You may have noticed that I generally do not eat meat with breakfast or lunch and only a couple of times a week with dinner. Although I usually have overnight oats or oatmeal for breakfast, I try to vary my lunches. I used to be a habitual peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and banana sandwich eater but in an effort to cut back on nut butter and incorporate more veggies and nutritious food, lunch has become more fun and healthier over the last year.
I know some people struggle with lunch ideas so I wanted to share five of my favorite meatless lunches with you!
Tofu Sandwiches
Tofu sandwiches are one of my favorite ways to pack a protein punch in my meatless lunches. Anytime I make tofu for dinner I make sure to set a few slices aside for a tofu sandwich. I usually either bake or sautee my tofu in thin strips. The texture is perfect for sandwiches. I like to include hummus, spinach, tomatoes and cheese in my tofu sandwiches.
Homemade Soup
It is so easy to make a big batch of soup and save the leftovers for lunch during the week. Some of my recent favorites are Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas and Spicy Black Bean Soup. Beans = protein!
Veggie Burgers
I know that not everyone is a fan of faux meat products but I’m a big fan of veggie burgers. My all-time favorite brand is Amy’s but any veggie burger will do. One of my favorite ways to serve them is open faced with avocado and melted cheese. YUM!
Hummus Plates
I love lunches where I can graze around my plate and create different combinations of food. One of my favorite ways to do this is with a hummus plate. I cut pita bread into triangles, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and sea salt. I bake it until it’s warm and just a little crispy and then serve with a variety of toppings.
Quinoa Bowls
It is easy and delicious to use leftover quinoa to create quinoa bowls for lunch. I usually serve the it on a bed of spinach and then top it with Greek yogurt, avocado and whatever else I have on hand.
What are your favorite meatless lunches?
What about tempeh? I make a killer BBQ tempeh sandwich 😉
Matt – I am still experimenting with ways to make tempeh super tasty. Please share your BBQ temeph sandwich method. 🙂
Awesome post! I am always looking for meatless lunch ideas and come up sort. Thanks!
I love your lunch ideas! You are definitely an inspiration for my open faced sandwiches. 🙂
Oh I am so glad you did this! I love getting new lunch ideas 🙂
My go-to meatless lunch is rice and beans. I cook up a batch of brown rice and keep black beans or kidney beans on hand. I combine the rice, beans, some salsa, and various toppings (cheese, avocado, hot sauce) for a quick meal.
Did you write this post for me? I only eat meat once a week or less at dinner and I’ve been slowly breaking free from the pb&j sandwich habit for lunch. Now I kind of have a quinoa habit 😉 I just book marked your black bean soup recipe. I’ve been looking for an easy, tasty soup recipe for awhile. It’s definitely soup weather!
I do a lot these for my lunches as well! Another good one I’ve been doing is microwave a potato (sweet or white), top with beans of choice, plain yogurt, spinach, salsa, cheese, etc… Works great!
Brittney – I love that idea. I’ve been meaning to try the sweet potato + beans combination. Thanks for the reminder!
Love these ideas! When I make a sandwich, I layer avocado slices and tomato for the “meat” portion. Soup is always a perfect veggie meal, too!
Love your blog! Just ran my first 1/2 in Dec and really appreciate all your tips and insights!
Lacey
laceyshaffer.blogspot.com
everything looks awesome! You are a great photographer too!
I love getting new lunch ideas because I always have to pack mine and bring it with me, the problem is I don’t have a microwave so I can never warm anything up (so no soups, no veggie burgers, no melting cheese). If you have any more cold lunch ideas that would be awesome!!
What a great post idea! I think people can too easily get into a rut with lunches and it’s neat to share some fresh ideas for us to change things up! Thanks. 🙂 I’m a fan of sanwhiches of all kinds at lunch too, but lately I’m enjoying half a sweet potatoe with different kinds of beans, spinach, tomatoes, avocado – all cut up and in a bowl mixed together. Delish!