Happy Monday everyone! Anyone else yearning for the 3-day weekend we had last week? I know I am, I feel like I never have enough time on the weekend. Now it’s even worse because we are finishing our house to move into the first week of August, needless to say I have zero time to waste and zero money to waste too.
One of my favorite things to do on Sunday (when I had the time) is have a long gym session, grocery shop and cook. It’s the day I can make fresh pasta, bake something or do some weekday lunch meal prepping. Even with my busy schedule, I am still able to meal prep, but that’s mostly thanks to summer time farmers markets. There are so many fresh fruits and vegetables available this time of year that you can’t go wrong with a raw lunch.
But if you want something substantial for the week that you can make ahead in bulk and eat at work all week, I have some recipes for you. These are all my favorite and most used recipes for lunch time. I’ll prep everything early in the week and portion them out so I have something for lunch everyday of the week.
The best part is they are all vegetarian with lots of nutrients and protein to keep you fueled through the day!
Kale Tahini Rice Bowl
For real though, this recipe is so good it makes me emotional. I think I have made this recipe the most out of all of them because it is so good! I pretty much wolf it down whenever I have it and I crave it pretty much always. I am not exaggerating guys, it’s so good! Everyone I have shared it with loves it too! When I make it ahead of time, I keep the carrots, kale and rice in on dish and then the sauce is a separate small container. When I eat it at lunch I heat up the rice and pour the sauce over it. I would talk about it more, but now I want it! The Viet Vegan, you really hit a homerun with this!
Copycat Farro Spinach Salad
You know the reason a lot of people don’t like salads for lunch? They don’t take the time to make is awesome. If you’re just adding dressing to plain lettuce, you are missing out. Add some shit in there and you will crave salads, trust me. This is a great example of a hearty salad that will keep you full until dinner time. I made this recipe after I tried something similar at a restaurant. It has farro, beans, tomatoes and spinach. It’s simple but also has much more to offer than your bag salad.
Quinoa Kale Patties
So these suckers are addictive. I like to make a giant batch of them on Sundays and eat them throughout the week. I double up on the garlic in the recipe so they have an extra kick. Even my boyfriend loves them and he detests kale.
For lunch I put them over salad, eat them warm with a yogurt dip or with marinara sauce over them. There are a lot of ways to serve them, even in a sandwich or over short pasta like ziti.
Quinoa Salad
When I have zero time to prep anything special, I will just make a few cups of quinoa and get creative during the week. Above is a simple quinoa recipe that you can eat as it is or add to salad.
One thing I like to do is make a simple quinoa salad and then add roasted summer time vegetables like squash and zucchini. You can also had steamed sweet potato chunks, broccoli or garbanzo beans and some soy sauce. You can really add anything to quinoa to make it your own.
Avocado, Tomato, Sprout Sandwich
This is the easiest sandwich you’ll ever make! My mom and I had this a few years ago at a vegan café in Atlanta and we have been making it ever since. It’s great to make ahead of time and you will love the taste. I like to use garlic vegan mayo for more flavor.
Enjoy the week everyone!
By Bianca