Some days, preparing lunch can seem like a lot of hard work. But a healthy lunch is so important as it will help see you through until afternoon tea and dinner time.
Today we have five ways that you can save time on your lunch preparation. By being kind to yourself you can ensure that you don’t miss out on a healthy meal.
Just jump onto the Challenge Hub and search for these recipes to try out.
Soups
Soups are great for lunch if you make them in advance when you have some time.
Try making a big pot of soup such as our Minestrone and Bean Soup and keep it in the fridge to heat and eat each day.
Another great idea is to freeze single serve portions in a zip lock bag so that you can mix things up and have a few different soups to choose from.
Two of our favourite freezer friendly soups are the Spicy Tomato Soup and the Roasted Pumpkin Soup.
It’s best to avoid freezing soups containing pasta or potato as those ingredients tend not to reheat too well.
Pre-Made Salads
You can make many salads ahead of time and just make enough to do you for a couple of days.
Some salads, like the Tuna and Brown Rice Salad can be stored in the fridge and then just add the tuna fresh when you are ready to eat.
Others like the Quinoa and Feta Salad will happily sit in the fridge for a couple of days.
Healthy Mummy Smoothies
When time is of the essence and you just want to eat something healthy, you can’t go past a smoothie.
Throw everything in the blender and you’ll be tucking into your lunch in minutes.
Try our Strawberry Slam Smoothie for a recipe that you can prepare when you have zero time.
Smoothies such as The Green Machine Smoothie have ingredients that you can always keep in your fridge.
Or go for the Radical Raspberry Smoothie when the fruit bowl is empty – it uses frozen berries.
Frozen Leftovers
It’s great to have single serve portions of leftovers such as Yellow Chicken Curry in the freezer that you can just defrost for lunch at home.
Another great option is to just freeze the main ingredient, such as with these Vegetarian Lentil Burgers so then all you have to do is throw some salad on a bun or wrap before you add the burger.
These Turkey Meatballs in Rich Tomato Sauce freeze well, and then all you have to do is prepare some pasta.
The kids will love these too, so be ready to share!
Make Ahead Food
Try making the fritter batter ahead of time for the Tasty Veggie Fritters, so that you can just heat the pan and cook them when you’re ready. You can also store the cooked fritters in the fridge to just heat up when you’re ready for lunch.
Another great option is the Zucchini, Pea and Feta Slice which not only stores well in the fridge for lunches for the week, it also works well in a packed lunch for work or if you’re heading out.
Salmon Spring Rolls are another great option. You can either store them in the fridge or freezer so they’ll be ready when you are.