Not so typical brown bag lunches

Gone are the days when your children, spouse or you were satisfied with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread, an apple and a juice box. These days it is not uncommon for peanut butter to be banned in the classroom due to the epidemic of severe allergies.

With all the lunches that have been made over the years, it is hard to imagine that there are any new ideas. But believe it or not, there are, and it really never has to get old at lunch time.

Leftovers

Families and individuals eat out a lot these days. Restaurants serve huge portions. Before you even begin to eat your meal, ask for a to-go box and pack up to half of your meal. Depending on where you work, you may have access to a microwave oven to reheat your meal for lunch. If not, consider turning part of your protein into a sandwich or take home your side salad or soup. For the children, they will not be able to warm up the food so the only leftovers that will work are those that they will enjoy cold. Pizza is a delicious lunch cold and most brown-baggers will enjoy a piece or two.

Cheese and crackers

There are an almost endless number of cheeses available and plenty of cracker options. Among the most popular is the good old Ritz cracker which is a natural combination with cheddar, Havarti, Brie, Gouda, mozzarella and Swiss. You can also add some fresh fruit but be sure to choose ones that won’t get brown when they are cut or if you use apple slices, put a little lemon juice on them to keep them fresh looking. Be sure to use a cold pack to keep the whole thing fresh. Blueberries are sturdy and they combine well with most cheeses.

Sandwich

Today’s sandwich can be a wrap or a pita, a mini bagel or artisanal bread. What it should not be is the same old white bread that has little or no nutritional value. For something really special, make your own crostini right at your desk. Pack bags filled with interesting ingredients, a little container of pesto or hummus, diced tomatoes, crumbled real bacon, tender slices of chicken breast, the options are endless. Bring along a small bottle of good quality olive oil to pour on the bread and then add the additional ingredients. Small, open faced and delicious, what is not to like?

Soup

Fill a thermos with homemade soup. It can be hot vegetable soup or beef stew or cold fruit soup. If you don’t have the time to make homemade, there are plenty of good quality soups available at the grocery store.

Veggies

Veggies with dip are a perfect lunch. It can be a simple sour cream and dried soup mix or a container of store bought hummus. You can also use lettuce or endive as the base for a wrap. Think things like ham salad in a romaine wrapper, shrimp salad in endive. You are only limited by your imagination.

Eggs

While egg salad is always a popular choice, why not carry some boiled eggs, a scrambled egg on a bagel or even a slice of frittata. Eggs are versatile, delicious and nutritious. They also combine well with lots of other proteins.

You are only limited in what you can carry in your brown bag by your imagination. Fresh fruit makes a great addition to a meal or can be eaten as a meal. Try to avoid processed foods and drinks and make your own ice teas and herbal infusions. They can be sipped plain or with a little honey for sweetness. And of course, for adults, there is no rule that says you can’t have dessert for lunch so have whatever you are really in the mood for.