You’re at home all day. Now what? Instead of ordering takeout, try making a delicious, healthy meal at home using ingredients that you have in your fridge and pantry. It’s much more fun and rewarding than ordering food from a restaurant, and you’ll enjoy a healthy meal made from fresh ingredients instead of processed foods. Plus, it’s also a lot cheaper than ordering takeout.
We’ve gathered some of the best easy lunch recipes online, so you can enjoy a tasty meal this afternoon without making a trip to the grocery store. From hearty sandwiches to filling soups to light wraps, we’ve got everything you need to keep you feeling healthy and energized. Plus, taking a break to prepare lunch gives you time some to relax in the middle of the workday. Treat yourself to one of these healthy lunch recipes you can make at home.
7 Healthy Lunch Recipes You Can Enjoy at Home
1. Peanut Butter Crunch Sandwich
If you’ve been working from home all day, you probably want something a little satisfying than a peanut butter sandwich. This recipe takes the classic peanut butter sandwich and adds fresh apple slices for additional flavor and texture. At first glance, the thought of adding fruit to a peanut butter sandwich might sound a little strange. But as the website points out, we’ve all eaten fruit with peanut butter before. What’s the difference between that and adding fruit to a sandwich?
To make a peanut butter crunch sandwich, you’ll spread some peanut butter on two slices of bread, then add apple slices and drizzle honey on top. It’s a great way to get more fruit in your diet and spice up the traditional peanut butter sandwich.
2. Broccoli and Kale Green Soup
Looking to flex your skills in the kitchen? This broccoli and kale green soup is a little more complicated than some recipes, but it also has a much bigger payoff. This soup is hearty, delicious and packed with vitamins and minerals. Plus, it’s a delightful green color that even your kids will find appetizing. You’ll have to take some time to prepare this recipe, but you can make a large batch and enjoy it throughout the week. The spices also make this dish more palatable if you’re not a fan of vegetables.
Broccoli and kale green soup is bursting with healthy ingredients like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper, coconut milk and much more. You can garnish this soup with kale and coconut milk for an extra restaurant-quality touch.
3. The “Snacky Lunch”
Sometimes, you’re not sure what you want to have for lunch. Why not have a little of everything? The “snacky lunch” can contain cheese, meat, fruit, nuts, vegetables, hard-boiled eggs and anything else you feel like adding. It’s a great way to get a balanced diet and enjoy a variety of textures and flavors. Plus, it’s endlessly customizable. You can use ingredients that you have in your fridge or go to the store and experiment with new ingredients that you’ve never tried before.
To make a “snacky lunch”, just assemble some of your favorite healthy snacks. Popular ideas include grapes, salami, cheddar cheese, walnuts, pecans, hard-boiled eggs, crackers, broccoli, mini baguettes, pickles, dips and preserves. It’s basically a mini charcuterie board. Just remember that we’re talking about healthy snacks here–no chocolate bars or potato chips except for a small dessert.
4. Avocado Toast
This breakfast standby also makes a filling, nutritious lunch that can be customized in a variety of ways. If you want to stick with the basics, toast a slice of bread, add slices of avocado and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. But this dish is so simple that you can get a little creative. Try adding a poached egg or experimenting with different herbs and spices. You can even make an avocado spread for toast and sandwiches.
Some popular ways to customize avocado toast include chickpea paste, red onions, crab meat, marmite, chorizo, tomatoes, poached egg and much more. There are no rules with avocado toast, so you can customize this dish to your heart’s content. It’s also packed with nutrients, so you’ll get a burst of energy to help you make it through the rest of the day. Plus, it’s bright and colorful and just plain fun to eat!
5. Rainbow Veggie Hummus
This classic Middle Eastern dish has recently made a big splash in the United States. And once you’ve tried homemade hummus for the first time, you’ll find yourself wondering why you never heard of it before. It’s thick, creamy and packed with rich flavor that’s unlike anything else you’ve tried. It’s perfect for dipping, spreading on toast and adding to sandwiches. And best of all, it’s healthy, so you can sit down with a plate of chips and hummus without feeling guilty.
This rainbow veggie hummus recipe upgrades your homemade hummus by adding sauce, yogurt, garnishes and a delicious assortment of vibrant, hand-sliced vegetables. You can add raw vegetables like peas, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, celery and anything else you have lying around in your house. Add a drizzle of olive oil and you’ve got a delicious midday snack that you can share with the whole family.
6. Tuna Lettuce Wraps
Skip the carbs and treat yourself to a tasty wrap that’s made with lettuce instead of a tortilla. These tuna lettuce wraps are a light, healthy alternative to a sandwich loaded with greasy tuna salad. They only take a few minutes of preparation and store well in the fridge, so you can make this lunch ahead of time and enjoy it in the middle of the week. Plus, it’s a great way to get more raw vegetables in your diet.
To make tuna lettuce wraps, you’ll start by cooking tuna and making a fresh tuna salad with avocado instead of mayonnaise. Add the tuna salad to the lettuce and roll it up like a flour tortilla. The cold, crunchy lettuce and sweet tomatoes are the perfect complement to the savory tuna. And the avocado is so cool and creamy that you won’t even notice that this tuna salad was made without the traditional mayonnaise.
7. Pear and Cheese Sandwich
Pears and cream cheese might sound like an unusual combination. But once you’ve taken a bite out of this sandwich, you’ll realize that the sweetness of the pears and the savoriness of the cream cheese mingle together to create a decadent yet nutritious sandwich. It’s easy to prepare and only requires a few basic ingredients. The toasted nuts add a crunchy texture, and the sprouts help you get more vegetables in your diet. This sandwich looks so healthy and attractive that everyone in the house will be asking you to make one.
A pear and cheese sandwich starts with two slices of bread slathered in cream cheese. You’ll thinly slice pears and layer them over the bread, then add toasted walnuts and your favorite sprouts. It’s hearty and filling, but won’t make you feel bloated or weighed down. Instead, you’ll feel energized and ready to tackle the rest of the day.
