With virtual classes and midterm season in swing, I often find myself in a rush while making lunch and sticking to the same quick meals. I also find that when I don’t have time, I always end up eating something that is neither healthy nor nutritious. While I do recommend having some quick tried and tested lunch recipes for when you’re in a rush, it’s also important to try out new ideas and maybe create new staples that are healthier to replace some of your old ones.
When you’re in a hurry, having everything on hand and ready to go is a blessing. I recommend planning out your meals in advance, so you have all the ingredients you need for the week. Also, buying pre-cut vegetables or anything that is partially done is a great way to save time. Lastly, you’ve probably heard it before, but meal prepping makes everything so much easier. Sometimes it’s a lot to meal prep everything at once or several days in advance, so even prepping some of your meals the night before is helpful.
One thing I always keep in mind while making lunch is to make sure I’m eating some form of protein. As a vegan, I find that it’s easy to just skip protein in meals, but it’s an extremely important part of our diets, so it’s something I try to be conscious about. The recipes listed below all have some form of plant-based protein and are nutritious.
Here are some of my favorite lunch meals:
Pesto Pasta
The key to this recipe is prepping your pasta the night before. If you’re using lentil pasta (which I recommend for protein) you could skip early meal prep because lentils tend to take less time to cook. I usually use store bought pesto and add in any leftover veggies. It’s a fairly simple meal, but it always tastes amazing. I recommend Gotham Greens’ vegan pesto, but I’ve also heard good things about Trader Joe’s selection.
Vegan Burgers
I love using vegan frozen burger patties for lunch because they cook quickly and are filling. This recipe could take some time (depending on the patty), but you could always put them in the oven while doing something else because they’re pretty low maintenance. I normally quickly cut up a tomato and cucumber and throw it on top of a burger bun, add my condiments of choice and call it a day. I particularly love this recipe because it’s so customizable! Whenever I want to switch things up I just use a different patty and change the condiments.
Hummus Tray
One of my favorite quick lunches, especially when I’m not that hungry is cutting up some veggies and eating them with hummus. I usually cut up some cucumber and bell peppers, add in baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, and then add in my favorite crackers. This meal takes less than ten minutes to prepare, so it’s perfect for when you don’t have much time.
Recipe Ideas:
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Instant pot chili (another tip: using Instant pot recipes are a great way to save time!)
My Favorite Food Blogs for Vegan Recipes:
Since “healthy” feels like such a relative and often restrictive term, I wanted to clarify that these recipes are just ones that I consider “healthy.” The recipes above are just ideas and are in no means a guide or a diet plan. Honestly, I don’t have the time to eat like this often. I usually find myself making instant oatmeal or a quick PB&J for lunch. Basically what I’m trying to say is, eat whatever makes you happy and works for you!