For the past few years, our work routine has utterly changed. If yesterday we were complaining about how tired we are going to the office and back home every day, now we dream about it. If a year ago we aimed to eat at home more, today, we have no other choice. Yet, if in the first case, we can’t impact the situation, in the second one, we can at least (or at last?) contribute to our health by cooking tasty meals that will correspond with our low activity.
Are you interested in how to get full and yet, feel no guilt about it? We know the secret, and willingly share it with you!
With these 10 simple business lunch recipes under 500 calories your everyday life will become healthier, tastier, and full of flavour.
- Hummus With Vegetables
This combination is a golden mile for those who need a healthy meal, don’t want to feel hungry soon again and, probably, try to lose weight. It doesn’t require much time to prepare (or can be easily found at your closest market) and is good for you. It is a great source of protein for vegetarians and vegans.
Hummus contains a lot of fiber and protein, thus it is a great idea to add it to the menu to make it nutritious and healthy. It is great for building your muscles, and yet doesn’t affect your weight.
Simply pick a flavor of hummus you like the most and choose your favourite vegetables. For example, celery and red pepper hummus taste amazing together. Also, you can use some healthy chips to use as dips to get more carbs.
½ cup of hummus is about 380 calories. Add vegetables and get a perfect business lunch in no time.
- Avocado Tuna Salad
Let’s start with how this dish looks and what texture it has! Fantastic, right? It is not only good for your body, but your mental health, as well.
Avocado has fats that make you feel full fast, and the tuna has proteins that help this feeling last longer. It is a perfect pair!
Eat the salad itself, make a paste from it, or make a sandwich with wholewheat bread, put it in the pita. Invent! Nothing could ruin it.
One serving of Avocado Tuna Salad is about 350 calories.
- Roasted Beet Salad With Walnuts and Feta
Again, there is bright color and deep flavour in one package. And it is nothing but healthy. Besides, as the calorie count is very low, you can eat more of it and feel full longer.
You can eat a classic variant of salad, or add some rucola or parsley, experiment with shallots or red onion, and get a unique mix of flavors. This meal won’t leave you disappointed. And nuts will reduce stress and make your brain work even better than dark chocolate.
The intake per serving is about 450 calories.
- Vladimir Nabokov’s Eggs
Long before remote work and low activity issues, Vladimir Nabokov knew how to make life more delicious. There is a full story about how to properly boil eggs told by the writer, but we are interested in them, first of all, as in the source of pure protein.
Do not neglect single products. Use it as a base for tartines with herbs, eat them with asparagus, or just with garlic sauce. Use any combination you like to become stronger and, probably, more creative, in case you are an essay writer aiming to become as good as your idol.
One boiled egg is only 80 calories.
- Roast Chicken With Pumpkin
Cut the pumpkin, cut the chicken, add your favourite seasoning, some olive oil and put it in the oven for one hour. You can easily do it in the morning or in advance, so you don’t spend time during your workday. This simple, yet very delicious and healthy recipe is a must-have lunch variant for every person who takes care of her health.
Chicken is one of the best sources of protein which gives you the feeling of being full for a long time, and pumpkin is a vegetable you should love if you haven’t yet. It has a very interesting structure and has a unique flavor.
Roast chicken with pumpkin has about 160 calories per 100 grams.
- Zucchini and Feta Quiche
Are you into quiches? No? Then it is time to change your mind!
Quiches are a brilliant option for busy yet conscious people. It allows us to eat more vegetables without noticing it (they are greatly accompanied with meat, cheese and dough), it is easy to cook (basically, you put everything you’ve found in the fridge to the oven and add some cream cheese with eggs), and it could be frozen!
The zucchini and feta quiche is your savior! It is tasty, contains enough fat to feel full, nourishes your body with healthy nutrients and goes in a pie form.
Experiment with different seasoning, cheeses, and vegetables. Everything will work.
The quiche serving is around 250 calories.
- Pasta Salad
At first, it sounds a little bit odd. Many prefer to eat pasta and salad separately. However, this invention is a great low calorie meal that makes it possible to get through the day without eating more calories than it was planned.
You can mix everything you want. But the base, obviously, are pasta (not spaghetti, though), tomatoes, and cheese. Then, follow your passion. Add some corn, roasted chicken and ham, maybe, salmon, boiled eggs, green vegetables. Just don’t forget about the proper seasoning. This is what makes this kind of lunch stand out. Use greek yogurt, mustard, sour cream, and forget about the mayo. It will block all the other flavors. Make it interesting, not usual.
Pasta salad calories intake differs depending on the ingredients, yet, it doesn’t usually go beyond 350 calories per serving.
- Black Bean Wrap
Wrap is the fast and comfortable way to have a good lunch when you have no time for a proper one. Though, it is not recommended to eat while having something else on mind, it happens a lot and all we can do is to get a healthy snack.
Black bean wrap is a fabulous resource of protein, especially if you are deciding on eating less meat. All you need is tortilla, pita or any other “package” bread. Black beans go greatly with corn, avocado and green salads. It takes only 5 minutes to get a snack, and nourish you perfectly.
Black bean wrap is usually around 100 calories per 100 grams.
- Shrimp Taco Bowl
Bowl is a fancy name for eating everything you find in the fridge. Yet, when you put everything you get in the fridge in one big bowl, you can suggest what you can throw back to the fridge and what you are lacking. It is a kind of organizing skill.
Shrimp taco bowl is a source of protein, fat, and fiber. Green vegetables and beans create a great company for shrimps. It is a light lunch that at the same time provides you with all the needed vitamins and elements. It is fast and easy to cook, and doesn’t require some chef’s skills.
Shrimp taco bowl is about 250 calories per serving.
- Oatmeal With Peanut Butter and Banana
How can we not mention peanut butter? Never! Even if it is about low calories intake. There are many recipes where you can add it and enjoy your favorite flavour with no harm for your diet. Though, this recipe looks like breakfast one, it actually could be prepared and eaten any time of the day. And it provides the body with all the crucial elements to work effectively.
Oatmeal is the main product, and it is low in calories, thus, even adding peanut butter and banana to it you can be sure you won’t exceed your 500 calories. And you’ll get a tasty, sweet lunch that supplies your brain with energy to work and think better. Excellent option for a sweet-tooth person who seeks ways to eat less sweet. but isn’t ready for torturing.
One serving of the oatmeal with peanut butter and banana is about 450 calories.
Eating healthy sounds more difficult than it is. Thanks to globalization, we can eat everything we want and our choices don’t depend on the country we live in. We can eat avocados, bananas, and any other vegetables and fruits all year round. Today, it is just about our informed decision.
Low calorie recipes exist, and they don’t require using rare products. All you have to do is to start cooking consciously, and the results won’t make you wait. Bon appetit!
