I was wondering if anyone has quick and easy 'lunch-on-the-go' ideas? I am worried about getting stuck on salads and pb&j sandwiches! I am looking for some menu options that aren't too involved. I don't have too much of a lunch break (I'm a teacher). Any ideas you have would be great!!! Thanks!

~Kimberly

Hi Kimberly!

I work in a school as well so I know what you mean by not much of a lunch break.  I found cooking things the night before and packing them to go was the easiest for me; rice or pasta and veggies, bean salads, and wraps are my go-to lunches. oh and tofu scrambles travel well too!  I try to stay away from the re-heating options and I keep one of those hot pots to heat soup..... hope that helps!

Susan

I make the following in different rotations: 

-Whole wheat pita stuffed with whatever my heart desires (usually some peppers and quinoa or cucumbers and hummus) 

-Quinoa curry 

-Gardein, hummus and broccoli sprouts with some bok choy 

-'Pizza' with a a whole wheat pita crust and loaded with veggies like dino kale, raddichio and leeks 

-Any type of rice and black beans or white beans 

-Etc. 

-Burritos 

Everything I make takes just a few minutes (think: 10 max) in the morning to get together and is generally served cold so I don't have to worry about cooking time (just eating!). 

Lol.... Susan, I just talked about this is my email to you!  Funny!  :-)

I also work in a school and have hit the "lunch wall."  I've brought sandwiches, then got tired of those, so started buying the salad at school, with veggies and beans... but getting tired of that too.  After I get my first paycheck of this school year I DEFINITELY need to go to the store and get things to make some new lunch foods!  There is a "chicken" salad recipe in the "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" book that is amazing!!  I know, processed fake meats aren't the healthiest, but I like them now and then to spice things up.  I also love to bake sweet potatoes (cut in chunks first and sprinkle with cinnamon and oil).  They're still pretty good when not warm.  As Susan said, I also stay away from re-heating (aka, microwaves).  I also like bananas and peanut butter, which is an easy fall-back when I don't have or don't want to actually make something. 

Fideo is a great left over dish easy to make and taste great. You need fideo noodles you can get them in the mexican food section or pasta section at your market. 2 cans of tomato sauce,1/2 onion and olive oil. In a pan fry noodles with sliced onion in olive oil until golden brown then add tomato sauce and about 4 to 6 cups of water depends on  how thick you would like the sauce to be. It takes about 10 minutes to make and if you like it hot you can substitute1 can of tomato sauce with el pato tomato sauce. Add avacado slices and enjoy.

Make a few dishes on Sunday that will carry you thru the week.  I think the most important thing you can do is prep your food on the weekend for the week.  And use organic whenever possible.  I just made the rice pilaf and Cuban sweet potatoes and the lentil stew  from the Kind Diet.  I like my food cold, so heating is not an issue for me.  The succotash from the Kind Diet  is fantastic as well.  Also cook organic white beans and make hummus or eat the beans mixed with raw veggies.  I like cut up tomatoes in mine.  I am not 100% vegan, so I do hard boil organic eggs and make egg salad or just bring a hard boiled egg.  Sometimes I put organic cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese on a stick and bring those for lunch and snacking.  Just a bunch of cut up carrots, celery, cucumber, onion (anything you like) with nuts and seeds taste great.  You don't always need lettuce.  A very fresh and easy salad dressing is: mix 10 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of fresh organic lemon juice.  Season with what ever you want or nothing.  Either way it just enhances the taste of the raw veggies.  My husband and I make a double batch of  chili and freeze small containers for lunch.  Celery sticks with nut butters also good.  I like the peanut butter and chocolate cups from the Kind Diet for a snack.  I use less sugar then the recipe calls for and they are GREAT!  I also make small cups, just the right size for snacking. 

Here is a really simple, super healthy idea for your lunch:  Try a mono meal of fruit.

You will be surprized how satisfying it is.  You just have to make sure you eat enough.  Here you can see pictures of my recent mono meals:

http://inspired-living.org/monomeal/

They are all breakfasts, so you would need a slightly larger quantity.

The great thing with mono meals is that you get lots of energy and you don't get tired after the meal itself.

I often hit a wall with lunch ideas, but I definitely agree with Kris - plan to cook on Sunday and prep things that will get you through most or all of the week.  I recently made the Eggplant Chana Masala, Red Radish Tabbouleh and Scicilian Collard Greens recipes from TKD and enjoyed each as leftovers for lunch throughout the week.  The tabbouleh is cold anyways, but the others were just as good as leftovers at room temp or chilled.  Making a yummy veggie pizza is always a good stand-by and just as good cold as warm out of the oven.  Planning ahead whenever possible helps me to make good lunch decisions all week long!

Hey!

I'm absolutely in love with a receipe I found in the Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. It is a corn and edamame salad. You boil water, add the edamame and boil it for 3 minutes. Add corn and boil for another 3 minutes. Add a dressing of olive oil, seasme oil and soy cause and a handful of seasme seeds. Super easy and over a bed of baby spinach, it is a great lunch! I make a big batch on Sunday night and lunches are taken care of for the week.

Hope that helps!