Last week, I was lucky enough to appear on Indy Style and share some nutritious and delicious recipes perfect for a midday meal.
I shared my Tuna Avocado Salad, Mediterranean Quinoa Salad and this Taco Quinoa Salad. All three of these recipes are simple to make, are only one or two servings, really pack the flavor and are full of nutritious ingredients.
Taco Quinoa Salad is a favorite lunch of Brian’s. For this recipe I made sure to focus on lots of fresh ingredients:
Black beans – full of fiber and plant protein
Quinoa – contains plant protein
Salsa – filled with tomatoes and other vegetables! Adding salsa is a great way to sneak in veggies.
Cherry tomatoes – good source of lycopene, which is the pigment that makes the tomatoes red and does wonderful things for our bodies.
Avocado – healthy fat (monounsaturated fatty acids) and fiber
Bell pepper – very high in vitamin C
Lime juice – another good source of vitamin C
I also added a touch of cumin and salt to boost that flavor even more.
When it comes to lunch time, here were the top questions I received:
Not full enough or feel like you aren’t eating the right combination of foods to energize you and keep you focused into the afternoon.
Lack of time for planning lunches.
No microwave to reheat leftovers.
In a lunch rut and need more options.
Looking for plant protein options.
Here are my answers…
Need a more filling lunch
When it comes to feeling full and having sustained energy, it’s important to eat a combination of foods giving you protein, fat and carbohydrates at each meal and snack. This will help stabilize your blood sugar levels, energy and keep your focus on point!
Pay attention to your hunger cues and if your are consistently hungry in the afternoon, ravenous at dinner or have zero energy to power through the end of the day, eat a little more or pack an afternoon snack (or both!).
Lack of time
I get it! I’ve been in busy seasons of life, and I am sure more are coming my way. That being said, I always felt like when I carved out a little time (30 minutes or less) to plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the week my mind was a little more free to think and worry about OTHER things that needed to get done.
Something I use with a lot of my clients is a meal planner and grocery list template. If you sign up for my email list (the link is in a pop-up or at the bottom of the home page), you will receive a download with my grocery list and meal planner template!
Plant Protein
Some of my favorite plant protein sources are:
quinoa
tofu
tempeh
chickpeas
black beans
hemp seeds
They are all pretty versatile and can be added to a wide variety of dishes to boost the protein content.
And for the other requests…no microwave is required for these meals and hopefully they are new dishes you can add to your rotation!
Food Allergies and Intolerances
This meal is naturally gluten free and dairy free 🙂
I LOVE this recipe idea! I pretty much use quinoa over brown rice all the time because it cooks so much faster. This salad looks like a great use of it and plus tacos – I’m sold!
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This sounds like a week night staple dinner for sure!
Thanks! Would love to know if you give it a try 🙂
I LOVE this recipe idea! I pretty much use quinoa over brown rice all the time because it cooks so much faster. This salad looks like a great use of it and plus tacos – I’m sold!
Yes! Cooking quinoa is SO much quicker 🙂