I often hear that overwhelm or lack of time for lunch gets in the way of weight loss progress. Skipping lunch may lead to feeling ravenous at dinner time, overeating, and affecting our progress and mental health on our weight loss journey.
In my blog, I’ve previously discussed how we can prioritize a nutritious breakfast and why that’s important. That certainly still applies here! We want to start building consistent routines into our lifestyle to start feeling our best physically and mentally. Now that we understand eating a healthy breakfast, let’s think about a quick lunch option that is easy to prep and simple to hit your nutrition goals.
Eating consistently throughout the day is important for many reasons. One being to support a healthy metabolism. Another being to support our mood, mental health, and energy levels. So when it comes to lunch, we need to make this meal time a non-negotiable.
Making a balanced lunch
When considering what to make (especially within a busy schedule) we really want to focus on hitting our macronutrients and providing the proper portion. This means that our meal includes carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Plus, it also means that we don’t want to be a large, unbalanced portion. Which could end up tanking our energy levels. Unbalanced options could look like several slices of plain pizza, a large amount of carb-based snacks, or a bread-based meal without protein.
Other unbalanced options we want to avoid are just eating vegetables and protein without carbs. Having unsatisfying meals will also lead to hunger later in the day and unsupported energy levels. This may look like a big salad with just protein and no fat or carbs.
For a simple balanced lunch, we can take a small amount of time once per week and make this recipe: grilled orange zest chicken, herbed quinoa, and roasted cauliflower with tahini dressing.
This recipe is an easy and tasty options that you can prep for the week in about one hour.
Chicken:
2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dried ground fennel
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, massaging the herbs and spices into the chicken. Let sit 15 minutes or overnight. Cook the chicken with your preferred method—either on the grill until internal temperature reaches 165, or sear in a pan then transfer to an oven at 425 until internal temperature reached 165.
Quinoa
4 cups dry quinoa
8 cups bone broth
½ cup chopped dill
½ cup chopped mint
½ cup chopped parsley
Cook quinoa in all of the broth per the package instructions. Typically, you can bring the broth and quinoa to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover for 15-20 minutes until it is cooked. After quinoa is done, mix herbs into it.
Cauliflower
2 heads of cauliflower
Olive oil as needed
Salt + pepper as needed
Chop your cauliflower into bite sized florets. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven at 425 for 25-30 minutes until well cooked to your liking.
Tahini Dressing
½ cup tahini
¼ cup lemon
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a blender or bowl. Blender will be smoother if you have access to one. Add more water as needed. Taste and adjust as needed Once all components are made, you will have delicious and easy lunches for the whole week. Portions may need to be adjusted per your own personal plan, which we can develop after you schedule a free call.
Start adding in some healthy routines and start seeing the difference it makes in your health & happiness!
