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You certainly have had this lunchtime daydream before: You’re far from your desk, basking in the sunshine, and eating a meal that’s equally healthy and delicious. It’s not an over-the-top fantasy, but it’s something that’s easy to conjure up as you routinely stab a fork into a sorry workweek lunch under the fluorescent lighting at your desk.
If you’d like to make this dream come true, these eight easy lunch recipes can help you do it, whether you’re craving a more lively salad, a classic sandwich, or the ever-popular avocado toast. Don’t wait to make such wishful thinking a reality: This fantasy is only a few ingredients away.
Club Sandwich With Pesto Mayonnaise
A classic lunch favorite like the club sandwich can be exactly what you need to get through the day, and this recipe from The Modern Proper makes the meal as easy as possible to re-create. Sandwich thins are layered with bacon, avocado, microgreens, deli turkey, and sliced tomato for color and crunch. Plus, a simple pesto mayonnaise brings extra richness to each bite, too.
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
This recipe from The Modern Proper is an alternative to the classic lunch salad, since its base is pearl couscous instead of leaves. Once the couscous is cooked, feta, cucumber, red onion, and cherry tomatoes are mixed in and layered with a simple Mediterranean dressing. As long as you make the couscous the night before, this should be an easy work lunch.
Mediterranean Avocado Chicken Salad
Another Mediterranean-inspired lunch comes in the form of a sandwich from Half Baked Harvest, which includes ripe avocados, shredded chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, arugula, and feta cheese between two slices of toasted whole-grain bread. Add in salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and serve lunch in about 10 minutes.
Tandoori Chicken Wraps
Consider making this second option from Half Baked Harvest on a Sunday, when all you want to do is catch up on your favorite shows. It starts by roasting chickpeas in spices and olive oil, and combining them with shredded carrots, chopped kale, and a coconut honey lime sauce inside large tortillas. Wrap everything up, and you have the perfect binge-ready lunch.
Black Bean Tostadas
When you’ve run out of ways to enjoy a bounty of summer vegetables, consider making this easy recipe from How Sweet Eats. It layers black beans, red onion, bell pepper, and spices with microgreens, corn, tomatoes, and avocado. Everything is placed on top of golden tortillas and spritzed with lime wedges.
Poke Tuna and Mango Salad
Instead of spending around $15 for poke at your go-to spot, experiment with making your own in all of 15 minutes, courtesy of this recipe from Foodie Crush. Sushi-grade tuna, which can be purchased at a specialty store, is combined with wasabi, mango, seaweed salad, sesame seeds, spring lettuce, and avocado for a bright and layered bowl you’ll want to eat every day.
Thai Steak Lettuce Cups
This recipe from The Modern Proper is perfect for weekends or those special days when you get to work from home. Tenderized and marinated steak is cooked for a couple of minutes and later thinly sliced. Then the meat is added to cups of butter lettuce filled with bell peppers, carrots, and herbs. For the final step, a quick Thai dressing is added on top.
Caprese Avocado Toast
Another way to enjoy avocado in your lunch is by slicing it up for this recipe from Foodie Crush, which brings a slight spin to its popular toast. Those two namesake ingredients are topped with low-fat cottage cheese, tomatoes, basil, flaxseed oil, and sea salt for a light lunch that can be made in minutes.
See more lunch ideas: 15 Healthy Summer Recipes to Pack for Lunch Summer-Friendly Lunch Ideas for the Busy Workweek Ahead Elizabeth Chambers Is a Master of School Lunches