- Lentils with poached egg plus a cup of cantaloupe - Cook lentils the night before; they last well in the fridge. Then poach an egg in the office microwave to go with them. I also love to buy a melon on Sunday and cut it up for snacking and lunches throughout the week.
Calorie breakdown:
• 240 in 1 cup cooked lentils
• 80 in 1 poached egg
• 60 in 1 cup cantaloupe
• Total: 380 calories
I don't usually use the microwave to poach my breakfast egg, but it can come in very handy for a lunch egg. Lentils, brown rice, or a salad can be elevated from a side dish to a main dish with a tender, gooey poached egg on top. Here's how to make a quick, freshly poached egg in the office microwave.
Ingredients
1 egg
1/3 cup water
Approximately 1/2 teaspoon vinegar (optional)
Equipment
Microwave
Microwave-safe mug or small bowl
Microwave-safe small plate
Slotted spoon
Instructions
1. Gather your ingredients. The vinegar is optional, but it will help the egg coalesce a little better.
2. Crack the egg into a microwave-safe bowl or mug.
3. Pour in about 1/3 cup water.
4. Add a bit of vinegar. (You can also add this directly to the water before pouring it in.)
5. Cover the bowl or mug with a microwave-safe plate. Place in the microwave and cook on 80% POWER for 60 seconds. Check the egg. If it is not done yet, return to microwave and cook on 80% POWER in 20 second bursts. (I usually cook mine for a total of 80 seconds.)
6. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon, and enjoy!
Additional Notes:
• This method will give a rather wobbly egg. If you like a more hardboiled-style egg, microwave on HIGH for 60 seconds.
• Do note that, unlike when poaching eggs on the stovetop, the microwave tends to cook the yolk even faster than the white. So if you like gooey yolks, it's best to take the egg out when the white is still a little wobbly.
- Brown rice with shredded chicken - Brown rice is another great make-ahead starch for lunch. It's nutty and delicious, and it pairs beautifully with leftover chicken. I like to drizzle just a bit of sesame oil over the rice for extra flavor.
Calorie breakdown:
• 165 in 3/4 cup cooked brown rice
• 110 1 chicken thigh (about 52g)
• 40 in 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 70 in 1 nectarine
• Total: 385 caloriesBrown rice is one of our very favorite lunch staples. When we have time, a bowl of brown rice with scallions, ginger, and a poached egg is just about the perfect lunch. When we're on the go, a little shredded chicken and some cold vegetables dress up brown rice into a quick, nourishing, and satisfying lunch. Here's a look at how we cook up a pot of basic brown rice for a week of lunches. Cooking brown rice is easy and basic, but it takes a little more water and time and than regular white rice. Cooking 1 cup of brown rice will give you about 4 cups of cooked rice, which lasts us for about a week of lunches.
What You Need
Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
2 1/4 cups water
Sesame or vegetable oil (OPTIONAL)
1 teaspoon salt (OPTIONAL)
Soy sauce (OPTIONAL)Equipment
1-quart (or larger) pot with tight-fitting lidInstructions
1. Measure out 1 cup of brown rice. We generally use short-grain or medium-grain brown rice. Long-grain may need a little extra water.
2. Rinse the rice thoroughly in a sieve or strainer until the water runs clear.
3. OPTIONAL: Heat a little oil in the pot over medium heat and fry the rice for a moment before adding the water. This helps build flavor, but is definitely optional.
4. Add 2 1/4 cups water and stir just once.
5. Bring to a simmer.
6. Cover tightly.
7. Turn the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes.
8. Remove the lid and stir once to make sure there is no more liquid water at the bottom of the pan. Serve immediately, or let cool for half an hour and then refrigerate for future lunches.
- Black beans with lime & avocado plus a banana - The quickest lunch, and vegan too! Just mix a few fresh things together with black beans, and take to work in Tupperware along with an avocado and a banana.
Calorie breakdown:
• 135 in 3/4 cup black beans with lime
• 150 in 1/2 medium avocado
• 105 in medium banana
• Total: 390 caloriesA can of beans is a very handy thing to have around. In a pinch it can serve as an extra-quick lunch. There are all sorts of ways to dress up a can of beans (soup, dip, impromptu burritos). Here's one delicious vegan lunch idea, involving nothing more than a can of black beans and a few fresh ingredients. This is just one really simple idea for a can of beans. I'd love to know how you eat beans; do you ever make a lunch (or two) out of a can of beans? If so, how do you dress it up?
This particular quickie recipe is tangy and a little smoky, from the cumin. It's great with an avocado, or with a little sliced chicken on top.
Avocado-Lime Black Beans
2 servingsOne 15-ounce can black beans
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 small shallot, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, to serveDrain the beans thoroughly. Toss with the lime juice, cilantro leaves, diced shallot, and ground cumin. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Peel and slice an avocado, and serve the beans at room temperature, with 1/2 avocado on top of each serving.
The beans will last for several days in the fridge. You can take a helping of beans in your lunchbox, along with sliced avocado that has been tightly wrapped to protect against browning.
Good Question: How Can I Make Beans More Digestible?
Heirloom dried beans can have a wonderfully meaty flavor, and we stocked up on Rancho Gordo beans this winter. They are so easy -- just cook a pot and eat off of it all week. But those digestion issues... well, they are a problem.
We consulted two books: an old favorite, Aliza Green's Beans, and Rancho Gordo's Steve Sando's new book (look for a review shortly).
Green offers more specific help for combating digestion issues. She advises purchasing fresh beans, which is a good idea no matter what. She also recommends soaking and rinsing the beans to remove some of the starches that cause upset.
Sando, on the other hand, says that soaking won't help at all. He believes that there is very little you can do to combat this problem, except for eating more fiber. He feels that most of us don't get enough complex fiber in our diet, so our bodies have a hard time digesting beans. He recommends starting slowly and helping your body build up the capability to digest beans.
We don't have a clear sense of who is right. We are still experimenting with beans, and we're curious to see if we get better at digesting them!
We also like some of the other suggestions from Green, most of which are recommendations for combining beans with other ingredients to minimize gastrointestinal issues. Some of the ingredients that are said to help are alkaline-rich greens like spinach and chard, seasonings like epazote, fennel seed, and lovage, and alkaline-rich seaweed like dried kombu.
- Whole wheat tortilla wrap with tuna-cabbage saladplus cherry tomatoes - A quick and easy wrap sandwich with a crisp filling of tuna and cabbage. Take advantage of the cherry tomatoes in the markets right now — so yummy!
Calorie breakdown:
• 120 in the whole wheat tortilla
• 240 in 1 cup tuna-cabbage salad
• 30 in the tomatoes
• Total: 390 calories - Baked sweet potato with yogurt and bacon plus a nectarine - Roast a few sweet potatoes, top with bacon crumbles (yes, bacon!) and then warm up in the microwave at work. Yogurt makes a great complement as well.
Calorie breakdown:
• 170 in 1-2 sweet potatoes (200g)
• 90 in 3 slices bacon, crumbled
• 20 in 2 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt
• 70 in 1 nectarine
• Total: 350 calories
I love a little crunch in my tuna salad. I also am not the biggest fan of mayonnaise; I like a dab but no more. Here's a tuna salad in that spirit — fresh, crisp, and light.
Crisp Tuna-Cabbage Salad
2 servings
One 5-ounce can tuna, drained
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup minced chives
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
3 tablespoons yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Shred the tuna with a fork and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Eat immediately or else refrigerate for up to two days.
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