Lunches provide about one-third of our daily nutritional needs, so it’s very important to put some thought and planning into them.
But as many of us just don’t have time to prepare our lunch, a healthy cold lunch is a great idea, so here are some recipes on how to prepare a healthy cold lunch.
1. Guacamole chicken wraps
Lettuce leaves are healthy and they keep the wraps fresh. Because of the generous amount of lime juice, the guacamole doesn’t discolor.
Ingredients:
– 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
– Salt to taste
– 1 peeled avocado
– 1/2 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
– 4 green leaf lettuce leaves
– 4 fat-free flour tortillas
– 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless grilled chicken
Instructions:
Place first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl and mash with a fork until combined. Stir in tomato. Place 1 lettuce leaf on each tortilla; spread about 1/4 cup avocado mixture on every lettuce leaf. Top each serving with 1/2 cup chicken. Roll up. Wrap in foil or parchment paper and chill. After 2 hours remove from the fridge and eat.
2. Cold ginger-carrot soup
If you want to have more energy, or you want to lose weight, if you want to better health, you need to eat more raw vegetables, and this soup is a way to do it!
Ingredients:
– 3 carrots, cleaned
– 1 can coconut milk
– 1” piece fresh ginger (skin removed)
– ¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped
– 2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Top with red bell pepper and pumpkin seeds. Serve cold. Serve and enjoy!
3. Greek salad
A little prep work is necessary to make this veggie-packed cold salad. You cut calories by replacing meat with chickpeas, so it tastes really refreshing.
Ingredients:
– ½ lemon, juice
– Salt and pepper, to taste
– 1 1/2 heads hearts of Romaine, chopped
– 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
– 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
– 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
– 1 cup chopped cucumber
– ½ red onion, chopped
– 1/4 cup pitted olives
– 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions:
Place romaine in large serving bowl. Arrange chickpeas and all ingredients, with feta on top section. Drizzle the lemon juice over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a fridge for a few hours. Enjoy jour cold healthy salad.
4. Cold avocado soup
Creamy avocado and fresh herbs marry perfectly together in this cold and healthy soup. And it is done for just a few minutes.
Ingredients:
– 1 bunch cilantro
– 3 cups vegetable broth
– 4 avocados, peeled and seeded
– 2 cups plain yogurt
– 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
– 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
– Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
In a blender mix all ingredients until smooth. Place in the fridge for an hour. Garnish with mint. Enjoy.
5. Turkey radicchio cups
Not only will the presentation of these little 100-calorie nibbles impress your family, but they’re also low-carb and so tasty.
Ingredients:
– 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
– 1 1/2 ounces feta cheese, diced
– 6 ounces peeled turnip, cut into matchsticks
– 1 small celery stalk, cut into matchsticks
– 8 radicchio leaves
– 6 ounces smoked turkey, diced
Instructions:
In a medium bowl add everything but turkey, and toss to combine. Fill the radicchio leaves with the mixture and turkey dices. Place in the fridge and serve cold. Bon appetit.