Mom Needs to Eat Too: Quick Ideas for A Delicious Lunch

I was at my thinnest when I was chasing around toddlers, but it wasn’t a “healthy thin,” because I never got to EAT! I didn’t have the time to eat. If I ever did get sustenance, it was at dinnertime when my husband was around to help. Even then, I would eat standing up, ready to take off after a wayward kid at any given moment. Avoiding "mom malnutrition" takes a little forethought, but it can be done! If you have a hard time fitting lunch into your daily schedule, or if you’re feeling deprived because your lunches mainly consist of granola bars, a handful of Goldfish and a cheese stick, check out these 10 easy lunches. You can treat yourself to any of these dishes in just five minutes!

1. Pesto Egg Salad

Do yourself a favor and skip making the homemade pesto in this recipe! Just get some store-bought pesto, boil the eggs at breakfast and put them in the fridge till lunchtime. Whip up your egg salad according to the recipe and eat it plain with crackers or on toast!

2. Five-Minute Goat Cheese, Herb, and White Bean Salad

Making the dressing from three ingredients in your fridge is the "hardest" part of this recipe! Get pre-washed salad greens, herbs, beans right out of the can and a sprinkle of goat cheese, and you’re set.

4. Super Tuscan Panino with Soppressata and Marinated Artichokes

If you’ve been bemoaning your captivity in the house all day, every day, this sandwich will take you right to the cobblestoned streets of a quaint Italian town. Just four ingredients make this sandwich super special and delicious.

5. Chopped Crunch Salad

A little chopping of fresh, crunchy veggies is all the work you’ll do for this salad, and a healthy smattering of blue cheese is the cherry on top!

6. Spinach-Feta Pizza

Pizza is always a perfect lunch in my book! Use pesto as the base on pita rounds or change up the recipe with pasta or pizza sauce, then add pieces of fresh spinach, mushrooms (buy them pre-sliced to save time), sliced grape tomatoes and feta cheese.

7. Bacon Blue Cheese Chicken Sandwich

Buy some pre-cooked, microwave bacon to make bacon for this sandwich in just 30 seconds. Make the delicious three-ingredient sauce, spread on blue cheese, slice off a few pieces of rotisserie chicken and top with crunchy Romaine, jarred red peppers and fresh avocado.

8. Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich

If you keep your freezer well-stocked with chicken tenders, this recipe is calling your name! Just bake a couple of large tenders and put them on a tasty toasted sandwich roll. Top the roll with a homemade chipotle mayo, sliced avocado, lettuce, red onion and a drizzle of honey.

9. Turkey and Veggie Sandwich

Spread hummus on toast, and top with deli turkey (like Land O’Frost Bistro Favorites Rotisserie Seasoned Turkey Breast), grated Parmesan cheese, and any raw vegetable you have on hand (lettuce, tomatoes, sliced cucumber, red peppers, or onions).

10. Grilled Ham and Pear Sandwich

If you’re a person who loves to combine salty and sweet, this sandwich is perfect for you. Just spread your favorite bread with Dijon mustard and layer it with ham, shredded mozzarella, and thinly sliced pears. Grill it in the pan until just golden brown, so that the pears still have a little crunch!

11. Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

You can make salad dressing following this recipe with ingredients readily found in your kitchen (although I usually don't have poppy seeds on hand), or just buy some poppy seed dressing from the store. Otherwise canned chicken, dried cranberries, green onions and pecans are all you’ll need! Take yourself off the “toddler diet” today, and treat yourself to these special lunch dishes—even if you have to eat them standing up!

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