I must admit that I am a creature of habit and eat a lot of the same thing each day. Some weeks I will eat the same thing 3 or 4 days in a row . Here are my go-to SUPER SIMPLE informal lunch recipes. If you can eat a big salad with lots of dark leafy veggies every day you are doing yourself a big favor. Definitely get veggies in at lunch and eat more of them than you think you need:)
Brown Rice Wrap
Brown rice tortilla of some other type of sprouted grain wrap
2 T hummus
2 handfuls arugula
grated carrots
grated beets (if you want)
chopped tomatoes
chopped cukes
roasted red peppers (the ones in water from Trader Joes are yum)
Spray a pan with a little bit of coconut oil… A used one from Trader Joe's. He is a wrap up until it's soft and maybe a little crackly. Add all of the ingredients to the wrap and wrap it up and enjoy.
Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Salad
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS:
2 ears corn (husk and silk removed; tip cut off)
1pints cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
1/2 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced (put the avo in right when you eat it, it won’t keep in the salad when you eat it the next day)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
squeeze of lime
Spray of olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook corn, cool, then cut kernels off of the cob
Assemble all veggies in bowl
Squeeze on lime and toss with salt and pepper. Quick spritz with olive oil and toss again. Dress right when you eat or will get soggy.
Double Squash Soup
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 T minced fresh garlic
1 tsp. Italian herb blend
2 t finely chopped dried rosemary or thyme
3 lb. diced green and yellow summer squash
6 cups vegetable stock plus a little for broth sautéing
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste - can use more if using unsalted broth
Vegan Parmesan cheese (I like Follow your Heart or to make it myself by grinding cashews or brazil nuts, salt and nutritional yeast together)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and very finely chop the fresh rosemary or thyme.
Heat a bit of broth in large heavy soup pot then add onion and saute about 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and softened. Add garlic, rosemary or thyme, and Italian Herb. Blend and cook 3-5 minutes more. While the onion, garlic, and rosemary are cooking, chop up the zucchini and yellow squash. Should equate to about 8 c.
Add the vegetable stock to onion mixture and simmer 10 minutes. Then add chopped zucchini and yellow squash. Turn heat to very low and simmer 30 minutes, or until squash is very soft and flavors are well blended.
Use an Immersion Blender to puree the mixture, or work in batches and puree in food processor or blender. Simmer until the soup is reduced and as thick as you like it. Should take about 20 mins. Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
Quinoa chickpea salad - Love this. Super refreshing and filling! Single serving!
1 cup cooked quinoa!
8 halved cherry tomatoes or 3 medium tomatoes, chopped!
1-2 chopped persian cucumbers!
half a cup garbanzos!
six mint leaves sliced thin into small ribbons! juice from 1/4 of a lime!
2-3 teaspoons of the liquid from the garbanzos! salt an pepper to taste!
mix all veggies with 1 c of quinoa!
add garbanzos!
toss with mint, lime and garbanzo juice!
add salt and pepper to taste!
Salad with Beans and Pumpkin Seeds
Lettuce
tomatoes
mushrooms
red peppers
carrots
cucumbers
sprouts
1 T pumpkin seeds
1/2 to 3/4 cup whatever beans you want but black are said by some to be best for you. I like them all and vary it up!
I usually add a teaspoon of olive oil and a bunch of lemon and salt and pepper. It's taken me a while to get used to very little oil but now if there's a lot of oil on my salad it tastes bad to me. When you don't use a lot of oil, a teaspoon goes along way. I know that sounds ridiculous but it really does.
Roasted Veggie Salad
I roast my veggies on the night before and serve them hot at dinner… then use them in a salad for lunch the next day. My fave veggies to roast are delicata squash (skin on), butternut squash (peeled), beets (peeled), onions, peppers, brussel sprouts, kombacha squash (skin on), carrots and parsnips. I toss them with the tiniest amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and put em in a 450 degree oven and leave em alone. No stirring. That way the side on the tray browns and caramelizes a bit.
Kale or collards, beans, and brown rice with savory sauce
steamed greens
Cooked beans
brown rice
This is simple and I do it all the time. I steam some kale, take 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of beans and brown rice put them side-by-side in a bowl and pour a little savory sauce on there. I never use more than a tablespoon or two of the sauce. This is by far my favorite lunch.
Savory Sauce recipe
Veggie Sandwich
2 pieces sprouted grain free bread if you have to be free
cukes
tomatoes
lettuce
sprouts
roasted red peppers or raw red peppers
1 T hummus
1 t vegan mayo
baked tempeh - there is a smoked type at whole foods that is AMAZING! It's called
Toast your bread and pile veggies high on the sandwich. It's amazing how how you can pile them on if you then put the top of the bread on a smash it down. This is so filling and delicious. Can add tempeh if you are missing meat on your sandwich.
Sweet Potato Salad
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS:
Salad:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (you should get about 5-6 cups)
coconut oil spray
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large head of romaine or butter lettuce torn into pieces
Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 large avocado, pitted and diced (add 1/4 avo right when you eat it so it keeps in fridge)
1 T dried cranberries (per serving of salad)
1 T chopped smoked almonds (per serving of salad)
chopped red onion to taste
Dressing:
1/2 cup tahini
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
few drops of stevia
3-6 tablespoons warm water, depending on how thick you want the dressing
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place sweet potatoes on parchment lightly sprayed with coconut oil and sprinkled with a bit of salt in a 450 degree oven until tender and caramelized a bit. About 20 mins. Let cool most of the way.
Assemble the rest of the salad ingredients and drizzle with 2 T dressing per serving or salad
Quinoa salad
1 c cooked quinoa
1-2 T chopped mint
chopped cucumbers
chopped tomatoes
diced red peppers
edamame
Combine cooked quinoa with other ingredients. Squeeze half a lemon and 1 teaspoon of oil. Add salt and pepper as needed
Brown Rice Wrap
Brown rice tortilla of some other type of sprouted grain wrap
2 T hummus
2 handfuls arugula
grated carrots
grated beets (if you want)
chopped tomatoes
chopped cukes
roasted red peppers (the ones in water from Trader Joes are yum)
Spray a pan with a little bit of coconut oil… A used one from Trader Joe's. He is a wrap up until it's soft and maybe a little crackly. Add all of the ingredients to the wrap and wrap it up and enjoy.
Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Salad
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS:
2 ears corn (husk and silk removed; tip cut off)
1pints cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
1/2 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced (put the avo in right when you eat it, it won’t keep in the salad when you eat it the next day)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
squeeze of lime
Spray of olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook corn, cool, then cut kernels off of the cob
Assemble all veggies in bowl
Squeeze on lime and toss with salt and pepper. Quick spritz with olive oil and toss again. Dress right when you eat or will get soggy.
Double Squash Soup
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 T minced fresh garlic
1 tsp. Italian herb blend
2 t finely chopped dried rosemary or thyme
3 lb. diced green and yellow summer squash
6 cups vegetable stock plus a little for broth sautéing
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste - can use more if using unsalted broth
Vegan Parmesan cheese (I like Follow your Heart or to make it myself by grinding cashews or brazil nuts, salt and nutritional yeast together)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and very finely chop the fresh rosemary or thyme.
Heat a bit of broth in large heavy soup pot then add onion and saute about 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and softened. Add garlic, rosemary or thyme, and Italian Herb. Blend and cook 3-5 minutes more. While the onion, garlic, and rosemary are cooking, chop up the zucchini and yellow squash. Should equate to about 8 c.
Add the vegetable stock to onion mixture and simmer 10 minutes. Then add chopped zucchini and yellow squash. Turn heat to very low and simmer 30 minutes, or until squash is very soft and flavors are well blended.
Use an Immersion Blender to puree the mixture, or work in batches and puree in food processor or blender. Simmer until the soup is reduced and as thick as you like it. Should take about 20 mins. Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
Quinoa chickpea salad - Love this. Super refreshing and filling! Single serving!
1 cup cooked quinoa!
8 halved cherry tomatoes or 3 medium tomatoes, chopped!
1-2 chopped persian cucumbers!
half a cup garbanzos!
six mint leaves sliced thin into small ribbons! juice from 1/4 of a lime!
2-3 teaspoons of the liquid from the garbanzos! salt an pepper to taste!
mix all veggies with 1 c of quinoa!
add garbanzos!
toss with mint, lime and garbanzo juice!
add salt and pepper to taste!
Salad with Beans and Pumpkin Seeds
Lettuce
tomatoes
mushrooms
red peppers
carrots
cucumbers
sprouts
1 T pumpkin seeds
1/2 to 3/4 cup whatever beans you want but black are said by some to be best for you. I like them all and vary it up!
I usually add a teaspoon of olive oil and a bunch of lemon and salt and pepper. It's taken me a while to get used to very little oil but now if there's a lot of oil on my salad it tastes bad to me. When you don't use a lot of oil, a teaspoon goes along way. I know that sounds ridiculous but it really does.
Roasted Veggie Salad
I roast my veggies on the night before and serve them hot at dinner… then use them in a salad for lunch the next day. My fave veggies to roast are delicata squash (skin on), butternut squash (peeled), beets (peeled), onions, peppers, brussel sprouts, kombacha squash (skin on), carrots and parsnips. I toss them with the tiniest amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and put em in a 450 degree oven and leave em alone. No stirring. That way the side on the tray browns and caramelizes a bit.
Kale or collards, beans, and brown rice with savory sauce
steamed greens
Cooked beans
brown rice
This is simple and I do it all the time. I steam some kale, take 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of beans and brown rice put them side-by-side in a bowl and pour a little savory sauce on there. I never use more than a tablespoon or two of the sauce. This is by far my favorite lunch.
Savory Sauce recipe
Veggie Sandwich
2 pieces sprouted grain free bread if you have to be free
cukes
tomatoes
lettuce
sprouts
roasted red peppers or raw red peppers
1 T hummus
1 t vegan mayo
baked tempeh - there is a smoked type at whole foods that is AMAZING! It's called
Toast your bread and pile veggies high on the sandwich. It's amazing how how you can pile them on if you then put the top of the bread on a smash it down. This is so filling and delicious. Can add tempeh if you are missing meat on your sandwich.
Sweet Potato Salad
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS:
Salad:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (you should get about 5-6 cups)
coconut oil spray
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large head of romaine or butter lettuce torn into pieces
Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 large avocado, pitted and diced (add 1/4 avo right when you eat it so it keeps in fridge)
1 T dried cranberries (per serving of salad)
1 T chopped smoked almonds (per serving of salad)
chopped red onion to taste
Dressing:
1/2 cup tahini
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
few drops of stevia
3-6 tablespoons warm water, depending on how thick you want the dressing
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place sweet potatoes on parchment lightly sprayed with coconut oil and sprinkled with a bit of salt in a 450 degree oven until tender and caramelized a bit. About 20 mins. Let cool most of the way.
Assemble the rest of the salad ingredients and drizzle with 2 T dressing per serving or salad
Quinoa salad
1 c cooked quinoa
1-2 T chopped mint
chopped cucumbers
chopped tomatoes
diced red peppers
edamame
Combine cooked quinoa with other ingredients. Squeeze half a lemon and 1 teaspoon of oil. Add salt and pepper as needed