Nourish
1 HOUR OF PREP ON SUNDAY = HEALTHY LUNCHES ALL WEEK
The week begins, and you’re full of ambition: You will make a healthy lunch to bring to work every day. Monday, you nail it. Tuesday, you cobble together a passable meal from what you have on hand. Wednesday, you open your fridge, feel zero inspiration, and buy your lunch. Thursday and Friday you don’t even try.
Sound familiar? For many of us, prepping and assembling a healthy lunch five mornings a week simply isn’t doable. But the alternative—buying lunch every day—is expensive and often not so healthy.
We turned to healthy-food whiz Lauren Chandler for help, and we are obsessed with her solution: spend ONE hour prepping on Sunday, and you’ll have healthy lunches at the ready all week long.
Here’s Lauren’s so-simple breakdown, including a list of ingredients, a 3-step prep guide, and your menu for the week. (NOTE: You’ll likely already have at least some of the shopping-list items in your pantry, so be sure to check before you head to the store)
YOUR INGREDIENTS
6-8 cups mixed salad greens
1 large avocado
2 large sweet potatoes
1/2 dozen eggs
Za’atar
sweet smoked paprika
3/4 cup Kalamata olives
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 small red onion
1 bunch parsley
1 small shallot
2 lemons
5 portions of fruit, optional
1-2 packets or cans of tuna, salmon, sardines, or chicken
1 can chickpeas, black beans, lentils or other legumes
1/2 cup of your favorite nuts and/or seeds, toasted optional
Balsamic vinegar
1 cup dry quinoa
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 ts. honey
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
YOUR SUNDAY PREP
STEP 1: Get going on the tasks that require heat, and prepare the raw ingredients while you’re waiting for the cooking to be complete.
- Bake 2 large sweet potatoes:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Prick the skin of the sweet potatoes with a fork 5-6 times, place on the baking sheet and cook until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Once cool, slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and store in the refrigerator.
- Cook 1 cup of dry quinoa:
Rinse the quinoa in a sieve, then transfer to a medium pot over medium heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the quinoa is dry and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes, then add 1 ¾ cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
STEP 2: Slice and dice the cucumber, tomatoes, olives, onion, parsley.
STEP 3: Make the dressing by following step 2 of this recipe.
YOUR (EASY, DELICIOUS) LUNCHES ALL WEEK
M O N D A Y
1/2 sweet potato topped with Mediterranean salad ingredients, generous handful of salad greens, 1/2 cup legumes, sprinkle of nuts/seeds
T U E S D A Y
Quinoa with Mediterranean salad ingredients, generous handful of salad greens, 1/2 sweet potato roughly chopped, and tuna, salmon, sardines or chicken, sprinkle of nuts/seeds, tossed together with sweet smoked paprika.
W E D N E S D A Y
Mediterranean salad ingredients, generous handful of salad greens + 1 – 2 chopped eggs, sprinkle of nuts/seeds, tossed together with za’atar, served on top of ½ sweet potato.
T H U R S D A Y
Quinoa with Mediterranean salad ingredients, generous handful of salad greens, 1/2 avocado roughly chopped, and 1/2 cup legumes
F R I D A Y
Quinoa topped with generous handful of salad greens, 1-2 chopped eggs, 1/2 avocado, drizzle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
The week begins, and you’re full of ambition: You will make a healthy lunch to bring to work every day. Monday, you nail it. Tuesday, you cobble together a passable meal from what you have on hand. Wednesday, you open your fridge, feel zero inspiration, and buy your lunch. Thursday and Friday you don’t even try.
Sound familiar? For many of us, prepping and assembling a healthy lunch five mornings a week simply isn’t doable. But the alternative—buying lunch every day—is expensive and often not so healthy.
We turned to healthy-food whiz Lauren Chandler for help, and we are obsessed with her solution: spend ONE hour prepping on Sunday, and you’ll have healthy lunches at the ready all week long.
Here’s Lauren’s so-simple breakdown, including a list of ingredients, a 3-step prep guide, and your menu for the week. (NOTE: You’ll likely already have at least some of the shopping-list items in your pantry, so be sure to check before you head to the store)
YOUR INGREDIENTS
6-8 cups mixed salad greens
1 large avocado
2 large sweet potatoes
1/2 dozen eggs
Za’atar
sweet smoked paprika
3/4 cup Kalamata olives
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 small red onion
1 bunch parsley
1 small shallot
2 lemons
5 portions of fruit, optional
1-2 packets or cans of tuna, salmon, sardines, or chicken
1 can chickpeas, black beans, lentils or other legumes
1/2 cup of your favorite nuts and/or seeds, toasted optional
Balsamic vinegar
1 cup dry quinoa
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 ts. honey
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
YOUR SUNDAY PREP
STEP 1: Get going on the tasks that require heat, and prepare the raw ingredients while you’re waiting for the cooking to be complete.
- Bake 2 large sweet potatoes:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Prick the skin of the sweet potatoes with a fork 5-6 times, place on the baking sheet and cook until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Once cool, slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and store in the refrigerator.
- Cook 1 cup of dry quinoa:
Rinse the quinoa in a sieve, then transfer to a medium pot over medium heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the quinoa is dry and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes, then add 1 ¾ cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
STEP 2: Slice and dice the cucumber, tomatoes, olives, onion, parsley.
STEP 3: Make the dressing by following step 2 of this recipe.
YOUR (EASY, DELICIOUS) LUNCHES ALL WEEK
M O N D A Y
1/2 sweet potato topped with Mediterranean salad ingredients, generous handful of salad greens, 1/2 cup legumes, sprinkle of nuts/seeds
T U E S D A Y
Quinoa with Mediterranean salad ingredients, generous handful of salad greens, 1/2 sweet potato roughly chopped, and tuna, salmon, sardines or chicken, sprinkle of nuts/seeds, tossed together with sweet smoked paprika.
W E D N E S D A Y
Mediterranean salad ingredients, generous handful of salad greens + 1 – 2 chopped eggs, sprinkle of nuts/seeds, tossed together with za’atar, served on top of ½ sweet potato.
T H U R S D A Y
Quinoa with Mediterranean salad ingredients, generous handful of salad greens, 1/2 avocado roughly chopped, and 1/2 cup legumes
F R I D A Y
Quinoa topped with generous handful of salad greens, 1-2 chopped eggs, 1/2 avocado, drizzle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
