9 Brown-Bag Lunch Tips for Grownups

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Commentary

 

1. Design an upscale sandwich.

Why settle for your usual sandwich when you can add interesting ingredients? Here are some examples of sandwiches that will wake up your taste buds in the middle of the workday and that you will actually look forward to eating:

• Roast turkey or pastrami, provolone cheese, avocado served on whole-grain bread spread with olive tapenade (you can buy this already made at specialty markets like Trader Joe’s).
• Roast beef, vine-ripened tomato or sundried tomato, alfalfa sprouts, and red or sweet onion on a whole-grain bun or bread spread with garlic and herb cheese spread.
• Grilled eggplant and fresh mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette and topped with fresh basil leaves and served on a whole-grain bun or baguette.
• Smoked turkey topped with sauteed onions and blue cheese on whole-grain bread.
• Roasted turkey, light cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and alfalfa sprouts or lettuce on whole-grain bread.

One of the easiest ways to give your sandwich a gourmet boost is to use an upscale cheese such as Gruyere, Brie, garlic Jack, or havarti (a semi-soft creamy cheese from Denmark).

Monica's tip: Keep your lunch fresh and exciting. Try different meats and cheese combinations. Add fruit. Change your bread.

 

2. Include the 3 key components.

The perfect weekday pick-me-up lunch usually contains three key components:

1. Special sandwich or lunch entree
2. Nutrient-rich side dish such as fruits, vegetables, and salad
3. Something sweet or crunchy-- such as chips, whole-grain pretzels, nuts, trail mix, or yogurt

Pack all three for a satisfying lunch.

3. It's a wrap!

Buy some whole-grain flour tortillas (available in most supermarkets) and you are on your way to making a wrap sandwich. Popular wraps include:

• Chicken Caesar salad wrap: Top a whole-grain tortilla with some light Caesar dressing, sliced or chopped skinless chicken breast, parmesan cheese, vine- ripened tomatoes, and romaine lettuce leaves.
• Mediterranean chicken wrap: Use olive tapenade, artichoke hearts, tomato, mixed greens, and grilled or roasted chicken.

Monica's tip: Use left over meat from dinner (chicken, steak, etc), add a spread, lettuce, tomato, pieces of apple or raisins, some cheese and you have a new view to leftovers and a hearty lunch.

Here's how to make a wrap:

• Step 1: Spread the top of a tortilla with a condiment or spread like Dijon mustard, pesto, olive tapenade, light salad dressing, or hummus.
• Step 2: Leaving a 1-inch border all around the tortilla, layer on a lean meat or vegetable protein source, cheese, spinach or fresh basil, vegetables, and any other ingredients.
• Step 3: Fold in the sides of the tortilla about one inch, and then roll it up tightly from the bottom. Wrap your sandwich wrap tightly in plastic or foil and refrigerate up to one day.

 

4. It's all in the spread.

Want to turn a sandwich into a high-flavor lunchtime delight? It’s all in the spread you use. Many upscale spreads, already made for you, are in your neighborhood supermarket.
One tablespoon is usually all you need. Here are the calories and fat per tablespoon:

• Olive tapenade (black and green olives, olive oil, garlic, capers, pimentos, mustard, spices): 40 calories, 4 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat
• Sundried tomato pesto: 52 calories, 5 grams fat, 0.7 grams saturated fat
• Basil pesto: 62 calories, 6.5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat
• Roasted red pepper hummus or other hummus flavors: 31 calories, 1 gram fat, 0.1 gram saturated fat
• Mango peach salsa: 20 calories, 0 grams fat and saturated fat
• Light garlic and herb spreadable cheese: 25 calories, 2 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat
• Mango chutney: 25 calories, 0 grams fat and saturated fat

These estimates are based on products available in most supermarkets.

 

5. Switch to whole grains.

More whole-grain options are now available than ever before. They include breads, sandwich rolls, tortillas, pasta, and crackers.

When you switch to whole-wheat or whole-grain products that have whole-wheat flour or whole grains as their first ingredient, you'll get more fiber and nutrients. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends using whole grains for at least half of your daily grain servings.

 

6. Make it a lunch salad.

Lunch salads can be a welcome change any day of the week. Pasta salad, tabbouleh (a Middle Eastern salad traditionally made from parsley, tomatoes, and cracked wheat), potato salad, and green salads can all become entrée salads when they include high-protein ingredients (lean meat, seafood, soy, low-fat dairy), and vegetables. If you have leftover pasta, potatoes, or tabbouleh, stir in some leftover lean meat, reduced fat cheese, and/or veggies and you’ve got your lunch for the day.

Keep your favorite light salad dressing in a refrigerator at work. This $3 investment saves you the hassle of packing a portion every time you pack a lunch salad.

 

7. Tank up on tuna.

Work lunches are a great chance to work in a serving of fish. Here are two tuna items:

• Tuna-salad sandwich: Make it with a can of water-packed tuna plus diced apple, celery, walnuts, light mayonnaise, fresh basil, lemon juice, and black pepper.
• Salad nicoise: Make it with chunks of canned tuna, small potatoes, green or yellow beans, tomatoes, hard-cooked eggs, olives, and a light vinaigrette.

There are plenty of other fish in the sea, so if tuna is not your favorite, substitute another fish.

Monica's tip: Tuna or salmon is great for lunch. It's hearty but doesn't weigh you down and it gives you a protein boost which is needed for that mid-day slump

 

8. Cook extra meat.

When grilling or roasting fish, poultry, or meat for dinner, make some extra for tomorrow’s lunch salad or sandwich. Some great meat options for lunch include roast beef, roasted sliced turkey, grilled chicken, and cooked shrimp. Or broil, grill, or boil skinless, boneless chicken breast in the evening and cool it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, it will be easy to handle when you're making your lunch.

 

9. Make your own frozen entree.

Pack last night’s leftover dinner fixings -- such as lasagna, enchiladas, or chili -- in a microwave-safe container to become a frozen entree for a future lunch.  When you pull it out of the freezer later, just add some fruits and vegetables to complete the meal. Don't forget food safety -- always store, thaw, serve leftovers appropriately.