you can prepare it the night before – all you need to do at lunch is assemble your wrap!
Ingredients:

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 courgette
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 tortilla wraps
  • 4 button mushrooms
  • Good pinch paprika and half tsp. chilli powder
  • Oil spray

Method of Preparation:

  1. Chop the red onion into chunks and half the mushrooms. Slice the red pepper in half, remove the seeds and pith then slice into strips. Slice the courgette and then slice the chicken breast into strips.
  2. Place chicken, red pepper, courgette, red onion and mushrooms on a baking tray and spritz with oil spray. Sprinkle with chilli and paprika then put into an 180C oven for around 25 minutes, until the chicken and veg are cooked. Remove to the oven and allow to cool.
  3. Serve up on soft floury tortillas the following day.

Add some freshly washed salad leaves for even more crunch and flavour. Recipe serves 2.
Calories per serve – 235

 Roast Beef Sandwich

Lean beef is full of protein, iron and is low in fat, making it an excellent choice for lunchtimes.
Ingredients:

  • 2 slices rye bread
  • 2 slices roast beef, ready-roasted, or buy a beef joint to roast for dinner and use a few leftover slices
  • 50g rocket leaves
  • 1 tsp. prepared horseradish (leave this out if you’re serving this to children and they don’t like spice, instead use low-fat cream cheese)
  • ½ small red onion

Method of Preparation:

  1. Thinly slice the red onion.
  2. Spread the bread with the horseradish, then assemble the beef, rocket and red onion before sandwiching with the other slice of bread.

Omit the beef and use whichever meat you like – something like sliced roast pork would also be tasty.
Calories per serve – 486

Roast Red Capsicum and Tomato Soup

This simple soup has bags of flavour and is a lovely soup to eat when it’s chilly outside.
Ingredients:

  • 4 red peppers
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes with garlic and herbs
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch chilli flakes
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • Oil spray

Method of Preparation:

  1. Put the red peppers onto a baking tray and roast at 220C for 20-30 minutes until blackened
  2. Put them into a sandwich bag, seal the bag and leave them to cool for ten minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, finely chop the carrot and the onion. Heat oil spray in a frying pan and fry the carrot and onion for 15-20 minutes over a very low heat until soft.
  4. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the skins under a cool running tap then remove the seeds. Roughly chop and add to the frying pan with the carrot and onion.
  5. Stir in the tomatoes and vegetable stock, season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes then simmer for 20 minutes.
  6. Blend until smooth using a food processor or hand blender. Serve.

Recipe serves 4, calories per serving: 108. Add more or less chilli depending on your preference

Low fat tuna omelette
  • 1x full egg
  • 1x egg white
  • 1x small tin of tuna
  • 3x handful of spinach leaves
  • 6x mushrooms
  • 1x fresh chilli (or flakes)
  • 1x glove of garlic
  • Chopped chives to sprinkle on top
  • 250ml water
  • Pinch of pepper

METHOD:
Fry mushrooms in frypan, when they start to sizzle- add 100ml water (this allows them to soften quicker)
Once soft and cooked to eat, add spinach – once wilted, add water & tuna… Once heated and warm enough to eat, put aside.
Beat egg & whites in cup & add chilli & pepper
Pour egg mixture into HOT pan & spread until bottom & sides are covered… Cook until it bubbles through then flip!
Once flipped add other ingredients, plate & serve – and sprinkle with chives
(makes 2)
This is a great brunch/ filling lunch :-)
I’ve used only 1 pan and 1 cup & 1 serving plate for this- its EASY!!

Berry & Banana smoothie
  • 1/2 a banana
  • 1/4 cup of frozen raspberries
  • 2 tbsp of smoothie mix
  • 200ml of low fat milk
  • 5 ice cubes
  • 1 x tbsp of oatmeal

Add everything to the blender and blend away – made in under 2 minutes and packed full of nutrition!
Calories per serve – 320

Also see our Salad Selections which make great lunch time options