13 Healthy 400-Calorie Spring Lunches in 15 Minutes
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Get lunch together quickly with one of these light yet satisfying recipes. In just 15 minutes or less, you can enjoy a meal that has around 400 calories per serving to help you meet your nutritional goals. Plus, this collection features bright dishes with veggies like avocado, carrot and kale so you can enjoy the fresh, seasonal flavors of spring.
Make a batch of our Best Chicken Salad Recipe, and add it to sandwiches, crackers or wraps whenever you’re in the mood. Or, you can meal prep recipes like our Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls “for those weeks you want efficient, healthy meals,” according to one reader.
The Best Chicken Salad Recipe for Sandwiches
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
What’s the key to the best chicken salad? Use punchy, flavorful ingredients that pack in the flavor, like zesty herbs, acidic lemon juice, sharp onion or shallots. This herbaceous chicken salad recipe is perfect sandwiched between two slices of whole-wheat country bread, but don’t stop there! Enjoy it with crackers, in a wrap or serve it on top of greens.
Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl
The ingredients in this vegan grain bowl recipe can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch to pack for work. The tangy citrus dressing is a refreshing flavor with the sweet caramel of the roasted sheet-pan veggies.
Vegan Superfood Grain Bowls
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey
This nutrient-packed grain bowl recipe comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a few convenience-food shortcuts like prewashed baby kale, microwavable quinoa and precooked beets. Pack these ahead to keep on hand for easy meal-prep lunches or dinners on busy nights.
Open-Face Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato & Avocado Salad
This simple lunch comes together in just 10 minutes, making it a great option for busy days.
Tomato & Cucumber Sandwich
This refreshing, tangy sandwich is easy to pull together when you're short on time. You can lightly toast the bread if you want to add a little crunch. Fresh dill adds a grassy flavor. If you don't have fresh, stir an 1/8 teaspoon dried dill in its place. Make it a vegetarian sandwich by skipping the bacon and adding sliced cheese or an extra slice of tomato instead.
Cheese Quesadillas with Peppers & Onions
These 15-minute quesadillas are a notch above basic with the addition of sautéed peppers and onions. Let the kiddos load them up with the toppings at the table.
Tuna & Olive Spinach Salad
This tuna salad recipe gets an upgrade with olives, feta and a tahini dressing. Served over baby spinach, this is the perfect easy and light lunch or dinner salad.
5-Ingredient Brie and Blackberry Jam Grilled Cheese
Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
This irresistible sandwich pairs creamy Brie cheese with a sweet-and-savory blackberry jam spread for the perfect ultra-quick lunch or dinner option. You can easily double the recipe using a medium pan, or use a sandwich press if you have one on hand.
Cucumber, Tomato & Arugula Salad with Hummus
Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta top arugula in this quick Greek-inspired salad. Served with whole-wheat pita and prepared hummus, it makes a filling, yet healthy lunch.
Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing
This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers.
Shrimp, Avocado & Feta Wrap
This easy wrap makes a great healthy lunch to pack for work. Buy cooked shrimp in the seafood department at most supermarkets and grocery stores, or check the freezer section for tailed and deveined shrimp that are easy to thaw and steam. Salty feta and chopped fresh vegetables keep this easy lunchtime wrap flavorful and satisfying.
Get Your Greens Wrap
This healthy, quick wrap is packed with plenty of green vegetables—cucumber, sprouts and lettuce add crunch, avocado lends creaminess and edamame provides some plant-based protein.
Quinoa Deli Salad
This healthy version of a deli salad combines hearty quinoa and chickpeas with small amounts of ham and mozzarella, so you get all of the flavor without overdoing it on the sodium. This healthy quinoa salad is great as dinner and doubles as a delicious lunch the next day.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
