Sick of sandwiches? Spring into September with these fresh ideas on the classic packed lunch.
Bento Boxes Lunch Box
These days you can buy bento-box-style lunch boxes in any supermarket, but a regular Tupperware box with unused paper cake cases works just as well.
As with a Japanese bento box, the idea is to have lots of little bites that make up a packed lunch idea for kids and adults. Cooked chicken or fish with a portion of rice along with vegetables such as sliced cucumber or edamame, finished off with some chopped kiwi or orange slices, is an example of what you might find in a typical serving.
Mason Jar Salads Lunch Idea
Is there anything mason jars can’t be used for? An excellent way to ensure your salad doesn’t get horribly soggy, this layering method is not only an efficient way to transport such a meal, it also looks pretty cool.
Start at the bottom with your dressing, layer two is for hearty ingredients (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas), protein is layer three (grilled chicken, beans, or quinoa) layer four is leafy greens (spinach, kale, or lettuce) and, to top it off, nuts or seeds for crunch (almonds, sunflower seeds). Delicious!
Pasta Salads Lunchables
Transform your leftover dinner pasta into a delicious and healthy lunch salad.
For an Italian-style salad mix whole wheat pasta, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, basil, and a light vinaigrette. Or, for a Greek twist, combine orzo, olives, feta cheese, diced cucumbers, red onion, and a lemon and olive oil dressing, for a surprisingly simple and tasty salad.
Mini Frittatas Lunchbox Recipe
If you like mini frittatas and getting caught in the rain… or if you just fancy something a bit different for lunch, these omelette-esque snacks are ideal for a healthy lunch.
Combine eggs and milk with your preferred ingredients – either spinach, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and cheese or bacon, sausage, and cheese – and bake in a nonstick muffin pan until set.
Noodles, Two Ways Packed Lunch Ideas
Surprisingly, cold noodles make a tasty and satisfying sandwich alternative.
For a Thai noodle salad, combine rice noodles, shredded carrots, peppers, coriander and a spicy peanut dressing.
For sesame noodles, mix soba noodles, edamame, julienned cucumbers, and a sesame-ginger dressing.
Or if you’re feeling really fancy, have a go at making rice paper rolls. Either Vietnamese spring rolls – rice paper, prawn or tofu, vermicelli noodles, lettuce, mint and coriander served with a hoisin-peanut sauce; or veggie rolls – rice paper, julienned veggies (carrots, bell peppers, cucumber) and avocado with a soy-ginger dipping sauce.
Read This Magazine participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
