Many busy people have resigned themselves to believing that fast food automatically means unhealthy food. Chain restaurants that serve quick to-go items have certainly helped to sustain this myth. Although most people who have a limited amount of time to consumer midday and dinner hour meals claim that they would prefer that their diets be more nutritionally sound, they often aren’t aware that preparing easy lunch recipes using healthy ingredients is not an impossible task.
Sandwiches are still the most popular lunch items on most people’s tables. Preparing a sandwich takes little time at all, and it’s nutritional value depends not only on the ingredients but the type of break used. Whole grain bread that does not contain trans-fats is recommended rather than white bread. Supermarket aisles have many selections of high quality sandwich bread, and some even contain health-boosting grains such as oatmeal, another healthy food option.
Lean meats and Swiss cheese can be used as sandwich ingredients in place of fatty baloney and high calorie American cheese. Using spinach instead of iceberg lettuce will increase the vitamin content of the sandwich substantially. Fresh tomato slices will add nutrition and a tang to any sandwich.
Pita bread is another great alternative to standard white bread. All classic sandwich ingredients work well in pita bread. Canned fish such as tuna or salmon is especially tasty when served in a whole-wheat pita pocket. Vegetarians enjoy pita sandwiches made with a variety of fresh seasonal vegetables and herbs.
Soup is something that just takes a minute or two to heat up for lunch using a microwave. It can be prepared in advance and taken to work in an airtight container. Tomato soup is one of the best choices for this and is easily prepared in the crock pot.
Soups also work well for dinner. Many busy singles and couples prepare soup ingredients the night before, place them in the crock pot and then refrigerate. In the morning, they then put the crock pot on a low heat setting. By the time they return home in the evening, a nice hot soup is waiting for them.
Italian wedding soup is an easy yet nutritious crock pot favorite. Ingredients include organic chicken broth, macaroon shaped pasta, minced garlic, pepper, onions, spinach and breaded meatballs. Creating the meatballs out of lean ground turkey, chicken or beef will decrease the fat content of the soup.
Quick, easy and healthy options are abundant for those who take the time to think outside of the fast-food box.
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