Getting a healthy lunch is important for getting your nutrients and energy up throughout the afternoon. Working from home also means that you get a chance to be a bit more creative with your lunches. Using your break to make yourself a delicious lunch can be quite time consuming, and more effort than you want it to be. So, if you’re looking for an easier way of getting your energy up at lunchtime, then we are here to give you some work from home lunch ideas that aren't too much hassle.
Fueling your body with the right stuff is of high importance to us, which is why we offer a range of products that are light, nutritious, and perfect for those days when you don't feel like slaving over the stove.
Here are some great meals for your work from home lunches, courtesy of the experts here at Pow Food.
Salads
Salads are a classic lunch food, and you can make so many varieties that there is bound to be something you fancy. Their super healthy reputation is because of the vitamins, fibre and minerals they can provide you with. Salad involves virtually no actual cooking. If you’re looking for something quick and easy, all you need is some veggies in the fridge.
While the leafy greens are important, there’s so much you can throw into a salad to make it interesting. You can add a variety of cheeses, fruits, and meats to create a salad you can’t wait to eat. Make your salad extra delicious with a dressing too. You can buy one or just make one with what you’ve already got in the kitchen.
Salads are also perfect if you have some leftovers from the night before! Leftover chicken or vegetables can definitely go into your lunch, and try adding croutons or seeds for a bit of extra crunch.
Poke bowls
Poke bowls are another fresh lunch option that involves little cooking, and has great nutritional benefits. This Hawaiian dish usually consists of rice or noodles, a selection of fresh fruit & vegetables, and raw fish. However, you can make a poke bowl with cooked fish, chicken, or whatever other protein you might fancy. The only real ‘cooking’ element is your rice or noodles, but the meal overall is super healthy and is a great source of nutrients.
The great thing about poke bowls, much like salads, is the nutrients from all the fresh ingredients. Poke bowls can consist of a range of fresh fruit and vegetables. Try adding some edamame or a creamy avocado, you can play around with whatever you want to add. If you don’t fancy raw fish, try some cooked salmon or tuna. This is a pretty adaptable dish, making it a great idea for lunch!
Soups
Sometimes, a warm lunch is just what your body needs to re-energise. Soups are a good fluid source, high in fibre and nutrition. If you’re not too keen on your salads and raw vegetables, soups are a fantastic way to get your 5 a day.
A slice of toast or a buttered bread roll are also great accompaniments to a soup if you need a side that isn’t going to bloat you or be too heavy. They are a good way to keep fuller for longer with a light lunch option. Soups freeze really well too, so you can keep them on hand for whenever you want them, and just heat them up, making them super convenient for lunchtimes.
Our range of frozen soups has a variety of flavours and vegan options hand crafted by our team of chefs and nutritionists that you can get delivered. These soups are the perfect lunch on the days you don’t want to work too hard in the kitchen, but you’re still after something warm and tasty.
Wraps & Sandwiches
Wraps and sandwiches are two classic lunch options too. You can have an endless range of fillings, dressings and cheeses. You can also have them both cold, or heat them up. Have a salad on the side, or use salad as a filling. They are a good way to use up leftovers as a filling too, giving you a good range of ways to make your sandwich a little bit more interesting.
While they are pretty filling, they aren’t always the healthiest option, but using wholegrain wraps & bread and including some vegetables can be a good way to make sure you’re still getting some nutrition and vitamins.
Pasta dishes
If you’re up for spending a bit more time on your lunch, a quick pasta dish would be a tasty option. You can use pretty much any vegetables in a pasta dish and it will still taste good! So this is a good way to include some variety in your diet, you can use up things in the fridge and get your 5 a day in.
Because there are so many ways to make pasta, you can keep changing up your recipe to keep it interesting. Have a creamy base, a tomatoey base or try something like green pesto. Although it will take a little bit longer to prepare, it will definitely keep you fuller for longer and give you that mid afternoon energy boost you need during your working day.
You can top it off with chicken or fish, so you’re getting a filling, balanced meal which is also a good source of energy. If you want to be super healthy, you can opt for whole wheat pasta, but normal pasta is part of a good balanced diet as it is.
Quiches and tarts
Quiches work well both hot and cold, and as a light lunch too. They aren’t the healthiest option, as they have a lot of cheese, cream and butter, making them high in saturated fats. But, there are several low fat recipes you can make, try going crustless with your quiche, or substituting some of the heavier ingredients such as cream, for milk or a similar vegan alternative.
You can add so many things to your quiche Classic flavours, such as quiche Lorraine, which are tasty, but if you’re looking to keep on the healthier side, you can try adding different vegetables to get more nutrients. Ham and cheese is another classic filling for a quiche. You can make one and eat it over a few days, or you can easily find a store bought one to keep you going over lunchtimes too.
Tarts are very similar, and can be sweet or savoury. For savoury tarts you can include a variety of ingredients. The main thing separating a quiche and a tart is that a quiche has a custard based filling, with eggs and milk, whereas a tart does not rely on this and can have any filling. You can include so many vegetables in your tarts, leeks, mushrooms…etc. Don’t be afraid to make fun combinations in your tarts, use cheeses, fish, or bacon to keep it interesting. Again, much like quiche, you can keep your tart in the fridge and pick at it as and when you please, making it a convenient lunch time option.
Why choose Pow Food?
Our ethos
We have a passionate and dedicated team who have been working to create the most balanced and nourishing frozen meals for your freezer, with ethically sourced and sustainable ingredients. Our line of frozen meals is designed for optimum health, and are predominantly gluten and dairy free.
Our ethos here is based on the idea that ‘if food isn’t healing and strengthening your body then it isn't serving you’. Nutrition is all about nourishing our bodies, and getting good energy to fuel ourselves. For people working from home, maintaining that energy is vital. Preventing ourselves from burning out and being drained can be done in various aspects of our lives, but here at Pow Food, we think taking care of your body, inside and out is imperative.
Prioritise EmPowerment
Our emPower campaign has a range of healthy meal delivery and workout packages to encourage employees to take back their lunch hour, with specialised workouts and nutrition performance meals. With so many employees now working from home, it can be difficult to make healthy food choices at lunchtime, let alone do a workout too.
The emPower campaign is looking to change this. Claiming back your lunch break can significantly improve your afternoon productivity. With time efficient workouts and meditation techniques included in our campaign, we want to inspire people working from home to put their health and well-being first during their working day.
Try Our Healthy Home Catering Options Today
Healthy meal delivery and Ready Meal Boxes
Our carefully designed vegan, meat and fish dishes have been created deliberately to get the best out of frozen ready meals. To browse the range we have developed with quality and convenience in mind, simply visit our website. You can also learn more about our emPower campaign and sign up for meal plans and mindful workouts, alongside your tasty ready meals.
For any queries and questions, or to learn more about what we do here at Pow Food, feel free to get in touch with us.