Lunch Recipes

• A simple salad of easy, pre-washed, bagged greens with a flavorful, colorful mix of fresh veggies, fruits, nuts and cold chicken, turkey or any protein is a perfect lunch. Top with quinoa, beans, chickpeas or lentils. A lunch salad is a way to use up whatever’s left in the fridge or on the counter, in the healthiest way possible! Add healthy bread to make a convenient sandwich.

• Reheat dinner leftovers. Be sure to freeze any leftovers you won't eat within 2 days to avoid accumulation of mold and histamine.

• Make a healthy twist on classic tuna or chicken salad (recipes provided) to eat for the next few days ahead. Use healthy bread to make a convenient sandwich, perhaps with Applegate Farms organic or natural deli meats that are made in-house at better grocery stores.

• Some good brand of veggie burgers are Hilary's and Amy’s Organics. Eat a veggie burger with a slice of tomato, some lettuce and avocado.

• EVOL (that’s LOVE spelled backwards!) and Amy’s Organics frozen burritos and wraps can be handy for work lunches to heat up rapidly.

• Many more healthy, easy foods are being developed by creative cooks everyday! I'll keep this page update with favorite finds for convenient meals on the go.

Green Salad with Protein

Makes 1-2 servings

About 4-6 ounces breast of cooked chicken, turkey, steak or salmon

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups spinach or lettuce mix

1/2 red pepper, diced plus any other vegetables you like

1/2 avocado

2 tablespoons olive or other clean oil

1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

Italian herbs to taste and flavor the dressing

For healthy salad croutons that add a satisfying crunch, break apart Mary’s Gone Crackers, which are naturally gluten-free because they are made with super nutritious seeds. These are usually found at health food stores

Basic Salad Dressing

Makes 1 cup, keeps the fridge for up to 2 weeks

3/4 cup olive extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of any: lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, red wine or balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Add flavors to taste, try one at a time and see what you like and might combine:

zest of 1 lemon or orange

splash of orange juice

mustard powder

Italian herbs or dill

paprika or cayenne

onion or garlic powder

capers or chopped olives

Lemon Tuna Salad

Makes 1 serving, easy to double or triple, store multiple servings in the fridge

1 can tuna - when possible look for BPA free or wild-caught. 

Skipjack tuna are smaller then albacore tuna fish and therefore accumulate less mercury

1 stalk celery, finely cut

juice of 1/2 lemon 

2 tablespoons natural mayonnaise - Sir Kensington is a brand that tastes really good

Greek yogurt can also work, I like coconut yogurt too

1 hard-boiled egg, diced

Add to taste:

sea salt, ideally pink Himalayan or gray Celtic

sea salt has the same mineral composition as human blood and is very good for us, it’s different than table salt which is just sodium and chloride, which tastes like the chlorine in swimming pool

capers 

black pepper

paprika 

honey, just a little for flavor

plenty of dried dill

You can also make this with canned chicken or salmon. Serve this over lettuce or spinach leaves dressed with a lemon juice and olive oil or vinaigrette dressing. (See next page.) 

“Foodie” Chicken Salad

Makes 2-3 servings, easy to double

8 oz cooked chicken breast, diced into 1-inch cubes

3 cups fresh watercress, washed and separated, thick stems removed

5 red radishes, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium pear or apple, skin on, cored and diced

1/3 cup walnuts 

1 tablespoon dried tarragon

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional, or try nutmeg or even cinnamon)

1 tablespoon walnut oil (olive oil is fine but walnut oil will taste more interesting)

You can also make a sandwich using high quality, natural breads that are free of artificial preservatives. Some excellent breads include:

Ezekiel Bread: Found on the shelf and/or the freezer section, these are made of sprouted grains that are easier to digest than non-spouted. It is not gluten-free but sprouted gluten is better than not. 

Canyon Bakehouse: My favorite brand of gluten-free bread. It’s yummy, especially the multigrain.

Udi’s: Another popular gluten-free brand.

Want to learn more about the nutritional value in these recipes?