Healthy Lunch Ideas

So sorry for disappearing for a while! My first full week of school had me as busy as can be, so my blog took the back burner temporarily. I've been spending a TON of time at school, some days for both lunch AND dinner. Because of this, I've been packing a lot of food to bring with me (I have a fridge in my office).

Here are some of my healthy brown-bag lunch/dinner suggestions!

1. Sandwiches/wraps- use whole wheat bread or tortillas for these

Traditional turkey sandwich - turkey breast, slice of swiss cheese, lettuce, sliced red onion, dijon mustard.

Southwest wrap - pre-cooked/leftover chicken, black beans, frozen corn kernels (thawed), diced tomato, cilantro, onion, lime juice and/or salsa

Grilled veggie sandwich or wrap - the night before, grill up some sliced zucchini and sliced portobello. Put the veggies in wrap or on a sandwich with some roasted red pepper (you can find this in a jar/can), a slice of provolone, pesto or hummus


2. Salads

Greek salad - romaine, olives, diced tomato, red onion, pepproccini, grilled chicken, greek dressing (mix 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp dijon, 1 tsp each of oregano, basil, minced garlic, minced shallot, plus S&P to taste)

Pesto salad - mixed greens, diced pimentos (found in a jar), chopped artichoke hearts, pesto dressing, chicken or chickpeas (mix 1 part pre-made pesto, 1 part red wine vinegar)


3. My all time favorite packed lunch...leftovers!


Made a healthy dinner the night before? Bring some with you the next day! Most schools/offices have access to a microwave, so you can reheat and repeat your healthy meal.


The best part of bringing your lunch is that you make sure that you give yourself a healthy option and nothing else! When lunch time rolls around, you don't head to the nearest drive thru or dining hall, because all you need is already packed in your lunch.

The second best part? Saving money! No eating out plus getting rid of leftovers equals big savings! On my grad school budget, this is a HUGE bonus :-)