18 Healthy Lunch Ideas for Weight Loss

Other healthy lunch options…

#11 Veggie pasta bake

Serves 6

200g pasta spirals
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small leek, halved, thinly sliced
100g button mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated

1. Preheat over to 180 degrees. Grease a 20cm round cake tin, and line base with baking paper.
2. Cook pasta according to packet instructions, drain, rinse in cold water, and return to the pan.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add leek, mushroom and garlic, cook for 5 minutes or until leek has softened.
4. Add leek mixture to pasta along with zucchini, carrot, parsley and eggs. Add half the cheese, stirring to combine. Transfer to the prepared tin, and top with remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool in the tin, and cut into wedges to make individual portions. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate in lunch boxes.

Serve with a green salad.

#12 Veggie fritters

Serves 4

1 small carrot, grated
1 small zucchini, grated
1/4 cup corn
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/3 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
3 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. Combine carrot, zucchini, corn, parsley, cheese, eggs, and flour in a bowl.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan, add a tablespoon of mixture, flatten slightly, and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden.
3. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to cool. Then refrigerate wrapped in plastic in lunch boxes (2 each).

Serve with veggie crudites and hummus dip.

#13 Salsa with cracker bread

Serves 4

125g corn
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 green capsicum, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, finely chopped

1. Place corn, tomatoes, capsicum, and coriander in a bowl and combine, season with pepper.
2. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Serve with multigrain crackers topped with reduced fat avocado dip.

Sandwich style lunches…

Sandwiches are the classic lunchbox option, but they don’t need to be boring!

To keep your sandwiches fresh wrap in plastic, and store in the fridge overnight in lunch boxes.

In the morning pop a frozen bottle of water into the box to keep your lunch completely cool, the bottled water will also serve as an ice cold drink for you later on.

Note: all sandwiches serve 4 people.

#14 Egg and veggie rolls

4 wholegrain bread rolls
1/3 cup reduced fat spring onion dip
40g spinach leaves
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 small green capsicum, sliced
3 hard boiled eggs (boil for about 7 minutes), sliced

1. Spread inside of rolls thinly with onion dip, top with half salad leaves, then all of the tomato, capsicum, and egg. Finish by adding the remaining salad mix, and the top half of the bread.
2. Wrap rolls tightly in plastic wrap, transfer to individual lunch boxes and you’re ready to go.

#15 Hummus and veggie wraps

4 multigrain wraps
1/2 cup reduced fat hummus dip
1/2 baby cos lettuce, leaves torn
150g tabouli (see recipe above)
1 small cucumber, cut into ribbons
1/2 red capsicum, sliced

1. Place wraps on a flat surface. Spread with hummus along the centre of each wrap, top with lettuce, tabouli, cucumber, and capsicum.
2. Roll up firmly, tie with small amount of string if necessary to keep together, wrap in plastic, and transfer to lunch boxes.

#16 Greek sandwich

1 large wholegrain bread roll
1 medium red capsicum, sliced
2 small tomatoes, sliced
1 small cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup olives, sliced
100g feta cheese, crumbled

1. Half the bread cross ways. Fill the base of the bread with capsicum, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and feta.
2. Replace bread tops, and cut into 4 pieces, before wrapping individually with plastic.

#17 Tuna sandwiches

8 slices wholegrain bread
310g can corn kernels
185g can tuna in spring water, drained
1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated
30g spinach leaves

1. Place 4 bread slices on a flat surface. Spread corn, tuna, cheese, and spinach onto bread bases.
2. Top with leftover bread, and cut into triangles before wrapping securely with plastic.

#18 Mexican turkey wraps

4 wholegrain tortilla wraps
1 1/2 cups iceburg lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated
125g cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 medium green capsicum, sliced
1 small avocado, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey
1/2 salsa

1. Place tortillas on a flat surface. Put lettuce along centre of each, top with cheese, tomatoes, capsicum, avocado, turkey, and salsa.
2. Roll up tightly, and fix with string if necessary. Wrap in plastic.

What healthy lunch ideas for weight loss do you have? I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Note: I’ve also written given some very basic healthy lunch ideas that may be helpful.

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