Please give me some easy lunch ideas

[Nattyandcatty]

Lunch is my worst meal of the day, I never ever know what to have. I never fancy something big, and I don’t fancy anything warm. I need inspiration of quick easy lunches please! I am vegetarian but if you have any suggestions that include meat, I can always find a substitute for it. What do other people have? I’m sick of just eating toast, a packet of crisp and some strawberries for my lunch!

it often worth putting a little effort into a basic buttie

so cheese tomato and pickle is way more appealing than just cheese

we often have some home made humus which is nice with toast and a few carrot &pepper sticks

or cream cheese and seeds

egg mayo not straight egg

halomi burgers and cheese on toast are hot but surely appealing !

What limitations do you have? Are you eating at work or at home? If at work, do you have food prep facilities?

The best thing to do in all honesty is probably take a look around a supermarket- maybe a different one to the one you usually shop in, so you dont just end up buying the same stuff you usually do

But...

Sandwiches (mix it up with wraps/bagels etc.)
Quiche
Pasta/rice/couscous cous salads
Cereal/granola with yoghurt/fruit

What do you actually enjoy?

I usually just have a plate with sliced apple, chunks of cheese, grapes, crusty bread, cucumber just what ever is in the fridge really. Or I like a egg mayo salad or smoked salmon salad. Watermelon with some cubes of feta and normal melon with parma ham. Cheese toastes, soup, fruit with greek yoghurt.

My favourite is watermelon, halloumi and some crispy pitta,maybe some naice ham.

Wraps, pasta salads,jacket potoes,soups

We eat a lot of big salads at lunchtime.

Yesterday…mixed leaves (the kind with the more crunchy bitter leaves are our preferrence, topped with lentils, diced courgettes and chopped spring onions, chopped cooked beetroot (not the pickled kind) and cheese that has fenugreek seeds in it. The cheese was meant to be feta but I had the other stuff in the house so in it went. Simple dressing of olive oil and lemon.

Today…endives with pear, blue cheese, walnuts and rocket, again lemon and olive oil dressing.

If I’m going to be short on time I’d roast a tray of veggies the night before and then mix with pulses like puy lentils or chick peas and a dressing when I was making the lunch. Veggies like courgettes, aubergines and peppers with garlic, oregano or thyme, or sweet potato and cauliflower with curry spices…or whatever you fancy. You could mix the roast veggies with cold cooked pasta, or couscous (mega easy as you just have to stick equal volumes of couscous and boiling water in a bowl, cover and leave to swell up). All these carry well if you need a packed lunch. Loads of flavour combinations and easy to do.

Sometimes nothing beats just some Longley Farm cottage cheese…with a salad or crudités but even just a drizzle of honey and a spoon!