Pack Your Lunches This Week

Buying a lunch at work or school every day can get very pricey. Ten dollars a day, five days a week adds up to 200 dollars a month. Even for a culinary academy student or graduate, it can be a drag to make yourself a lunch before work in the morning or the night before. However, there are some simple and delicious recipes that’ll make the people who buy their meals jealous of your bag lunch.

Sandwiches

• Turkey Caesar Sandwich: If you like Caesar salads, a Caesar sandwich is a safe bet. Make a homemade Caesar dressing with mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and some salt and pepper. Layer the sandwich with some romaine lettuce and sliced turkey.
• Chicken Sandwich: Simply put some avocado, sliced chicken breast and a few slices of tomato between two slices of your favorite bread. This quick sandwich recipe is great for when you’re in a hurry or had chicken left over from dinner.
• Tuna Wrap: If you’re a fan of spicy tuna rolls, kick it up a notch with spicy tuna wraps. Much easier to make and keep together on your commute, wrapping all of your fixings in a tortilla is quick and delicious.
• Stuffed Bagels: Bread can get boring if you’re having a sandwich every day, so mix it up with stuffed bagels. Stuff them with this salami cream cheese mixture for your new go-to lunch when you’re on the go.

Salads

• Mediterranean Panzanella: If you’re bored with lettuce, try this Mediterranean panzanella made with bread cubes, tomatoes, feta, olive, cucumber and salami. Keep it light by just dressing it with olive oil, oregano and your favorite herbs.
• Asian Chicken Salad: This salad only takes a couple of minutes to make and you can even make multiple servings at once. Simply throw all of your salad fixings into a bag with some lime juice, sesame seeds, soy sauce, chicken, Sriracha and honey and shake it up to mix.
• Burrito Bowls: Bowls are much easier to transport than burritos themselves. Simply put all of your favorite burrito ingredients on top of a bed of rice and drizzle some chipotle cream sauce or your favorite salsa on top.
• Chickpea Salad: This can be made in big batches to eat all week or to pack for everyone else in the house to bring for lunch. Simply mix some chopped romaine lettuce with some chicken breast, chickpeas, grape tomatoes, corn, cheese, cilantro, avocado and barbecue dressing.

Et cetera

• Avocado Bowls: When you take the pit out of an avocado, it become a bowl on its own. While you can put anything you want in these handy little bowls, this recipe calls for a mix of cream cheese, hummus, chili garlic sauce, and Sriracha, topped with some sprouts and roasted peanuts.
• Black Bean Nachos: This simple salsa recipe is perfect on a bed of your favorite tortilla chips. All it takes are some black beans, corn, tomato, avocado, onion and cilantro, with some lime juice and Italian dressing to hold it all together.