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Taking your lunch to work saves you money, and when you start with fresh ingredients, you’ll enjoy a more healthful meal as well. With just a little organization and a few supplies― such as an insulated bag and serving-sized containers―your lunch box options will be invitingly inspired. Try these four tips to ensure brown bagging success every time.
1. Make dishes ahead when possible.Barley and Beef Soup, like many soups and stews, improves with time; make it the night before. Lemony Hummus, too, will grow better as its ingredients marry.
2. Keep it separate. To prevent soggy sandwiches, pack separate zip-top bags of tomato slices, lettuce, and bread, then assemble the sandwiches just before serving. Similarly, don’t dress leafy salads until you are ready to eat. Salt will draw moisture out of watery ingredients, so add items such as tomatoes and cucumbers to a grain salad at the last minute for the best results. However, some sandwiches, like Tuna Pan Bagnat, are meant to absorb some liquid from the filling, so can be assembled ahead of time.
3. Put leftovers to good use. Consider applying extras from dinner to the next day’s lunch. Slice leftover chicken or beef and serve it on top of pasta or salad greens, mix it into a grain salad (such as Tabbouleh with Chicken and Red Pepper), or make it into a sandwich. Chop extra grilled vegetables and add them to soups, salads, or sandwiches.
4. Stay safe. Keep cold food cold (below 40°) and hot food hot (above 140°) as it travels. Use insulated lunch bags, coolers, thermoses, ice bags, and frozen gel packs to help with temperature control. If reheating items in a microwave, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends they reach 165° and are served steaming hot.
Tabbouleh with Chicken and Red Pepper
Use rotisserie or leftover chicken for this dish, if you like. If you're making the mixture a few hours or more in advance, store the cucumber and tomato separately and add them close to serving time to keep the salad at its best. Serve with Lemony Hummus with Spicy Whole-Wheat Pita Chips for a flavorful, Middle East–themed light lunch.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked bulgur
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups diced plum tomato
3/4 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced English cucumber
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Combine bulgur and 1/2 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 15 minutes or until the bulgur is tender. Drain well; return bulgur to bowl. Cool.
2. Add tomato and remaining ingredients; toss well
Barley and Beef Soup
Make this soup the night before to allow time for its flavors to develop. Pour hot servings into a thermos to take for lunch, or reheat individual portions in the microwave as needed. Serve the soup with crusty bread, crackers, or Spicy Whole-Wheat Pita Chips.
Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)
Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
1 pound chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled carrot (about 4)
1 cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
5 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup no-salt-added tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
Preparation
1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chopped onion and beef to pan; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender and beef is browned, stirring occasionally. Add chopped carrot and chopped celery to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in barley and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until the barley is done and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves.
Tuna Pan Bagnat
A favorite in southern France, pan bagnat (pan ban-YAH) means "bathed bread." The bread in this sandwich is meant to absorb some liquid from the filling, so it's fine to assemble it entirely ahead of time. Serve with potato salad, pasta salad, or baked chips.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)
Ingredients
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped pitted niçoise olives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (6-ounce) can premium tuna, packed in oil, drained
1 hard-cooked large egg, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (8-ounce) whole-wheat French bread baguette
1 garlic clove, halved
1 cup thinly sliced plum tomato (about 1)
Preparation
1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine basil and oil; stir with a whisk. Cut bread in half horizontally. Hollow out top and bottom halves of bread, leaving a 1-inch-thick shell; reserve torn bread for another use. Rub cut sides of garlic clove over cut sides of bread; discard garlic. Drizzle basil mixture evenly over cut sides of bread. Spoon tuna mixture on bottom half of baguette. Arrange tomato slices over tuna mixture. Cover with top half of baguette. Wrap filled baguette in plastic wrap, and let stand for 20 minutes. Cut filled baguette into 4 (3-inch) equal portions.
Lemony Hummus with Spicy Whole-Wheat Pita Chips
This dish makes a wholesome accompaniment for sandwiches and salads. Keep extra pita chips stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
Yield
8 servings (serving size: 3 1/2 tablespoons hummus and 6 chips)
Ingredients
Hummus:
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
Chips:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 mini whole-wheat pitas, split in half horizontally
Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare hummus, combine first 8 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.
3. To prepare chips, combine 2 teaspoons cumin and next 3 ingredients (through red pepper). Cut each pita half into 4 wedges. Arrange pita wedges on a baking sheet. Lightly coat pita with cooking spray. Sprinkle cumin mixture evenly over pita. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until crisp. Serve with hummus.
Source: Cooking Light
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