Eating Clean: My "S" Lunches

Photo: Beglip, Morguefile

The point of following a whole foods diet is to eat clean. Since I avoid preservatives and processed foods, this means cooking from scratch a lot.

Often I'm asked how I can do this without being in the kitchen for hours each day. Well, I try to keep breakfast and lunch simple. Breakfast is usually a mix of fruits, soy milk and juice blended into a smoothie.

At lunch, I stick to my favorite four "S" lunches:

1. Salads
Salads are so fast to put together. Start with a bed of dark leafy greens such as romaine or baby spinach. Then I chop whatever vegetables I have on hand, add a little cheese and chopped hard boiled egg (made ahead of time) for protein. Lunch is ready in 10 minutes or less. If you're not a vegetarian, add cubes of cooked chicken or turkey.

2. Soups
My go-to lunch soup is usually potato. I put a cup of water and a thinly sliced potato in a small pot. While it boils I chop up a bit of red onion. After the potato is softened and most of the water has evaporated, add a cup of milk and use a stick blender to make the soup creamy. Finally toss in the onion, some shredded cheese, a little seasoning and lunch is ready. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Steamed
Lately I've been on a Brussels sprouts kick. I've been buying them fresh and experimenting with how to cook them. Today I washed, cleaned and sliced in half a big handful of the little green cabbages. I tossed them and a thinly sliced potato into the steamer and five minutes later they were soft. I sprinkled on some sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and a pat of real butter. Yum!

4. Sauteed
Ok, when I have a little extra time, I fire up the rice cooker and saute a bunch of vegetables on the cook top. While the rice cooks, I slice onions, broccoli, carrots, tofu, mushrooms, bell peppers and really any other vegetable I want to add. Add a little extra virgin olive oil to a skillet and caramelize the onions and brown the mushrooms. Finally, I add the other vegetables and cook them just until they are warm and slightly softened. Serve over a bed of brown rice with a splash of soy sauce or liquid aminos for a healthy lunch in about 30 minutes.

What are your go-to, whole foods lunch favorites?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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