Exploring New Lunch Ideas

Five new lunch recipes to amp up your lunches this winter

Ready to liven up your lunchtime menus? If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the lookout for healthy lunch options that are easy to whip up on a busy work-from-home day or transport well for those days in the office. Let’s explore a few new lunch ideas, starting with these. 

Mediterranean Chicken and Quinoa Bowl

Mealime, a meal-planning app, is an old favorite for me, but this recipe has become a staple in my lunch menus. Yes, it takes a little time, but I usually make it for dinner and use the leftovers for lunch the next day or make it as a weekend lunch when I have a little more time. It’s easy, full of flavor and makes enough leftovers for a couple of lunches. 

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Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese is hands down one of my favorite foods — and when I discovered you could easily toast one up in the air fryer? Gamechanger! That meant I could take a small cup of leftover chili for lunch in the office and pop some bread and cheese in the air fryer for a delicious, non-soggy grilled cheese that didn’t require a stovetop, skillet or griddle. You don’t necessarily need a recipe for an air-fryer grilled cheese — it’s basically bread, butter and cheese of your choice — but it does take a little trial and error with your air fryer to figure out the right timing. 

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Spinach and Gruyere Breakfast Casserole

I recently made this recipe from the New York Times Cooking app and loved it, but any type of breakfast casserole, quiche or frittata recipe you can make ahead of time and enjoy for lunch later is delicious. All of these egg bakes keep great in the fridge and are easy to pair with a simple green salad or fresh fruit for a fairly balanced lunch. (Also, I love the NYT Cooking app and highly recommend it, if you’re inclined to subscribe!) 

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Crescent Roll Sandwiches

Some days when I’m working from home, I just want something warm and fulfilling for lunch, not another salad or wrap I’ve created from whatever’s in the fridge. If that sounds familiar, give crescent roll sandwiches a try! Simply open a can and put one half of the dough on the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet, then top with your favorite sandwich meat, cheese and other toppings. Put the remaining crust on top and bake until the dough is golden and the cheese is melted. You can also choose to dress up the dough with a topping or just enjoy the buttery goodness of the crescent rolls all on its own. 

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Tortilla Rollups

I also enjoy what I like to call “snack lunches,” which are basically exactly what they sound like: bits and bites of different things that you can eat with your hands. Sometimes, I’ll have a little charcuterie, a handful of walnuts and dried cherries, some fresh fruit and veggies with hummus. It’s basically my play on an appetizer plate with slightly healthier options. One of the things that are fun to add to that are tortilla rollups or pinwheels. They’re easy to make, and we all usually have most of the ingredients in our fridges — plus these are easily customized to fit what you have on hand. Quick, tasty and easy — what’s not to love? 

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What are you enjoying for lunch? Share your suggestions (and recipe links) in the comments!