Power lunches for work days - my favourite lunch time recipes

Now that I've decided to pay a bit more attention to my diet, I have had to start being much more organised during the week. Grabbing a quick sandwich on the way to work - or, on my 'healthy' feeling days, a supermarket salad - may be quick and easy, but it wasn't doing much for my post-work running, or my bank balance for that matter! So, back to planning my weekly menu's (a much cheaper way to shop, once you get into it and make sure you're using up any leftovers, or making additional portions to freeze for later). Sunday evenings are now spent cooking up a batch of runner-friendly dinners which can be quickly reheated after a late night of working/ running/ gym-ing and sorting out the horse - essential for me as anything which needs more than about 10 minutes prep when I get in is far to easily ditched in favour of the local take away, or a bowl of cereal depending on my bank balance!

Work-day lunches, however, proved to be a little trickier - mainly because I am a) easily bored if I eat the same thing all the time, or if I have anything that tastes bland, and b) I am lazy at making lunches the night before!!! By the time I have got home and cooked reheated dinner (usually about 9.30 - 10pm), the last thing I want to do is head back into the kitchen and start making more food! So, I have been on a search for some tasty, nutritious lunches which are quick to make, or can be made in advance, and that will give me plenty of energy if I go running straight from work. 


So, having tried out a few different recipes, these are some of the ones which have made it onto my 'make regularly' list:

Lunches I make in advance for the week ahead:

These are the lunches I make when I know I'm really not going to have time in the evenings to get cooking every day - so I make a few batches, separate them into individual portions and just grab whichever I fancy from the fridge each morning!

1. Soup - So many varieties that I won't write out all the recipes for each, but generally I opt for veggie version's which contain either lentils or beans - my favourite being butternut squash and white bean soup! Warming (I heat in the microwave but if you don't have one, heat it at home and take in a thermos flask), filling, and packing a powerful punch of vitamins and minerals from the veggies, alongside carbohydrates, and good quality protein from the lentils and beans. 

2. Ratatouille with baked potatoe - Love this one as its so easy to make, but tastes great and is an easy way of getting to your 7 a day (as recommended by Runners World this month, so the number I am aiming for!). I make a huge saucepan of the ratatouille at the start of the week (recipe below), then cook a jacket potatoe or sweet potatoe in the microwave at work, top with a few spoonfuls of ratatouille and put back in the microwave for a few minutes. Another good dose of carbohydrates - and if I want a bit more protein, I grill a couple of sausages (go for quorn ones if want to restrict calories), chop them up and add to the last few minutes when cooking the ratatouille - yum!

Ratatuoille recipe:

Chop up equal quantities of:

• Aubergine
• Courgette
• Red pepper
• Onion
• Tomato (can use tinned but use less in proportion to the other veg if you do)

Heat some oil in a saucepan and add all the veg, saute for a few minutes. Add 1 crushed garlic clove and a few coriander seeds, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, or until veg is soft and cooked through (add sausages after 35 mins if using). Season with pepper and stir in a little chopped basil.

Recipes I make the night before:

These recipes are ones that don't take too long to prepare, and taste better when made fresh (although will keep if you want, except the rice salad).

3. Pasta salad - Again, lots of versions you can make to keep this interesting! My favourite is wholemeal pasta with diced cucumber, chopped red, yellow and orange peppers with a few halved cherry tomatoes added, and a small amount of diced cheddar cheese. Toss with a dressing made from 3 parts olive oil/ 1 part white wine vinegar and serve with a rocket salad.

4. Pasta and homemade pesto with rocket salad - I love pesto, but find the shop version a little salty and less healthy, so I like to make this version. To make the pesto, I blend 6 tablespoons  of pine nuts with a small bunch of basil (I use leaves and the finer stalks), 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt to taste (I don't usually add any, but I'm not keen on salt!) and mix with cooked wholemeal pasta (approx 300g - the recipe makes enough for 3-4 days worth!). I have this with a rocket, watercress and spinach salad to up the nutrient levels even more, and sometimes chuck a tablespoon of toasted pine nuts on top for added flavour.

5. Tuna and rice salad - This is a recipe my friend told  me, and its my absolute favourite! The most filling of the lot - and so delicious I never want to stop eating it! To make it, cook 50g of brown rice. Mix the cooked rice with 50g tinned tuna (I use tuna in oil, as prefer the taste, but to be ultra-healthy and reduce calories just swop that for the version in spring water), 1 finely diced carrot, 2 sliced spring onions and a tablespoon of fresh peas (uncooked). Make a dressing by mixing 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp soy sauce and 2 tsp lemon juice. drizzle over the salad and mix well, add black pepper to taste.

So, those are some of the recipes I make when I am in the mood for cooking.. I will admit that some (very occasional..!) days, I still get to work without making my lunch - so I have a few more 'runner friendly' versions of lunches that I keep in my desk drawer for 'emergencies'. My favourites of these are the Food Doctor 'instant' pots - these are basically along the lines of a pot noodle, but with a much more powerful nutrition 'punch'! Just add water, wait a few minutes, and tuck in - I love the bulgar wheat and quinoa with asparagus, leek and mint - but all the versions honestly taste very good, and are surprising filling! The other option I have is the Merchant Gourmet Puy Lentils, which come in variety of flavours (I have the one with sun dried tomatoes and basil) - just heat the sachet in a microwave and you have a meal in minutes :-)

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, so if you have any other good lunch ideas, let me know!