What's your favourite healthy lunch?

[Bemyclementine]

I really need to get to grips with my terrible eating. I really struggle to be moderate- I'm either doing sone ridiculous low cal diet or eating all the pies.

It occurred to me earlier when thinking of what I could have that was "nice" I was focusing on sweet stuff, when in fact I do enjoy tasty healthy food.

So - what are you go to healthy lunches? Doesn't have to be a lettuce leaf and half a tomato, but preferably not 3 slices of cheese on toast either.

Poke bowls

Lettuce, tomatoes, red pepper, any other veg that fall out the fridge, reduced fat hummus and a couple of falafel.

Homemade soup (in soup maker), hummus, wholemeal pitta

Scrambled eggs, mashed avocado on one slice of granary toast

At this time of year, tuna and sweetcorn with greek yogurt and loads of black pepper, in a wholemeal pitta or baked sweet potato

I often eat leftover dinner from the night before for lunch

Tandoori chicken salad.
Chop a chicken breast and marinate in natural yoghurt and tandoori paste (homemade or shop bought paste). Leave in marinade for a few hours or over night, then place on baking tray, sprinkle over some Nigella seeds, put in the oven to cook.

Put together some lettuce, with a few pea shoots, finely diced red onion, cucumber, celery and chopped apple.

Make a simple dressing of natural yoghurt with a little garlic, a teaspoon of smooth mango chutney and plenty of freshly chopped mint.

If I have them available I toasted off a few mixed seeds and sprinkle over the top for extra crunch

Salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, lots of parsley, red onion, feta, a drizzle of really syrupy balsamic and some black pepper. Sometimes I add some chopped sundries tomatoes or marinated garlic. I'm on a diet at the moment and eat this or a variation most days. It's good enough that I will probably continue to eat it when I'm finally off my diet and trying to eat just in moderation.

@SausageinaBun can you recommend a really syrupy balsamic ? I always end up with watery ones.

I do love a nice salad and in this weather especially!

I buy a ready made salad - like the super nutty Asian ones - or a Caesar salad. Then I add some sort of protein like salmon. I try and resist adding a nice hunk of bread but am not always successful!

Ham or tuna salads (rocket, beetroot, spring onion, tomato, cucumber) with some seeds and a tiny bit of blue cheese sprinkled on the top.

I have one that's not super healthy but really fills you up for the afternoon. You get two old el paso stand and stuff tortillas, beat two eggs, add salt and pepper, pour them in, get a bit of grated cheese and throw it on top. Bake in the oven till the egg puffs up.

Simple, really delicious and filling for the whole afternoon.

Not unhealthy, not super healthy though.

Today was kidney bean and tomato curry with cucumber, radishes and celery in yoghurt.

Do you need sushi grade fish and where do you buy it from please?

That tandoori chicken salad sounds delicious, @AtleastitsnotMonday , I will have to give it a try.

I like pasta with chili, garlic, sardines, lemon and parsley. Or lentil soup, or chickpea curry with lentil flatbread. Otherwise I'll make tuna mayo (I use foraging fox mayo as I don't think it's ultraprocessed) and have it with pickled gherkins and a bunch of snacking vegetables (carrot, baby cucumbers pickled beetroot, etc).

Half a pack of halloumi,,sliced and fried in just a film of oil, an apple (cut into eighths to look nice on the plate 🙂) plus whatever salad is in the fridge.

Hot and spicy noodle soup, you can buy a tom yom soup base from the supermarket, mix with water add low carb/protein/whole grain/gf noodles add your protein and loads of veggies. It always feels extra and not at all healthy eating.

Summer rolls - chopped veggies, herbs, prawn or chicken wrapped in rice paper wraps. Dip in a peanut sauce.

I like an egg, a handful of chicken, a small sweet potato, handful of spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, radishes, celery (basically, whatever I have in salad wise). Then I'll put in a couple of pickled beetroot, or jalapeños, or sauerkraut and the vinegar from those kind of acts like a sauce.

We get Belazu balsamic vinegar. It's expensive, but lasts ages.

Greek salad

I love a burrito bowl. I usually do brown rice, sugar snap peas, guacamole and black bean salsa (black beans, tomatoes, coriander, lime juice, chilli). Can add chicken if you want some meat

Greek salad. Some of the low fat feta is OK. Or full fat if that works for you.

Asian salad with tofu is another fave too.

I like a warm salad, get a mix of green beans, asparagus, sugar snap peas, baby corn and mushrooms. Steam in the microwave for 3 mins. Knob of real butter, lots of seasoning and then either a boiled egg chopped up or some torn up wafer thin ham/chicken mixed through.
Only around 200/250 calories but nice and filling because you can have loads of veg.

An omelette with anything I can find in the fridge thrown in (favourites are cheese, ham, mushrooms, courgette, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, peppers). Sometimes I serve it with a chilli and garlic sauce.
I also like a cheeseburger salad bowl. 3% fat burgers from M&S x 2, Eat Lean cheddar, lots of leaves of your choice, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, ketchup and yellow mustard.
I have to high a high protein low carb lunch or I'm flagging by 3:30pm and reaching for the snacks.

I do them with canned tuna (John West one in a red tin with chilli and garlic), cooked prawns and crab sticks

Bulgar wheat with veg.

Basically just cook the bulgar wheat with a stock cube, then whilst it is cooking, stir-fry some veg (eg chopped pepper, courgette, tomatoes, carrot, broccoli). Then just mix it all together!

I usually do enough for two portions, then just heat it up in the microwave the next day (add a couple of tablespoons of water and mix it in to the bulgar wheat first).

And just a nice salad with a mix of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice. I like rocket, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, sweetcorn, avocado and beetroot with feta and a side pitta bread.

Jacket potato with tuna, cottage cheese, home-made low fat coleslaw