Lunch of the Week

In honor of my TAKE LUNCH TO WORK series, below is this week's delicious and nutritious lunch idea. This salad is high protein, high fiber and super satisfying. Added plus: can be eaten at room temp or straight from the fridge.

Soba Salad with Spinach, Edamame and Miso Dressing

Ingredients:

Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 to 4 ounces soba noodles
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups edamame (frozen are fine)
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons white or light miso
1 tablespoon mirin or 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
1 10-ounce package fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Drop in the noodles and carrot and cook until tender, 2 to 4 minutes; add the edamame for about 15 to 30 seconds just to warm, then drain everything in a colander. Set aside.

2. In a large salad bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, miso and mirin or sugar. Add spinach, noodles, carrot, edamame, scallion, and toss; then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with grated ginger at the table.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe Courtesy Mark Bitten.

Brown Bag Ideas

Courtesy of Whole Foods, here are some more brown bag recipe ideas for packing your lunch this month!


Mediterranean Tuna Salad
Simply Delicious Homemade Hummus
Turkey and Cucumber Wrap
Gluten-Free Flaxseed Muffins
Curried Chick Pea Salad

Enjoy!

Brown Bag It

Are you hitting the vending machine or the Starbucks everyday an hour after lunch? Are you so hungry at dinner that you eat the minute you walk in the door? Are you spending over $50/week on take out lunches? If this sounds like you, we need to talk.

What can you do about it?

Bring your lunch. Yes, it's that simple. A carefully crafted lunch box will not only make you more alert and more productive at work, but I'm willing to bet you'll lose an effortless 5 pounds to boot! And really, who doesn't want to lose 5 pounds?

To ensure your success, I've created a super-easy formula for packing a winning lunch:

Carb + Protein + Fat = Lunch

I know, it sounds to good to be true. Too simple. Too easy to remember. But why do so many of us forget?

To qualify, a winning lunch must contain adequate protein, carbs, and fat to sustain you until your afternoon snack (which is a MUST, by the way - but that's for another day).

You can't just have a salad without some protein, or just protein without some carbs. And you usually can't get away without a little fat to round things out. Unbalanced lunches may get you through the afternoon (they usually don't) but you will be ravenous by dinner and will likely overeat. And why try to "tough it out" to dinner? That's no way to live, right? So, start brown bagging it tomorrow!

Here are a few no-frills ideas to get you started, but I would LOVE to hear what you come up with as well.

1 - egg salad sandwich (1 whole egg, 2 whites) with light mayo on whole grain bread with 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 cup berries.

2 - see above with tuna

3 - Deli turkey with 1 slice cheese on whole grain bread with 6 oz Chobani/Fage Greek yogurt.

4 - Leftover chicken breast on salad greens with veggies and 1/2 cup beans, light salad dressing.

5 - Chicken noodle soup with 1/2 whole grain bagel spread with 1 Tbsp peanut butter.

Enjoy!