What Do You Eat for Lunch?

This saved me on a hot summer night – even my four-year-old enjoyed this! I trusted the dash of cinnamon and it added the perfect balance.

Very very into bean salads right now! I am not vegan, but always trying to eat a little less animal products and these are so, so good to get fiber and veggies and fill me up! This website has so many good ones to make once and eat all week. https://plantbasedrdblog.com/2025/05/marinated-cilantro-lime-bean-salad/ https://plantbasedrdblog.com/2025/03/marinated-roasted-bell-pepper-bean-salad-with-fried-capers/ https://plantbasedrdblog.com/2024/07/grilled-veggie-bean-salad-with-maple-dijon-dressing/

First layer: Toast (crusty bread is great, sliced bread will work!) Second layer: Cream cheese Third layer: some kind of berry jelly (love the tang of raspberry) Fourth layer: handful of chopped greens (spinach and arugula are my fave) Fifth layer: Fried or poached egg Sixth layer: Red pepper flakes or hot honey You’ve got protein, carbs, fat, greens, crunchy, sweet, savory. Add a few sweet potato chips on the side with a Spindrift and you’re golden.

I love the ideas from this post. Going to collate them and then draw from them when I’m stuck! Also love looking at my favourite salad/poke bowl places’ menu and copying, and visiting Reddit salad / sandwiches for ideas. At the least, lunch will come around again tomorrow, so there goes the pressure of getting it right for today.

Normally it’s a sandwich and a glass of store bought gazpacho, or maybe schar’s gluten free frozen tortellini and some genovese pesto, but top is chicken fingers with hot honey mustard and a salad of lettuce, radicchio, radishes, cucumber, celery, sharp cheddar, scallions, and cover the whole thing in white pepper. Make sure everything is diced small!!

Cucumbers…so many cucumbers. We planted 5 plants this year. They are providing, and the cucumbers are not small. Even after giving to neighbors and friends, we are inundated. So, in whatever way, shape, or form, I can think to eat them. If anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears.

Ideally, I’d eat “bowl of leaves with leftovers on top” to ensure I get my greens (and keep the fridge tidy) every day, but I often default to “picky bits,” which can often include leftovers but rarely includes the greens. I’m excited to try some of the long-lasting salads linked here to spice things up!

work from home: toasted sourdough, cream cheese, ebtb, balsamic glaze, sliced tomatoes, flaky salt and a side of sliced cucumbers. office days: chopped salad with diced cucumbers, tomato, sharp cheddar, fruit (strawberry or peach in the summer; apple or pear in the winter), basil, chicken, sliced almonds. I kind of love not having to think about it, know exactly what to buy at the grocery store, and not-so-secretly hate cooking and leftovers

Blue Dragon medium egg noodles with half a bag of frozen stir fry veggies + fried egg on top. I’m currently looking for a new sauce since my favorite (Stephanie Izzard’s Little Goat Korea Sauce) has been discontinued. If I’m feeling fancy or super-hungry, I’ll also cook up some frozen wontons (Wei-Chuan is my current fave) to throw in the noodle bowl. This takes me 15 minutes tops and is DELICIOUS.

My favorite lunch for summer and for work days when I need to pack food is an Italian-ish salad inspired by our local pizzeria. I usually do lettuce or spinach, chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, marinated artichoke hearts, and mozzarella. I always have a batch of Molly Wizenberg’s Jersey Salad dressing on hand. I make it without the parm, and it’s the perfect Italian dressing.

I can’t say enough good things about this simple Mediterranean chickpea salad! Once you get down the basics it’s easy to customize (I usually add garlic and skip the bell peppers). Make a double batch on Sundays and eat throughout the week over salad greens. https://dishingouthealth.com/15-minute-mediterranean-chickpea-salad/

My lunch obsession is this super easy Herbed Chicken & Rice Salad. It’s so fresh and crunchy and filling and delicious. Make at the start of the week, and enjoy every day! Two notes: 1)there are herb options for the dressing, and I love doing chive and dill (dried dill is totally fine). 2) I always leave off the celery (don’t love it & salad has plenty of crunch w/o) and the parsley (doesn’t add a ton and one less thing to buy!). https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/herbed-chicken-and-rice-salad

tuna, white bean salad from Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Fast. Sometimes swap the tuna out for sardines, as there’s less mercury.

A slice of toast, a layer of mashed avocado (with s&p), topped with this harrissa carrot salad (made with crumbled feta). https://alexandracooks.com/2018/05/22/moroccan-carrot-salad-with-harissa-and-avocado/

Cold quinoa salad. Never gets old to me! Quinoa, corn, black beans, cherry tomatoes, feta, cucumbers, and a rotation of either pesto or cumin/lime vinagraitte. Fresh herbs when available.

I really love this wild rise and hardy greens salad from a fancy Seattle coop, PCC. They kindly offer the recipes to their deli dishes online (yay!) and I’ve made it many times over the years. I have tweaked it to my preferences over the years, but largely follow the original recipe: https://www.pccmarkets.com/recipe/pcc-emerald-city-salad/ My adaptations: – Cook rice in a rice cooker with a glug of olive oil, a few smashed garlic cloves, some salt/pepper, and some garlic powder for extra flavor – Pour the dressing over the still-warm rice, allowing the rice to marinade in the dressing – Skip the fennel (not my thing) – Use the whole bunch of kale and chard; cut in chiffonade style; massage in a small amount of olive oil to soften fibers before adding to salad – Use 2 whole bell peppers (different colors, if possible) – Nice additions: sliced snap peas; crumbled falafel or feta (anything that holds up for several days) When made as above, I find the salad stretches and keeps for five days in the fridge. If the flavors start to dull, add some more garlicky/lemony/olive oil dressing for more flavor. The key is keeping the ingredients to hardier ones (no lettuces, smushy tomatoes or cucumbers).

A few years ago while visiting Japan we ate at a charming restaurant with a badly translated menu (though bless them for trying ❤️)… anyway, there was a soup described as “mushrooms and things I put in the bowl” (it was delicious!) That’s what we’re eating for lunch these days: “things we put in the bowl.” We call it kitchen foraging… a bit of this, and a bit of that.

Leftover rice, scrambled eggs, and kimchi with a drizzle of Japanese BBQ sauce.

My easy hit weather lunch is simply cheese and crackers with chutney, or humous and crackers, both of them served with a side of cucumber, carrots, peppers, and tomatoes. Apart from chopping the vegetables there’s absolutely no effort required.

I’m intrigued by the cinnamon! :) will try it at the next occasion

Can I please introduce you to Heyday beans in sauces? I sauté a veg- charred broccoli is my current kick, pop open the can and pour half of ‘em in the pan to warm up and scoop it up with some toasted sourdough with butter. A delight through and through.

What I think of as the “Aldi sandwich” (i.e., very affordable thanks to only using their ingredients but also delish): Two slices their ridiculously decent sourdough, lightly mayoed on every side and with a thin schmear of dijon on what will be one inner side. Stack mild cheddar slices, then a black forest ham slice (their lunchmeat is suprisngly good and cheap, but this is just as good without it), then on what will touch the dijon thin sliced pickles [though ideally you splurged on these elsewhere–their pickles are meh] or pickled peppers or purple onions, pickled or not. Toast in a pan over medium, lid on if you like, both sides, till melty. Seriously the best grilled cheese ever.

I stock the fridge to cater to my mood. RACOON MODE – this needs to be packets I can rip open and eat. No heating. No utensils. Just grab and smash – single serve packets of ham, kids yoghurt pouches, bits of cheese, easy peel fruits, cracker dipped into a spread, OSM bars. VARSITY MODE – either heat it up in a pot (pre made soups, beans), turn it out into a bowl (leftovers, salad bits), or blitz it (protein shake). Requires minimal heating/ prep and minimal utensils. ZERO RESPONSIBILITIES MODE (while ignoring my many responsibilities) – will make multiple components from scratch (salad, protein on rice)

A rotation of pasta salad, lettuce salad, or pb&j sandwich with a serving of fresh fruit. This week’s pasta salad was orzo, cherry tomatoes, mozarella pearls, fresh basil dressed with a homemade balsamic dressing.

I reverse-engineered a salad I had from a bakery in Boston, Bakey, and it’s been my go-to lunch obsession. Bonus points: you can get all of the ingredients at Trader Joes (and most other grocery stores), it only has 5 ingredients (not including EVOO/salt/pepper), and it only takes 5 minutes to whip together. Win, win, win. 1 package cooked baby beets, from the refrigerated section 1 package cooked lentils, from the refrigerated section 1 clamshell mint, about 0.75 oz or less than 1/4 cup 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts or pistachios (optional, but a nice addition) juice from 1 lemon EVOO, salt, pepper Roughly chop the mint leaves. Cut the beets into 1/4 inch cubes. (pro-tip to prevent beet-stains/easy clean-up: I cover my cutting board first in parchment paper to prevent staining, but covering the board in plastic wrap and using a dull knife works just as well since the cooked beets are so tender). Add beets, lentils, mint, and chopped nuts. Add lemon juice and a glug of EVOO. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

My warm weather weekend lunch is a big can of bonito del Norte tuna in olive oil, mostly drained, with a big gob of kimchi, two chopped partially-peeled cucumbers or one chopped red or yellow bell pepper, and a big shake of black sesame seeds and a little shake of white sesame seeds too. If I’m out of kim chi, I do a few spoonfuls of Chile crisp. Protein, probiotics, fiber, vitamins, omegas and healthy fats!

Please please please do a mashup of two of this week’s articles… “You’re in perimenopause, what do you eat for lunch?” I am finding this meal of the day impossible. Like, what about all the protein?!??? 🤣

Stick in lunchbox: Arugula in a glass container. Fork. Sharp knife. Throw into lunchbox an avocado and one to two hard boiled eggs. At work desk I have nice salt and a really nice olive oil.. Spend a minute before you eat adding your avo and yoru eggs to your salad. Some days Ill add a half a lemon. This takes me approximately 1 min to put together which is seems is all I am capable of. I boil 18 eggs each Sunday (8.5 min). Avos from Costco. Some days a can of sardines. Does this count as meal prepping?

Lillie Eats and Tells chicken salad, so refreshing in the summer. Gazpacho with some lemony shrimps. Chilled zucchini and walnut soup. Cold pesto (homemade) pasta. Deli turkey, pepper jack, bacon on rye.

This is the truth…https://www.tiktok.com/@landontalks/video/7518137353253260575

Lunch on office days: 4-cup pyrex container, filled more than halfway with mixed greens. Big scoop (at least half a cup) leftover/lentils or beans. Any interesting leftover roasted veg. Fresh veg (cukes, carrots, sweet pepper) if we’re lacking in roasted veg. Sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Sauerkraut. Nutritional yeast. Crack of black pepper. Olive oil/vinegar/chili crisp dressing.

Every single day: dandelion green salad with chickpeas, quinoa, green onions, and avocado. Finish it off with a piece of in-season fruit (these days, some type of stone fruit or melon from the farmer’s market). It’s a daily guarantee that I get a good intake of greens, fiber, protein, and fruit…and bonus that I fee super satiated afterward!

Okay but any suggestions for how to transport lunch to work?! I’m in need of a new grownup lunch tote—must be insulated, not too big or too small, and ideally has a shoulder to help with NYC commuting. Oh, and not ugly/childish, ha. Any recommendations???

Deb’s cold peanut sesame noodles (made with soba or just spaghetti). Mmm I could eat them every day: https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/peanut-sesame-noodles/

Dinner leftovers… almost 100% of the time. It’s been a huge help for my kids to get into the same habit so I don’t have to hustle to get lunches ready for them for school. They have the option of school lunch or last nights leftovers, reheated, and ready to go! Life is complicated. Leftovers are easy.

Frankly, a cheese and pickle sandwich takes some beating.

Chicken salad (the mayo kind) with flaxseed crackers are my go-to this summer!! It’s so easy!

I’m on a ginger kale brothy soup kick after getting it from a Vietnamese cafe few months back. I make it on my own now with precut kale, ginger and limes from Trader Joe’s. Pressure cook large 1 1/2 inch smashed ginger, salt, 1 tsp of no salt chicken flavor powder with 1/2 packet of kale (with just enough water to cover kale plus 1/2 inch more water) for 15 minutes with natural release This softens the stems to butter like texture. Juice one lime and add to cooked kale soup. Cool and keep in fridge. I get about 4 soups out of it. Saute 3 medium size sliced shallots in little oil with salt. When assembling the soup per person, I reheat the kale broth, add cold shallots with SAMBAL OLEK or any chilli garlic sauce and teriyaki coconut aminos. It’s so filling and I get the greens for the day.

“Glug” as a unit. Solid. Will be using from here on out.

Made a winner this week! One bowl and very easy/nutritous! Disclaimer: so many TJs products. Makes 2 salad: one bunch lacinato kale olive oil and salt one can marinated greek chickpeas one can lentils (new at my TJs!) my toppers: feta TJs calabrian chilis pistachios lemon wedge Massage kale with olive oil and salt. Divide into two portions. In same bowl, add chickpeas and drained lentils and toss. Divide between 2 kale portions. Top with a bit of all the toppers!

My go-to: rice (in a rice cooker, so you can make it while you’re doing your morning routine before you leave for work) with a microwaved cup of lentiful lentils https://eatlentiful.com/products/build-your-own-8-pack , a slice of cheese, and a scoop of plain yogurt. Be sure to pack fancy sea salt to finish, and bonus points for a lemon wedge and/or fresh herbs.

I’ve been loving wraps. I’ll do a bag salad + protein and wrap it up! I get 2-3 wraps out of each salad bag. Southwest with grilled steak, ceaser with grilled chicken, sunflower crunch with chickpeas. So many combos so I don’t get bored, but a simple formula so I don’t over complicate it. If not a wrap, I’ll do some deli meat + hard cheese + something crunchy + an apple OR, if I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll prep this salad and eat it for the week! https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/sweet-potato-kale-salad/

This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I have been loving (every day!) sardines and jammy eggs. I tried it one day on a whim and haven’t been able to get enough of it since!

I work from home and honestly I rarely eat anything before dinner. It’s Not Great. And I’m in perimenopause so I know I need my protein, but I’m too tired to make something and then I’m tired from lack of energy, and it’s become an ouroboros of unhealthy choices. Lately I’m been trying to eat a yogurt or a nectarine. Baby steps.

I am always eating some variation of a chickpea salad: chickpeas plus a creamy bean like cannelini or pinto, crunchy vegetables like bell pepper, red onion, carrot, cucumber, a sharp vinaigrette, herbs, and cheese (usually feta.) If I have a leftover protein it’s great but not necessary. Delicious on top of a couple Wasa crackers or by itself.

I rotate several different meal ideas, depending on the season. One is a turkey, avocado, and arugula sandwich on seven grain bread. I love arugula so much, so I use lots of it and dress it first with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and salt. Another favorite is a spinach/grilled cheese sandwich. I saute some spinach and shallots then put them together with the cheese. Really elevates the plain grilled cheese into something special. Lastly, a roll up with humous, avocado, shredded carrots, cheese, and shredded lettuce. In the winter, I will sometimes have leftover soup for lunch, and when it’s super hot and I’m not that hungry, I’ll make a green smoothie with protein powder.

You had me with the pinch of cinnamon. This is also my super secret Asian food booster. My hyperfixation meal for 9 months out of the year is brown rice ramen noodles with chicken broth, poached egg, maybe a leftover protein, and whatever veggies I have in the fridge. Add some hoisin and chili crisp, and boom! Now that it’s finally summer in Seattle, I have no idea what to eat!!! Combing the comments for inspo.

Absolutely peak no-time don’t care renovating a house meal on repeat for months: take a whole bag of frozen broccoli and put olive oil and salt on it in one bowl. Dump into air fryer with like five frozen ikea meatballs. Air fry for 15min on 450. Dump back into same bowl and add a couple shakes o vinegar. Would love variations with similar amount of vegetables (as many as possible) and no more than like two steps, thaaaanks

I cannot, and I mean, CANNOT stop eating Trader Joe’s kettle cooked chicken soup for lunch. There is something about the flavor that just gets me. I have only ever liked my own homemade soup, but who has the time, AMIRIGHT? I must go twice a week to stock up on this crack soup. I sometimes get fancy and add a few egg noodles, but it’s just good on it’s own. If I am super hungry I take a half a slice of sourdough bread and put a few spoonfuls of Trader Joe’s chicken salad on it. I can’t stop eating this combination. I have a problem I realize that.

So much produce/veggie-forward lunches! Sourdough toast rubbed with garlic, topped with mayo, tomatoes, everything spice, side of cottage cheese (sometimes added cucumber). Cook grain on weekend, add viniagrette, slides veggies (raw or roasted bell pepper, avocado, radish). Soba + spicy miso pb sauce + raw veggies/mixed in sliced peaches.

I’m on a kick of cold oats in the morning – Frozen cherries partially defrosted, old fashioned oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, walnuts, oat milk and a splash of maple syrup. I visited my best friend this summer who is also eating oats this way. I always thought you needed to cook or at least soak oats, but cold oats are great!

I’m in a cottage cheese with blueberries phase. Followed by a cookie. So wholesome lol

I never thought I would see the day that I read a RECIPE that has been written by our one and only Jo!! I had to double take…was this a typo?, where is Jenny? Did Jo have too much sun in Cornwall? Did Jo become a foodie in Italy? I have many questions!

Italian tuna in olive oil, white beans, capers, olive oil, lemon juice and lots of parsley. Then add whatever else you have – tomatoes, chopped olives, steamed potatoes, green beans, snap peas, roasted red peppers, etc.

Lately, I’ve been loving these thin rice sheets that you soak in water and turn into stretchy wraps to fill as you please – my go to is tofu, cucumber slices and carrots sticsk. I drizzle all in abundant soy sauce and that’s it! They are delicious and addicting

That salad looks so good. I’m on a mission to develop a repertoire of cold salads to get through this searing summer. First up: one of those Vietnamese rice noodle bowls! Fellow COJ readers, please share your favorite cold salad recipes with me! (As for today’s lunch, against all my anti-billionaire principles, I broke down and shopped at Whole Foods for the first time in a long while to purchase some of their Durst Farm cherry tomatoes — the best store bought tomatoes I’ve ever encountered. I’ll be sautéing them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, then smooshing them and a little slivered basil on a slice of ricotta smeared toast.)

current work lunch hyper fixation going on 1+ month and still going strong: BBQ’d zuchinni and chicken. The flavor and texture of BBQ’d zuchinni is incredible! Just add some salt and pepper and/or spices and you’re good to go! Throw in some bonu handmade toum (garlice sauce) for dipping and will keep ethe vampires away and your breath spicy all day long :D

I’ve been very into a quick, home-made Vietnamese salad. I use my mandolin to cut up cucumber and carrots. Even better to add some cilantro, jalapeño, and ginger, but not necessary. Then I pour hot water over the vermicelli noodles that only take 3 minutes to cook (!!!), rinse them with cool water. The dressing is 1/4 cup oyster sauce, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, a spoonful of sugar, and a squeeze of lime. Throw peanuts on top.

I’ve been making the same tuna salad all summer inspired by American Mom in France: 1 can tuna 2/3 mayo 1/3 creme fraiche cherry tomatoes halved diced cucumber salt / pepper big splash balsamic vinegar sprinkle with Carr’s water crackers

For me it’s Jenny Rosenstrach’s farrotto from her weekday vegetarians cookbook. I have it memorized now, and its super quick and easy. Make a big bowl on Sunday with whatever add-ins I have, and I eat on it all week, whether I’m at home or the office. Having a go-to lunch erases the stress of figuring out how to feed myself midday, and I really look forward to it. Haven’t gotten sick of it yet!

We eat this a LOT at our house – with feta, pickled red onions, hummus, lettuce, and pita chips. I never thought to add a sprinkle of cinnamon! Yum! It’s a great meal for company because everyone can assemble it how they like.

Lately I’ve been fixated on soba/buckwheat noodles – either cold or hot. I’d happily eat them on their own, but conveniently, I’m convinced there’s nothing they *don’t* pair well with. My last riff had them with pickled ginger, edamame and toasted sesame seeds. Glorious.

In the summer, I love to toast bread, then add a few slices of fresh tomatoes from the garden, top with some shredded cheddar cheese and put under the broiler to melt the cheese. then sprinkle with “Krazy Mixed Up Salt” or Everything but the bagel seasoning. Delish!

I’m reading this while eating my lunch of cold leftover Trader Joe’s salmon and mushroom risotto. After the recent COJ article of Trader Joe recommendations I went and stocked up on as many as I could find. The risotto is REALLY good :-)

Variations on wedge salad forever. For the longest time I was ifonroign the giant balls of iceberg lettuce e, but they’re great, and cheap! I wash it, cut it in fours, grab a wedge and dress it up with whatever I have: rotisserie chicken, crumbled veggie burger, cucumbers, tomato, whatever dressing and croutons. And it is the best, crunchiest lunch ever. The remaining wedges I leave in a bowl with a paper towel on top and they remain crunch through the week.

quick hack, if like me, you cannot stomach raw onion. The quickest way is to submerge it in cold water, chopped, for 20 min. But to ELEVATE things, chop onion and douse it in red wine vinegar (any vinegar with flavor, really) and add HONEY and let it all sit for 20 minutes, and people will think you are a flavor genius. And your stomach will thank you as well :)

That salad looks so good! In the warmer weather, I’ll often make something similar, or a salad with tuna and beans or chickpeas. This week I’m having curry chicken salad, I use Greek yogurt instead of mayo for more protein (but I still add some mayo for flavor!) It’s just shredded chicken, Greek yogurt, mayo, diced celery, a diced green apple, green onions, shredded carrots, a can of chickpeas, some raisins or dried currants, and then curry powder, turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Lots of fiber and protein and not a lot of effort, I make a big batch to last for 4-5 days. In the cooler months, I almost always make myself some kind of soup because it’s easy to make a big batch on the weekend to have throughout the week.

It depends on if I’m working from home or not! When I’m at work, I’m very regimented – we have a great cafe and at the salad bar I get: too much spinach ( I say so they always overload it), carrots, tomatoes, chickpeas, pecans, seed mix, olive oil. I’ll mix it up in winter with different veggies. When I’m at home – it’s a free for all! I try to have a huge bowl of frozen fruit and also yogurt with pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and cinnamon. But I might also eat tons of other awful children snacks!

Did you know that couscous is a PASTA?? Not a grain??!? How disappointing…

PSA: Better Than Bouillon “No Chicken” is vegan and it is *amazing*! I add a dollop to tons of things (beans, soups, pasta) when I want a little meaty umami without the meat.