Sandwiches are an obvious go-to lunch choice. They're usually simple to put together, quick and portable. But there's only so much weekday PB&J's one can eat, so we thought we'd pull together some ideas to help you move beyond the common sandwich.
The important thing for so many of us is that lunch be quick and portable. Jetting off to work or school doesn't often afford us the chance to sit down and have a home-cooked, fully balanced mid-day meal. Thankfully, we have spring rolls, frozen burritos you can take out of the freezer the night before, and turkey salad wraps. You won't find any slices of bread, but you will find a few new lunch ideas.
Try a Recipe:
• Wintry Spring Rolls Recipe - 101 Cookbooks
• Bacon Lettuce Tomato (BLT) Spring Roll - White on Rice Couple
• Make Your Own Freezer Burritos - Shutterbean
• Turkey Salad Wrap - Martha Stewart
• Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl - Sprouted Kitchen
• Creamy White Bean Dip with Pita Chips - PBS Food
• Bacon and Leek Quiche - Food and Wine
• Aubergine and Tofu Satay - BBC Food
• Spinach Frittata - Simply Recipes
• Vegetarian Dumplings - Smitten Kitchen
Related: Portable Lunch Idea: Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
(Image: White on Rice Couple)
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Oh those wintery Spring Rolls from 101 cookbooks are awesome! You can see my review on cookbooker here. Surprisingly easy to put together, but why didn't it occur to me to make them for lunch - such a great idea! And the rest of the list looks awesome, too
Never made spring rolls but these articles have certainly encouraged me to start. Can they be made the night before, refrigerated, and taken to work for lunch the next day? How would you wrap the BLTs? Would they even last a couple of days?
I've made spring rolls with different filling but the same type of wrapper the night before, refrigerated them and taken them to work and they were just as great. If you're interested in a more summer-y version (though Heidi's winter version IS wonderful), check out Tastespotting's blog version with green goddess dressing. DELISH.
This specific post is what made me look on this blog in the first place! I am always trying to find a way to have a lunch that is anything but a sandwich, but also something that is affordable and good to eat. I have eaten nothing but sandwiches for years and am so over them! This blog was helpful, but there were still some things on here that would take a decent amount of time to make. Regardless, they are good alternatives.
My favorite is the original portable meal - savory pastries!! People used to wrap them in handkerchiefs and stick them in their pockets to take down the mines or wherever they worked. You can make them the night before and they're good at room temperature the next day. The possibilities are endless. I'm vegetarian, but I've got a version of traditional cornish pasties or empanadas with greens, olives and pistachios or empanadas with chipotle and butternut squash or little gallettes with roasted mushrooms and french lentils. The possibilities are really endless. These are great for picnics, or hikes. They're nice because there's so much variety in the vegetables or beans or cheeses you can choose. They take longer to make than a sandwich, but they're quite fun to make. You can have them for dinner one night, and eat them for lunch in the following days.
Be aware that the rice wrapper of a spring roll gets hard and tough if it sits in the fridge overnight. It's certainly edible, but it's a lot better when it's freshly made.
The rice paper wrapper of a spring roll will get hard and tough if it sits but if you cover with a wet paper towel it helps somewhat. Though engineergirl is right, they are better if made fresh.