@ LUNCH Pack healthy lunches + save money.
Eating out? Eat smart!  Lunch time is a pivotal point in our workday - we can either crash and burn or fuel wisely and soar for the rest of the day. Eat too much, indulge in a carb-overload and give yourself an hour, you may feel like crawling up in a ball underneath your desk to take a nap. But discipline yourself to eat right at the noon hour, and you'll knock off all the tasks on your to-do list in no time. Recipes Here are some light lunch recipes that pack a powerful energy punch that will carry you through the afternoon, and soften the blow on your wallet. Chicken Waldorf Salad Prep time: 30 minutes
1 lb skinless, chicken breasts or boneless thighs
½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup green grapes, sliced
½ cup chopped celery
2 TBL chopped scallions
In sauce pan, add chicken breasts/thighs with enough water to cover. Remove chicken from water, then bring water to a boil. Return chicken to pan, and simmer gently for 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered for 10 minutes. Check the chicken to make sure it's cooked through. If not, simmer an addition 2-4 minutes. Let chicken cool, then dice. In large bowl, whisk the yogurt, mayo, apple, grapes, celery and scallions. Then toss chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Pack chicken salad in container, or mound between two slices of whole wheat bread. Chill in the office refrigerator. Asparagus & Hummus Pita Prep and cook time: 20 minutes
3-4 asparagus stalks
3 TBL hummus
whole wheat pita
Sprinkle 2 TBL olive oil in saute pan. Add asparagus and saute 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool. Spread hummus inside pita, and slip in a few stalks of asparagus. Pack and chill in the office refrigerator. Hummus Prep time: 15 minutes
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of tahini (ground sesame seeds)
1 19-ounce can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
Juice of one lemon
2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil
2 ½ tablespoons of warm water
3 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon of salt
Pour everything into a food processor, blend thoroughly. Add more olive oil or water to adjust texture. Barley and Parsley Salad Prep and cook time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
1 cup of organic pearled barley
½ cup chopped parsley
½ teaspoon of salt
Bring 1 ¾ cups of water, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of barley to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook until tender. About 1 hour. Cool. Add chopped parsley and refrigerate. One cup of pearled barley has 5 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. Eating Out No time to pack lunch? If you choose to eat out, make sure you're eating smart. Most chain restaurants and hot lunch spots list the nutritional content on their web sites. Stuck on one type of salad or sandwich? Check out the calorie and fat content before your next lunch run. Did you know… - Cosi's cobb salad contains 28 grams of fat. Not too bad, but drizzle 2 ounces of the Cosi vinaigrette dressing and you add another 39 grams of fat. Two ounces of the shallot sherry vinaigrette is 31 grams of fat.
- Cosi Nutritional Information
- Au Bon Pain's baja turkey sandwich has 910 calories and 47 grams of fat. The Caprese sandwich, 730 calories and 34 grams of fat.
- Au Bon Pain Nutritional Information
- Other nutritional information: www.nutritiondata.com
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