Last week we shared terrific snack recipes. Today, we wanted to focus on larger meals. So many people claim breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Most of us get the majority of our calories from dinner. Lunch gets overlooked. The midday meal is often disappointing, or people graze on snacks instead of sitting down to eat.
To reclaim lunchtime as a real meal, we are sharing four delicious recipes to help you make the most of your noon meal without spending much time on it!
Ever since the late ‘80s, kids have been enjoying Lunchables. They are essentially a cheese and charcuterie board for children! It doesn’t seem quite fair that kids get to eat an on-the-go cheeseboard! But, with a little meal prepping, you can too and with more adult, lower-carb components. While the photos show a container with dividers, we wouldn’t worry about it: you’re not serving it to a child, so it doesn’t matter if the foods touch! A serving has 384 calories, two grams of carbs, one gram of fiber and 34 grams of fat. Get the recipe.
Both tuna salad and egg salad can be a bit divisive. They are salads people love or hate. So, combining them and adding olives will have some strong responses one way or the other. Some people will love this and swear it’s the best salad ever; others will claim it’s a crime to suggest making it. We understand. But, when you’re watching your weight, strong flavors can make mealtimes more enjoyable and satisfying. Plus, this dish is packed with protein! It’s the perfect filling for a lettuce wrap. A serving has 220 calories, 2.9 grams of carbs, one gram of fiber and 9.5 grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
So many health and wellness sites will pretend that fast food tastes bad on top of being unhealthy. Fast food is almost universally unhealthy, and it’s not fine dining. But there is no denying that Big Macs are tasty. We’re not going to pretend otherwise. That’s why we love copycat recipes for unhealthy foods that bring them in line with our health goals! This salad keeps the flavor profile of the Big Mac. But, it uses extra lean beef or turkey to cut out fat and calories, leaves out the bun, increases the topping vegetables and uses lighter ingredients to make the Big Mac sauce gentler on blood sugar. A serving has 186 calories, four grams of carbs and six grams of fat. Get the recipe.
This chicken salad is perfect for when you have some leftover chicken or when the rotisserie chicken in the supermarket calls your name with its delectable smell. Shred three cups of the meat without the skin and toss it in homemade barbecue spices. Add it to a salad dressed with a creamy, tangy dressing, and you have a perfect summer lunch. The recipe calls for a teaspoon of brown sugar. While this recipe isn’t high in carbs, that adds almost one gram of carbs per serving. You may want to swap it for a noncaloric sweetener of your choice. As it’s written, a serving has 290 calories, 13 grams of carbs, four grams of fiber and 12 grams of fat. Get the recipe.
With these four recipes, you are going to want to have plenty of Tupperware on hand! They are excellent options that are fast to create or can be made ahead. You’ll be happy you made them and are making lunch a priority again!
