Stuck on what to make for lunch? You are not alone!!

I recently put up a poll on my Instagram story asking which meal you find the hardest - and lunch was by FAR the topic pick.

Not enough time to make anything. Nothing prepared. Stuck on ideas for what to even have…

I’ve got your back with my favourite easy and quick, but also healthy, energising and filling, lunch ideas that will make your day THAT much better, and keep you feeling energised and focused for the afternoon. Let’s go!!

Leftovers from dinner.

Why cook for one meal, when you can cook for two at once? It takes zero extra effort to cook enough for dinner so there’s leftovers to have for lunch the next day.

Whether it’s a stir fry with rice, curry, pasta…if it made a great dinner, it’ll make a just as great lunch!

You can either eat it cold as is, or reheat in an oven or microwave. I also love ‘up-cycling’ leftovers to use in Nourish bowls, by adding some extra fresh ingredients to it - for example, use leftover bean chilli and rice to make a burrito bowl with added spinach, corn, salsa and guacamole. Easy as!

2. Wrap or sandwich.

Quite possibly the most underrated lunch of them all. So easy, quick and delicious. And doesn’t have to be boring and lacking in nutrients at ALL. Forget the old sliced ham and cheese…use this formula to make a filling and super yum wrap or sandwich:

Step 1: Choose a bread or wrap. I recommend going for a high fibre, whole grain option which will keep you fuller for longer and provide more nutrients too.

Step 2: Choose a protein filling! This could be marinated tofu or tempeh slices, a bean burger patty, falafel, mashed chickpeas (or chickpeas!) or other protein of your choice.

Step 3: Add your salad! Aim for at least 3 different colours for both nutrient variety and flavour factor - lettuce, baby spinach, rocket, sliced cucumber, tomato, grated carrot, onion, beetroot…

Step 4: Now pick a spread/sauce for flavour and some healthy fats! I’m a big fan of sliced or mashed avocado, pesto, hummus, tahini and dairy cheese or cream cheese.

Bonus step 5: Jazz it up, if you like with some extras, such as sweet chilli or tomato sauce, pickles, mustard or by toasting it. YUM!

A few of my personal favourites are:

Wrap with falafel, hummus and lettuce or spinach, tomato, cucumber and red onion.
Sandwich with chickpea tuna, lettuce, cucumber and avocado.
Sandwich with my vegan deli slices and grated carrot and beetroot, tomato, lettuce, pickles, mustard and avocado.
Sandwich with tofu ‘egg salad’ and lettuce (you can find this recipe in my Self Made Ebook).
Wrap with satay marinated tofu, hummus, lettuce, carrot, cucumber and sprouts.

3. ‘Nourish bowl’

The most versatile meal you will ever come across - the only limit is your imagination (and what you have in your fridge!). A nourish bowl is a throw together, mix and match of what you have on hand to make a delicious, flavoursome and very wholesome lunch bowl. I also love batch prepping some ‘base’ ingredients each week to have in the fridge and throwing together bowls like this in next to no time!

To make a nourish bowl, be sure to include on of each of the following:

Complex carbs: Quinoa, rice, couscous, barley, buckwheat, pita chips, roasted sweet potato or potato, noodles…

Protein: Tofu or tempeh, falafel, veggie burger, chickpeas, beans or lentils, edamame beans, other protein of choice, or leftovers of a protein containing dish, such as refried beans or bean chilli, lentil Dahl, chickpea tuna…

Healthy Fats: Sliced avocado or guacamole, hummus, pesto, a sprinkle of toasted nuts or seeds, cashew cream cheese or other dairy free cheese, a creamy tahini or satay dressing (I have lots of amazing easy dip + dressing and nut based cheese recipes in my Self Made Ebook which are perfect for this!)…

Colourful veggies: The more colour and variety the better! I love doing a mix of fresh or raw veggies and cooked ones - especially roasted or air fried, as well as always a big handful of greens, like baby spinach, kale or rocket. Then think shredded cabbage and carrot, roasted pumpkin or zucchini, air fried broccoli, canned beetroot, corn, tomato red onion salsa…

Extra flavour: Don’t forget this part! Add flavour with a delicious dressing (if you haven’t already added one in the healthy fats step!) or good drizzle of balsamic vinegar, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, black pepper, fresh herbs or dried herb mix, nutritional yeast, a dollop of your favourite dip, some sauerkraut…get creative!!

Some bowl combos I love:

Burrito bowl with brown rice, leftover bean chilli or refried beans, guacamole, corn, spinach and tomato, red onion and coriander salsa.
‘Poke bowl’ with rice, marinated tofu, edamame beans, red cabbage, carrot, cucumber, pickled ginger and avocado.
Falafel bowl with a couscous or millet tabouleh, falafel, tomato, cucumber, spinach, hummus and pickled red onion.
Burger bowl with a veggie/bean burger patty, either a grain of choice or roasted sweet potato chunks, a handful of greens, tomato, carrot, pickles and hummus or avocado.

I hope this post was helpful and gave you some lunch time inspiration - and don’t forget to follow along on Instagram where I often post my lunches to hopefully get some more ideas!