The Working Lunch #40
Burrito bowl, upcycled chilli, another noodle salad, and a hot falafel wrap - it's your weekly reminder to show your lunchbreak some love.
Hello again
How’s your week ahead looking?
Good busy? Or too busy?
I broke my own rule last week and didn’t take a proper lunch break every day.
Lunch al desko. No walk. No real break.
You tell yourself you’re being productive, efficient. You’ll eat while you check over an article, or read a few emails at the same time. Yes, you refuel, but only physically. I really felt it by the end of the day. Couldn’t check out of work as easily. Felt like I hadn’t come up for air. It has to be done sometimes, but I try not to make a habit out of it.
Walk. Chat. Nap. Yoga. Doodle. Read. Journal. Eat, absolutely. What else can you do at lunchtime to make it a proper break? A change is as good as a rest.
Make ahead….
Burrito bowl
This one is super simple and no cooking is needed. It’s perfect to prep up the night before a busy day. Just a little bit of chopping and grating, and you’re all set with a packed lunch that’s ready when you are.
I’ve used:
A packet of pre-cooked Mexican-style rice
Tinned taco beans
Grated cheddar cheese
Spinach
Cucumber
Avocado, coated with lemon juice to prevent browning
Simple swaps: Customise this any way you want. Some tortilla chips would be good. Also, fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime. Perhaps some sour cream or even some cooked chicken.
Love your leftovers….
Upcycled chilli bowls
Last night’s spaghetti bolognese sauce becomes today’s lunchtime chilli bowl with the addition of some spices and some beans.
If you’re a ragu purist, or a chilli con carne aficionado do please look away…seriously though, why not? The effort went in yesterday.
A few little flavour tweaks just take the leftovers in a new direction. And uses up the last of the tin of taco beans from making the burrito bowls.
I was absolutely fuming that I’d run out of cumin, luckily the beans saved it with their sauce.
I re-heated this in a saucepan, adding the paprika and chilli powder to a little oil to get the flavours going first before incorporating the leftover bolognese sauce and warming through.
Some grated cheese, fresh herbs, spring onions, yoghurt (or sour cream) and sriracha across the top to serve.
Make ahead…
Spicy noodle salad box
This is another example of where you can make more food for the evening meal with the intent of saving some for lunch the next day.
This time, I tried out these “life-changing peanut butter noodles” and saved a portion to make a bento box.
The noodle recipe is really quick and uses mostly storecupboard ingredients for the sauce: peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup (I used honey instead) and sriracha. I’d use a thicker noodle next time to give it more texture. Mine looked nothing like the photos in the recipe!
To the cooled peanut butter noodles, I added some spring onions, toasted black sesame seeds and crispy chilli oil, and paired it with a simple salad of spinach, carrots, cucumber and spring onions. All packed up in a box, then it’s ready in the fridge for when you need it.
Just a sandwich….
Moroccan falafel, mango chutney, yoghurt & herb salad wrap
Ready-made Moroccan falafel, spinach leaves, grated carrot, natural yoghurt, mango chutney and fresh parsley.
The secret here to taking an average wrap into a lovely lunch is the tiny bit of effort in warming up the wrap and the falafel in the microwave. The falafel took less than a minute. The wrap was warmed up in 8 seconds. Not only does it taste better; it makes the wrap easier to roll up.
Simple swaps: Excellent additions would be pickled red onions, or change the herbs up for coriander or mint.
Why only four meals?
I know, most people work 5 days a week, I do too. It’s nice to wing it one day a week. I had peanut butter & banana on toast!
See you next week, lunch buddies
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If you’re not feeling the lunchtime love with this week’s selection, don’t forget that you can tuck into the archives at any time.
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