Fried Rice

Can be vegan or vegetarian & is gluten free!

This is the best clean-out-your-fridge lunch. I highly recommend buying frozen, pre-cooked rice to have on hand!

Cook two eggs, or a few pieces of tofu to start. I like to pan fry these with a little avocado oil, salt and pepper. Then, find vegetables you want to use up. I usually opt for frozen broccoli and peas, but anything goes! Cook these in the same pan until soft, and then — add frozen rice! Cook until warm.

Add a few dashes of tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce), garlic powder, and sriracha if you have it.

Chia Pudding

For those sweet cravings

Lots of days, I swap breakfast and lunch and have a smoothie or pudding in place of a savory lunch. Chia pudding is a great base for flavorful, healthy, toppings that pack a nutritious punch.

To make - the following together:

2tbsp chia seeds

1 c almond milk

1-2tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Let this sit in the fridge for 15 minutes — to overnight, if you make ahead. Top with fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, protein powder, granola, or chocolate chips. Or all of it ☺️

Mix Up Bowl

For the days you just need to put some things together

A key for me to having a healthy lunch option, is to have a few things ready for me to grab from. I never meal prep entire meals - it’s just not for me. But I do like to have a component or two ready for a meal or a snack. In this case - that component is the chickpeas, though you can do these day of!

You’ll first want to roast chickpeas with a little avocado oil and spices or herbs until a bit crispy. Use whatever you like — even if it’s just garlic and onion powder and salt!

To get some greens in - find what’s going on in your fridge and sauté that with a little apple cider vinegar. Kale, spinach, etc! If you have any leftover veggies you can heat up or roast if raw, the more the merrier.

I also like to have a grain/pseudo-grain like quinoa or rice. The frozen, pre-cooked options are easiest for me! Heat some of this up.

The finale here is a dressing. This is the second component I like to have ready for the week. I’ll either go vinaigrette or creamy. Here is one of my favorite options - a Dijon vinaigrette; just blend all of this together and store in a mason jar in the fridge.

½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

½ tbsp coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup