UPF-Free Lunches

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I’ve been mindful of UPFs for a long time but have never been particularly strict if I wanted something, but I’m determined to eat well and exercise this summer.

I’m struggling for easy, quick lunches though. I’m cutting simple carbs out for August because I eat far too much bread, albeit trying to buy UPF free.

Currently I’m having scrambled eggs with avocado or omelette for lunch but I’m bored. I cook properly each evening but really want easy, quick meals for lunch.

Any inspiration?

I did a low carb diet a while back. Not specifically UPF free, so these suggestions might not be suitable. Do you WFH or need to take food to the workplace? I had a wide mouthed thermos which was very handy.

• Lettuce leaves can be used as bread/wrap alternative in things like sang choy bow
• Very thinly cooked eggs can also made an alternative wrap
• Chicken thighs cooked in a coating of herbs/spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, celery salt and pepper
• Ground almonds are a good substitute for bread crumbs
• Home made Coleslaw and mayonnaise
• Home made Falafel and houmous

I'm not sure about carb content but garlic lemon butter beans take 15 mins. Spring onions, garlic, tomatoes, butter beans, parsley and any other herbs, two lemons. I have hunk of home made bread!

Cold Lentils. Roast parsnip and carrot, stilton, walnuts, rocket.

I bake frittata with cold veg from Sunday lunch. Maybe a few potatoes, carrot, beetroot, parsnip.

Egg salad of boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, gerkins, spring onion, lots of dill, mayo, cress on what ever you want. I have a sarnie. DH maybe wrap in iceberg.

Pasta salad but very small amount of pasta with broad beans, edamame, kidney beans, olives, gerkins, tomatoes, radish, cress, jarred roasted tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, pesto or salad cream or mayo.

I cook properly each evening but really want easy, quick meals for lunch

Well, to quote JBJ, you’re half way there…(woahhh), ahem. Why not just do what my dd currently does for work lunches, cook double the night before and have the left overs for lunch? As long as you’ve got enough variety in the evening meals that you do cook then that’s all good.

We do triple cook too. Meal, lunch, freezer.

Any and all salad bowls with variety of protein.

Tomato and mozzarella. Sometimes with added avo, sometimes with beetroot. Sometimes with prosciutto shredded on top.

Iight do other leaf salad bases, with chicken bits on top, or prawns.

Good old fashioned prawn cocktail.

Salmon is a nice addition to any salad too.

Leaf based salad with pancetta and fried egg on top. Delicious!

I know pork based products are frowned upon, but you only need a small amount, and they greatly add texture and flavour.

I have tinned tuna with some sort of salad or an avocado. Leftovers from dinner. Smoked mackerel some days. Today I had HM burgers with some cheese melted on with iceberg lettuce and tomatoes (leftovers).
Ryvita is not upf so sometimes have a slice of that

Cold rice salads are tasty and you can vary the flavour a lot with. Add herbamare and or chilli flakes to the water while cooking for a savoury flavour or add a vinaigrette dressing to the finished product. Add beans, sweetcorn, chopped onion, peppers......

I can think of lots of things:

Mixed bean salad with lots of fresh herbs
Mexican style sweetcorn salad
Crudités & homemade hummus
Homemade egg fried rice
Leftover ratatouille
Little pot of olives, gherkins or kimchi

Thinking about it - leftovers are probably the easiest thing to pack for lunch, if you can make the effort to make a healthy dinner the night before and keep some aside

Lentil and beetroot salad- boiled green lentils, chopped cooked beetroot and chopped spring or red onions, olive oil and lemon. That's nice with feta on top. Or maybe grilled halloumi?

If you're cooking for dinner, can you make extra for lunch next day? if you eat fish, the hot smoked salmon / mackerel are good, with some salad or potato salad.

I like a massive salad. I make pickled onions in live apple cider vinegar and keep them in the fridge, I roast peppers and keep them in olive oil in the fridge, I'm obsessed with lambs lettuce at the moment, loads of tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, either tinned fish in olive oil (Waitrose and M&S) or grilled chicken.

I do have to be careful as I am counting cals at the moment. Try to keep it less than 400cals.

I also eat Waitrose 90% chocolate for a treat after lunch, it only has 3ingredients so I'm counting that as non UPF!

I do like eating eggs too but they make me feel sick if I eat them day after day.

Sometimes I'll roast salmon one night and keep half for the next day. I buy a half side of salmon too, I find it goes further.

Most of these are good. You can choose to swap the oil or the wraps and use full fat yoghurt if you want.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/healthy-packed-lunch-recipes

Thai style pork meatballs are good too- lean pork mince, garlic, chilli, coriander, fish sauce, grated ginger and an egg. Thai basil if you can find it, if not then normal basil. Fried or oven cooked, served with white rice and steamed Pak choi or tenderstem.