Hi, I’m Georgia, the Customer Journey and E-Commerce Manager at team BB. It seems like I’m part of the furniture here now, but many moons ago, I was a chef.
…And many moons ago, I used to eat salads every day! But we all know eating healthy lunches is easy when you’re already in the kitchen. And I’ve become familiar with the struggles of time management and eating balanced lunches. I’ve become a ‘serial egg on toast-er’ now I’m laptop-based. Creating these recipes has reminded me to (try) and get back into lunch prepping. I’m not talking about perfection. Maybe just enough to mix up Monday to Wednesday. Even just a couple of quick changes, such as prepping a dressing or pre-slicing veggies once a week, can make a huge difference in habit forming and getting back on the lunch-loving wagon.
Here are some quick recipe ideas I’ve been trying. Feel free to combine every element to make a mega lunch, or get creative and mix them up depending on your taste and what’s already in the fridge. I’m a… ‘little bit of this, little bit of that’ type of cook, as you can adapt most lunch recipes easily. And not having to buy everything from scratch will help save some pennies. (Obviously, don’t try this with technical bakes, e.g. soufflés, as it could have a chaotic effect on the outcome.)
I hope you enjoy!
Grab & Go Mushroom & Pine Nut Frittatas
Makes 6
- 6 eggs
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100g mushrooms
- 75g cheddar cheese (or, whatever you fancy, leave out if lactose free)
- Knob of butter (or, vegan marg if lactose free)
- 100ml whole milk (or, dairy free alternative)
- 2 TBSP pine nuts
- 2 spring onions
- Handful (big sprig) of parsley
- 1 clove of garlic
Equipment
- Reusable rubber cupcake cases work really well! You could also grease your yorkie tins, or they don’t have to be individual - you could use a loaf tin.
- Measuring jug.
Method
- Finely dice the mushrooms. Finely chop the parsley. Finely slice the spring onions.
- Fry in the butter until golden and the water has released. This does take a bit of time, around 15-20 mins. Don’t rush the mush. When your mushrooms are very nearly done add 1 TBSP of pine nuts to toast them up a bit, along with the parsley.
- While that mix is cooling, crack your eggs into a jug. Add the milk and whisk until completely beaten and combined. Add the cheese and salt. Stir through.
- Go back to your mushroom mix and spoon it equally between your cupcake cases. Then, equally divide the egg mix between them.
- Sprinkle your spring onions and the rest of the pine nuts on top of each frittata.
- Bung in the oven for 25 mins at 180°C. They’ll be puffed up and fully cooked through.
- Can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
THE salad
Does roughly 4 servings
- Prep ya salad bits
Salad can last a few days in the fridge, provided you NEVER dress your veggies. And they’re dried off as best you can. My go-to is a cucumber and tomato mix, but anything goes, provided it’s all in the same raw state. If you like roasted veggies in your salad, keep those separate.
- 250g mixed baby tomatoes
- ½ a cucumber
- 30g mint
- 30g parsley
- 200g feta
Method
- Half the tomatoes, I find they last longer when you minimise their smooshy insides from getting into the mix.
- Halve, then quarter the cucumber. Carefully slice out the middle bits of cucumber from the batons. Sorry if I’m telling you how to suck eggs here. You can 100% roll your eyes at me… but how the veg is prepped does make a difference to how alive (or sad) it looks the next day.
- Finely chop the herbs and toss everything together a couple of times.
- Pre-cube the feta, but KEEP SEPARATELY in Tupperware until you serve up.
Prep the toppings
I like to have prepped gubbins (toppings) ready to go. They’re a quick way of jazzing up meals. Roasted nuts and toasted seeds are the little bits that make a salad more exciting.
Spiced chickpea salad toppers
- 1 tin of chickpeas
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cumin powder (or seeds)
- ¼ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- Slug of oil
Method
Literally, what it says on the err…chickpea tin. Chickpeas crisped in the oven. They’re insanely simple and barely count as a recipe. So it’s more a reminder of an easy way to add flavour and texture to your salads.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas
- Toss through the spices and oil
- Tip onto a tray and toast at 200°C for 25-30 mins.
- Best on the day as they’ll be crispy! But can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Pickled onions
Instead of pre-mixing onions like you would in a Greek salad, keeping some pickling separately in a jam jar helps with shelf life.
- 1 red onion
- ½ tsp maple syrup (or any sugary substitute)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 TBSP vinegar
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 empty jam jar
Method
Finely slice the onions and add to the jam jar. Add all the liquids, then whack on the lid and shake up to combine everything well. Leave them to do their thing.
Can be stored in the fridge for the week.
Salsa Verde
Add this salsa verde to yoghurts and dilute into dressings throughout the week. It’s great as is, too.
- ½ green chilli (deseeded)
- ½ garlic clove
- ½ tsp salt
- Zest of a lemon
- 30g fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
- 30g fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
- ½ maple syrup (any sugary substitute - agave/honey etc.)
- 200ml oil
- 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar (red/white wine vinegar works fine)
Method
- I find shoving everything in a Nutri-Bullet is the quickest way, but a Vitamix, blender, or even finely chopping and using a good old-fashioned spoon works, too. It can be blended smooth or kept chunky.
- Can be stored in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you like a runnier dressing:
- Mix 3 TBSP of the salsa verde with 2 TBSP of water.
- On the day you’re serving it, it’s nice to finely chop some mint through it, too. I’ve left it off the recipe (above) as it can make things go brown quicker.
Tahini & Herb Yoghurt
Another variation. Mixing up the dips and dressings definitely helps to avoid prepped lunch fatigue.
- 100g thick Greek yoghurt (or a vegan alternative)
- 50g tahini
- 2 TBSP salsa verde
Method
Easy peasy. Stir it all together until combined.
