We know how hard it is to whip up a healthy, nutritious meal that you actually want to eat for lunch, especially when you’ve got kids, work and everything else that comes with your busy life but it doesn’t have to be hard! It’s something the SynxBody team are all too familiar with having our kids running around, especially during the school holidays when there seems to be less time than ever!
There are so many deliciously healthy meals that you can prep for your lunch, so you’re not eating the same old boring vegemite sandwich for lunch (because that’s what you made for the kids, so made one for yourself at the same time too).
These are two of our favourites!
Buddha Bowls
Buddha Bowls are the perfect lunch for busy people because you can prep most of it in advance and store in the fridge to grab and go. This recipe makes about 4 serves.
What you’ll need:
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 red onion, diced
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 500g chicken breasts (or a hot roast chook to make it even easier)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/4c lime juice
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 4c cooked brown rice
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 2c baby spinach
- 1 tbsp coriander, for garnish
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200°C. On a large baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes and onion with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender (20 to 25 minutes).
- While the potato is cooking, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Season chicken with garlic powder, ginger, salt, and pepper. Cook until golden and no longer pink in the middle. Allow to rest and slice.
- In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, and honey. Whisk in sesame oil and 1 tablespoon olive oil until smooth.
- Divide cooked rice between 4 reusable containers and top each with sweet potato mixture, chicken, avocado, and baby spinach. Sprinkle with coriander and sesame seeds and drizzle with dressing before serving.
Notes:
- To make this for work lunches, keep the cooked chicken in a separate container and warm up before serving. We also like to put the dressing in a separate container and add right before serving, so it doesn’t make the Buddha Bowl soggy.
- Remember that cooked chicken should be consumed within 2 days of cooking, so it’s best to cook the chicken as you need it.
- You could swap the chicken for salmon or tuna in this dish.
- To make it even healthier, swap the brown rice for cauliflower rice.
Chinese Chicken Salad
This is another one of all time fave recipes, and super quick to throw together.
What you’ll need:
For the salad
- 3c finely chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
- 2c shredded red cabbage
- 2c shredded chicken (we love buying a hot roast chook to use for shredded chicken)
- 1/2c mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 instant noodles packet, crushed (flavour packet discarded)
- 1/2 c shredded carrot
- 1/3 c sliced spring onions
- 1/4 c slivered almonds
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 c vegetable oil
Method:
- To make the salad, in a large bowl, toss together lettuce, red cabbage, chicken, mandarin oranges, crushed ramen noodles, carrots, green onions, and sliced almonds.
- To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly until emulsified.
- Before serving, drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine.
Notes:
- To make this for work lunches, keep the cooked chicken in a separate container and warm up before serving. We also like to put the dressing in a separate container and add right before serving, so it doesn’t make the Buddha Bowl soggy.
- Remember that cooked chicken should be consumed within 2 days of cooking, so it’s best to cook the chicken as you need it.
- You could swap the chicken for salmon or tuna in this dish.
