Lunch is a tricky meal because there is rarely enough time in our busy schedules to go home and make a nice lunch, but at the same time it gets boring eating at Hemo’s or sweetgreen every day. If you can find quick and easy recipes that you love, it makes lunch time that much more enjoyable—and cheap!
One of my personal favorites and a staple in my diet is a spin off an orzo salad. People are sometimes unsure of what to do with orzo, but this salad is both healthy and different. You can make this delicious salad in less than 30 minutes on a Sunday night and pack it up to bring to class throughout the week.
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These are the ingredients I like best, but you can mix in your own veggies and protein as you please. Lean canned chicken and chickpeas make great, high-protein additions. Hearts of palm and olives also add great, salty flavor.
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Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked orzo
1 small container of cherry tomatoes
½ red onion
½ cucumber
3-4 oz of feta cheese (a great alternative is goat cheese)
Add parsley, salt and pepper, and red wine vinegar to taste
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Looking to stay healthy despite the tempting holiday cookies coming your way? Try our 5 Tips for Staying Fit this Winter
The recipe from here is easy. Follow the directions on the orzo container to cook the pasta (it usually takes 10-15 minutes). While this is cooking, chop up the tomatoes, red onion, parsley, and cucumber and place them into a bowl. Drain the pasta and let it cool for approximately 10 minutes before adding the orzo into the vegetable mixture. Next, add the feta cheese to your salad. Finally, add the vinegar, salt, and pepper as you please.
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When I made this for the first time, my roommates all loved it and saw how easy, yummy, and healthy it was, all at the same time. Get ready to start loving lunch!