Lunch is usually a mid day meal and most people have it while at work. I like bringing my own lunch from home instead of buying a crappy sandwich or other kinds of unhealthy lunch options available. I call them unhealthy because anything filled with fried chicken, cheese, white bread, sugar, butter is unhealthy for me. I love lunch time and hate to skip it because if I do, the afternoon definitely turns out to be bad for me cos I feel really sleepy zzzzzz......
Sometimes I wake up about 20-20 minutes earlier in the day to make my lunch or I cook my lunch before I sleep at night and pack my lunch box ( This happens when I am feeling very energetic :P) So! Here are some of my favorite lunch ideas! I discovered most of these recipes randomly in desperation :P
Idea 1: Pita bread Sandwich
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Left Over Rice
Green Lettuce
Hummus ( My friend Krishna gave me the recipe for a very good home made hummus which is amazingly awesome! But ready made hummus is also available in grocery stores)
Yoghurt Dip ( Optional, this is a greek dip, and extremely easy to make)
Method:
1) Heat the pita bread, cut it from the top so that you can fill stuff in it. (It is hollow from inside)
2) On one side, apply Hummus, on the other side apply yogurt dip. Apply both of them generously :D
3) Now put some cut lettuce leaves in it and then fill it up with rice and pack it in an aluminum foil and you are done!
P.S I will post the Hummus recipe and the Yoghurt Dip Recipe right now I feel too lazy to do that :D
Idea 2: Green Pepper and Potato Patty Sandwich
Ingredients:
Green Pepper
Onion and spring Onion would be better, I use whatever is available
Oregano
Sale & Pepper
Boiled Potatoes
Mayo
Method:
1) Heat some olive oil, saute Spring Oinions/yellow onions/red onions and Green pepper till both are about half cooked, then add some salt, pepper and Oregano according to your taste.
2) Now, mash the boiled potatoes and add some salt in it and shape it in the form of a round patty/or cutlet as we call it in India.
3) Take 2 slices of bread, you can toast them if you like.
4) For the sandwich filing: Put the Potato patty on one slice of bread, put the potato patty on top of it and then spread some Mayo to stick everything together and cover with the second bread slice and you are done.
Idea 3: ( My favorite!!!) Turkey and Cheese Bagel Sandwich : This can be had as a breakfast also instead of lunch
Ingredients:
Turkey Slice
Cheese Slice
Bagel ( I use any kind of whole wheat bagel )
Method:
1) Toast the Bagel in a toaster
2) Roast the turkey slice on a pan till its a little brownish
3) Filling for the toasted Bagel : Turkey slice and cheese slice
4) OMG Yum!!!
Idea 4: Indian Patty - Extremely simple to make
Ingredients:
Bread ( I use whole wheat bread)
Left over veggies
Method:
1) To make this, you need asandwich maker, which is quite cheap, I got it for about 15 bucks
2) Just take the bread and fill it with any kind of left over veggies and use the sandwich maker to make the patties!
Idea 5: Quick Microwave rava idlis
If you made Sambhar last night and if you hate having cold rice with sambhar and have nothing else in the fridge, this is the option you should try! It takes 5 minutes if you have a microwavable idli maker.
Ingredients:
Sooji
Curd
Salt
Eno
Method
1) Take about 2 cups idli, add 3-4 tablespoon curd in it and enough water to make an idli batter. ( it's a little thicker than pakora batter I guess :D)
2) Add about a tablespoon of eno just before pouring the batter in the idli maker
2) Fill in the idli maker and don't forget to put some water on the bottom of the idli holders because we want to cook the idlis in steam.
3) Put the idli maker in the microwave for 4 minutes you idlis are ready to go.
You can take the Sambhar in a separate box and wrap the idlis in an aluminum foil. This is the way I do it :)
Idea 6: Tomato Rice
While you take a shower in the morning you can put about 1 cup rice in the microwave for about 15 minutes if you do not have left over rice.
Ingredients
Rice
1/2 Chopped Onion
1/2 Chopped Tomato
1/2 Tsp Garam Masala
1/4 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 Table Spoon Lemon water
1/4th of a cup Coriander leaves
Method:
1) Heat oil in a pan, saute the oinion and tomatoes together for about 2-3 minutes or until they are half cooked.
2) Add salt, garam masala, Red Chilli powder and again saute for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes look cooked.
3) Mix the rice in it together with the lemon juice
4) Add the coriander leaves and mix for about a minute
5) Pack in your favorite lunch box !
So, these are some of my favorite lunch ideas. Try them and tell me about it! And increase the list. I so hate spending about 6-10 bucks every afternoon on lunch which is not even healthy! But there are some places which do not make me feel that guilty about spending on lunch at least once a week ( Even I need a break and be lazy sometimes!) So these are places Like Panera bread, subway or Atlanta bread. And When I really feel like having unhealthy but extremely yummy food, its definitely Noodles and Company ( Japanese Pan noodles and Penne rosa being my favs!), Panda (Because of the Fried Orange Chicken!) And yes! who can forget Chipotle Burrito Bol!( I don't know how healthy it is, but is is yummy!)
Sometimes I wake up about 20-20 minutes earlier in the day to make my lunch or I cook my lunch before I sleep at night and pack my lunch box ( This happens when I am feeling very energetic :P) So! Here are some of my favorite lunch ideas! I discovered most of these recipes randomly in desperation :P
Idea 1: Pita bread Sandwich
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Left Over Rice
Green Lettuce
Hummus ( My friend Krishna gave me the recipe for a very good home made hummus which is amazingly awesome! But ready made hummus is also available in grocery stores)
Yoghurt Dip ( Optional, this is a greek dip, and extremely easy to make)
Method:
1) Heat the pita bread, cut it from the top so that you can fill stuff in it. (It is hollow from inside)
2) On one side, apply Hummus, on the other side apply yogurt dip. Apply both of them generously :D
3) Now put some cut lettuce leaves in it and then fill it up with rice and pack it in an aluminum foil and you are done!
P.S I will post the Hummus recipe and the Yoghurt Dip Recipe right now I feel too lazy to do that :D
Idea 2: Green Pepper and Potato Patty Sandwich
Ingredients:
Green Pepper
Onion and spring Onion would be better, I use whatever is available
Oregano
Sale & Pepper
Boiled Potatoes
Mayo
Method:
1) Heat some olive oil, saute Spring Oinions/yellow onions/red onions and Green pepper till both are about half cooked, then add some salt, pepper and Oregano according to your taste.
2) Now, mash the boiled potatoes and add some salt in it and shape it in the form of a round patty/or cutlet as we call it in India.
3) Take 2 slices of bread, you can toast them if you like.
4) For the sandwich filing: Put the Potato patty on one slice of bread, put the potato patty on top of it and then spread some Mayo to stick everything together and cover with the second bread slice and you are done.
Idea 3: ( My favorite!!!) Turkey and Cheese Bagel Sandwich : This can be had as a breakfast also instead of lunch
Ingredients:
Turkey Slice
Cheese Slice
Bagel ( I use any kind of whole wheat bagel )
Method:
1) Toast the Bagel in a toaster
2) Roast the turkey slice on a pan till its a little brownish
3) Filling for the toasted Bagel : Turkey slice and cheese slice
4) OMG Yum!!!
Idea 4: Indian Patty - Extremely simple to make
Ingredients:
Bread ( I use whole wheat bread)
Left over veggies
Method:
1) To make this, you need asandwich maker, which is quite cheap, I got it for about 15 bucks
2) Just take the bread and fill it with any kind of left over veggies and use the sandwich maker to make the patties!
Idea 5: Quick Microwave rava idlis
If you made Sambhar last night and if you hate having cold rice with sambhar and have nothing else in the fridge, this is the option you should try! It takes 5 minutes if you have a microwavable idli maker.
Ingredients:
Sooji
Curd
Salt
Eno
Method
1) Take about 2 cups idli, add 3-4 tablespoon curd in it and enough water to make an idli batter. ( it's a little thicker than pakora batter I guess :D)
2) Add about a tablespoon of eno just before pouring the batter in the idli maker
2) Fill in the idli maker and don't forget to put some water on the bottom of the idli holders because we want to cook the idlis in steam.
3) Put the idli maker in the microwave for 4 minutes you idlis are ready to go.
You can take the Sambhar in a separate box and wrap the idlis in an aluminum foil. This is the way I do it :)
Idea 6: Tomato Rice
While you take a shower in the morning you can put about 1 cup rice in the microwave for about 15 minutes if you do not have left over rice.
Ingredients
Rice
1/2 Chopped Onion
1/2 Chopped Tomato
1/2 Tsp Garam Masala
1/4 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 Table Spoon Lemon water
1/4th of a cup Coriander leaves
Method:
1) Heat oil in a pan, saute the oinion and tomatoes together for about 2-3 minutes or until they are half cooked.
2) Add salt, garam masala, Red Chilli powder and again saute for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes look cooked.
3) Mix the rice in it together with the lemon juice
4) Add the coriander leaves and mix for about a minute
5) Pack in your favorite lunch box !
So, these are some of my favorite lunch ideas. Try them and tell me about it! And increase the list. I so hate spending about 6-10 bucks every afternoon on lunch which is not even healthy! But there are some places which do not make me feel that guilty about spending on lunch at least once a week ( Even I need a break and be lazy sometimes!) So these are places Like Panera bread, subway or Atlanta bread. And When I really feel like having unhealthy but extremely yummy food, its definitely Noodles and Company ( Japanese Pan noodles and Penne rosa being my favs!), Panda (Because of the Fried Orange Chicken!) And yes! who can forget Chipotle Burrito Bol!( I don't know how healthy it is, but is is yummy!)
