There's just no question about it, you know what an important meal that noon time lunch is. fast lunch
In fact there's no way that you can function well unless you have taken time out to eat a lunch.
Feeling good and productive in the afternoon is tied to enjoying a
healthy well balanced lunch. It is so easy with this hurried world we
live in to skip out on lunch or even worse we grab a quick lunch eating
all the wrong things.
Particularly women, frequently skip lunch and think it's no big deal.
Doesn't make much sense to me really. Skipping a meal can hit you hard
a few hours later when you are simply starving, have a pounding
headache and feel shaky... well, was it worth that!
Come on, we all know what it feels like when you get caught having skipped lunch and then feel simply awful.
So what do you do?
If you follow the thoughts of the masses, there's just no way that you
have time to pack a lunch before you head off to work for the day.
Actually nothing could be further from the truth.
Here's a fun idea... if you are in a relationship why don't you take
the time to take turns to fix each others lunch before you head out for
the day. One day you fix both of your lunches, while the next day have
your sweetie fix both of them. This will give you time to do the other
things that you need to do. Not only is this a good trade off for your
waist but it's a good thing for your pocketbook as well.
One of my favorite tricks is to pack my lunch each night while
finishing up the dinner dishes. This helps me to use up any leftovers
that I know will pack well for a lunch the next day.
I would much rather take a few extra minutes at night to pack a lunch
than I had to get up earlier in the morning to get it done. I just do
hate to rush!
So just what kind of things make up a fast lunch idea? What lunch time meals should you fix? Here's a few of my favorite ideas.
Tuna and Bell Pepper Pocket
3 (6-ounce) cans drained, solid white tuna (in water) ½ cup chopped
bell peppers ¼ cup chopped celery ¼ cup sliced onions 8-12 lettuce
leaves (preferably green) 2 medium-size sliced tomatoes (8-12 slices
total) 3 tbsp. fat-free Italian dressing 1 tbsp. dried oregano 1 tbsp.
black pepper 4 (6-inch) pita breads Combine tuna, green peppers, celery
and onions in a bowl.
In another bowl, combine dressing, black pepper and oregano, pour it
over the tuna mix and stir. Refrigerate for a few hours. When serving,
put 2-3 tomato slices and 2-3 lettuce leaves in each pita bread. Add
tuna mix to pitas. There's enough for 4 servings.
This salad packs well and is particularly yummy. I don't think there is a better easier lunch item than this.
Black Bean Salad
½ (8-ounce) can drained black beans 1 (15-ounce) can drained whole
kernel corn 4 chopped green onions ½ chopped green bell pepper 3 diced
tomatoes ½ avocado peeled, pitted and diced ½ (2-ounce) jar pimentos 2
tbsp. lemon juice 3 ounces fat-free Italian salad dressing ¼ tsp.
garlic salt
Combine Italian dressing, black beans, green onions, corn, bell pepper,
avocado, pimento, tomatoes, and lemon juice in a bowl. Add and toss
pepper, salt and garlic. Store in Tupperware and refrigerate. Offers up
three delicious servings for that big appetite of yours.
This is another great one...
Smoked Chicken Sandwich
½ (8-ounce) loaf sourdough bread ¼ tbsp. vinegar 2 tbsp. chopped
parsley 1/8 cup low-fat mayonnaise or fat-free salad dressing ¼ cup
chopped bell peppers (you can't go wrong with bell peppers) ½ small
onion thinly sliced ½ medium sized tomato sliced 8 (1-ounce) slices
low-fat mozzarella cheese 2 cloves minced garlic 8 (1-ounce) slices
lean chicken 1 tbsp. black pepper.
Slice the loaf of bread horizontally. Remove some soft bread from
inside each half. Stir mayonnaise and vinegar together. Add parsley,
bell peppers, black peppers, and garlic to the mix.
Let stand for 15 minutes.
Layer the bottom of the loaf with 4 slices of chicken and cheese, then
layer with half of the onions and half of the tomatoes. Spread half of
the mayonnaise concoction and repeat the entire process from the start
with the remaining ingredients.
Close the sandwich with the second bread shell and chill until it's
ready to serve. When serving, cut loaf into 3 wedges (secure loaf with
wooden sticks for a better cut). Makes 3 servings.
Other things that I always make sure to keep on hand for a fast lunch
idea include apples, oranges, protein bars, almonds, celery, green, red
and orange bell peppers, baby carrots and the individual wedges of
Laughing Cow cheese.
Some days I simple pack a variety of veggies along with some cheese and
almonds I am good to go. This lunch definitely helps me make it through
the afternoon and yet keeps me from feeling sleepy and battling that
mid-afternoon slump.
So knock it off!
There's no need to always order fast food take out or skip lunch all
together. Keep it simple and take a few minutes to be good to you. Use
one of the fast lunch ideas today and enjoy! I am betting that you
enjoy them!
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