I love variety.
The prospect of having the same thing for lunch every day makes me shudder. Is that normal?
Regardless, I’m going to share one of my sneaky lunch tips to make you ‘brown baggers’ feel a little wild. Yee haw.
First, raid your fridge and your pantry and make a mental note of everything that could possibly go in a salad.
Next, choose a combination of ingredients you love and throw it all together! Tadaa!
Ok, here’s the scoop…
Do not feel obligated to cover your counter with all of your salad-friendly items. The above photo is for demo purposes only.
And no, I did not go ‘salad ingredient’ shopping – these are all items I would normally have in my kitchen. Don’t forget to include the option of pickled things, flavoured vinegars, nuts, beans, cheeses and fruit to add delicious variety.
Next, prep a few fresh items that tickle your fancy.
Love cukes, but don’t love the soft seedy part – so I cut it out.
How do you cut your peppers? I find this technique results in the least waste, but if you like to cut the top and bottom off first, I understand where you’re coming from – pretty, uniform pepper slices can be super fancy looking.
I only ended up using half a cuke and 1 pepper for the salads, but I prepped them all in advance for use later in the week.
This is what I decided on. And then I forgot the mushrooms and the cheese and added almonds and peperoncini peppers instead. I’m crazy like that.
The beauty is, you can make them in advance! I made 4 salads, meaning I’ll probably take 2 of them, and my hubs the other 2.
My protein is generally tuna, beans or cheese. Tofu, leftover meat or fish are other great options. What I love about these little oil packed tunas is you can transfer them in to a smaller container (drain about a Tbsp of oil off first though), add a Tbsp of vinegar, a 1/2 tsp of any mustard and you’ve got your dressing ready to go!
If tuna’s not your thing, pack your protein with the salad greens and try making your own dressing using our classic recipe.
This is a perfect opportunity to use up odds and ends in the fridge and to be brave by trying new flavour combinations. Serve your finished product alongside a fruit and yogurt combo for a well rounded lunch.
Now. Get ready for your custom salad to go beyond the ‘garden variety’. HA!
Erin
0
Leave a Reply