Healthy Portable Lunch Ideas

I really like to bring my lunch to work when ever I can.  Not only does it save money, but it also ensures that I eat a healthy and nutritious lunch.  (Not that eating out has to be unhealthy - more on that next week!)

Most frequently, I bring leftovers from dinner the night before. What I love about doing this is that it gives me something to look forward to in the middle of the day since I still have the memory of the tasty meal I had the night before. So when I am making dinner, I often will cook an extra serving so that I will have lunch to bring the next day.  For example...

This basil pesto salmon with quinoa pilaf, with an apple on the side.  I usually supplement my lunch some fresh fruit to help fill me up (without adding a lot of calories).  Plus, I enjoy having something sweet at the end of a meal. 

Slow cookers are great for cooking large batches of food to bring to lunch.  In the past, I have brought a tupperware of these yummy recipes to work with me....

Spicy Enchilada Chili

Albondigas Soup

Minestrone Soup

Tortilla Soup

Or other times, I will have a small piece of chicken or fish that I put on top of salad, like this chicken breast on top of this spinach salad with avocado and carrots.  (Pretty sure there are grape tomatoes in there somewhere too...)

But when I don't have leftovers available, I bring a lot of sandwiches...

Like this Tomato, Cheese, and Hummus on Whole Wheat Pita, with tomato slices on the side.  When I first saw this sandwich in The Supermarket Cookbook, I thought it was so weird.  But now it's one of my favorite sandwiches to bring to work! (By the way, you are also treated with a glimpse of my work keyboard  and mouse in the background there).

Smoked Salmon and cream cheese on whole wheat bread, with steamed broccoli on the side.  Okay, I cheated a little on this one - I made this for dinner one night when J. was in out of town for work.  But this could easily be packed into lunch. (Just bring some breath mints or chewing gum, if you don't want fishy breath for the rest of the afternoon).

So there you have it, my Healthy "Bring to Work" lunches.  Stay tuned for next week when I will show you my strategies for healthier take-out lunch options.