Healthy and Easy Brown Bag Lunch Ideas

Working women tend to rely on what the deli or the salad bar has to offer because apparently, home-cooked meals take hours to prepare and you simply do not have the time to cook. But it is a myth really that you need to spend hours slaving in the kitchen to prepare yourself a decent lunch to take to your work place. The growing number of brown baggers indicate that the process has simplified indeed. In anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes you can whip up a healthier lunch and save yourself from the calorie-laden goodies at the deli.

Sandwiches: It takes only 5 to 10 minutes to prepare yourself a healthy, low calorie sandwich for lunch. Use lean meats, mustard, tomato sauce, fresh veggies and some (not much) amount of cheese to make a waist friendly sandwich for lunch.

Salad: Toss your favorite ingredients together and use a non-fattening dressing to make an interesting and healthy meal. Use more of veggies and less of meat for a salad that will really work wonders for your waist as well as skin. Cucumbers, spinach, sprouts, bell peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, carrot and even beans and cottage cheese chunks. Skip bacon and eggs and other cheeses.

Tacos: Take taco shells or tortillas along with a prepared stuffing. Stuff the shells at lunch time and you are done. You even get to break free from the sandwiches.

Wraps: Stuffings can be prepared and stuffed in tortillas or plain crepes etc. for a delicious lunch.

Pies: Healthy veggie pies and tarts make great options for brown bag lunches and can be prepared and frozen ahead of time.

Vegetables: Steamed or stir fried or even grilled vegetables are the best options for a complete meal, if you are on a diet, or as additional fillers.

Stuffed Tomatoes or Peppers: Stuff tomatoes or peppers with vegetables or cottage cheese for a healthy and filling lunch.

Ready made solutions: When shopping, go for shredded cabbage, sliced vegetables, canned, diced tomatoes and some frozen vegetables to save you a lot of time when making salads and vegetable dishes.

Beans for health: Dry beans take long to cook so opt for canned beans instead. keep a stock of white, kidney and garbanzo beans and add them to any dish you fancy. Soups, salads, open sandwiches, pasta etc. Beans are great for lowering cholesterol too.

If you would rather do a larger amount of cooking on just one day, consider joining a Brown baggers group or forming one at your work place. Every day, one of the club members will have to bring lunches for all. Whatever you choose to do, it is much more easier to stay health and not spoil your diet by switching over to daily brown bag lunches for taking to work, rather than purchase daily meals. And if you really take some time out and do some math, you will be delighted to see the amount of savings you have made.