Not the same "ol" lunch ideas

Grainy Honey Nut Sandwich

Instructions:

Grab two slices of sprouted or grainy bread (with gluten or without). Which ever hearty bread you fancy. Toast the bread if you wish. Spread 1 Tbsp of Almond Butter on one slice of bread. Drizzle 1 tsp of Honey over almond butter. Add a dash of Cinnamon. Top with other slice of bread and cut on the diagonal. Enjoy with a bit of fruit and a greek yogurt for an extra protein punch. *You can substitute Peanut Butter or Cashew Butter for the Almond Butter
 

Smoked Salmon Lunch

Instructions:

*You want to keep the ingredients separate until you are ready to feast. We want the crisp bread to stay crisp. 

Take 4 or 5 rectangular Rye Crisp Bread (Finn Rye Crispbread - find it in the cracker aisle). Top each crisp bread with a smear of Cream Cheese (in total about 1.5 Tbsps). Slice 40-45 grams of Smoked Salmon thinly, and top cream cheese. Take a wedge of lemon and squeeze over the salmon. Have 1.5 cups of raw vegetables and 15 grapes to make it a meal. *If you really want to take this little lunch up a notch add some fresh chives, capers or dill to the cream cheese :).
 

Mediterranean Bento Box

Instructions: 

I love bento type meals or platter meals. There are so many different flavour combinations that you can play with. The picture above kind of tells it all. Aim for approximately 2 Tbsp of Hummus and 30 grams of Cheese. 

*Other Ideas for your bento box. Leftover Rotisserie Chicken, Roasted Almonds, Feta Cheese, Balsamic Vinaigrette for some veggie dipping, Naan bread, Dark Chocolate ;)

Don't Let Your Meals Suck!

It's often one ingredient or one extra step that can transform your sandwich, salad or the whole meal. Take the extra second in front of your cabinet or fridge and ask yourself 'what would make this taste better?'. Meals are only boring if you make them that way. 

Here are a few things I do to make meals tasty and interesting.

1. Always keep green onions on hand. You would be surprised how much flavour they can add to your sandwich or a simple salad. 
2. Peel your carrots. A lot of people keep the peel on. There is nothing wrong with this if you like the 'taste' from the peel. But overall I think more people would dig raw carrots if they didn't leave the bitter peel on.  And, no you are not sacrificing much in the way of nutrients and fibre. 
3. Grainy mustard. You will always find this ingredient in my house. It can liven up a veggie sandwich or add to your oil and vinegar dressing. 
4. Let your meat rest. After you've cooked almost any type of meat, whether it's on the bbq or in the oven let it rest i.e. leave it alone. Don't cut into it right away or all of it's juices and flavour, flow out. 
5. Toast slivered almonds. Prep a batch of slivered almonds for the week. Toast them in the oven or on the stove in a pan. But be careful. I've gotten sidetracked and came back to black almonds more than once :) These little toasted bits of deliciousness add some healthy fats and protein, and can transform your plain green beans, rice, quinoa or even plain cut up fruit. A fav of mine is yogurt, cinnamon, orange and toasted almonds, mmmmm.

What to buy organic...and what to save your money on!

Dirty Dozen *Buy these Organic

1. Strawberries
2. Apples
3. Nectarines
4. Peaches
5. Celery
6. Grapes
7. Cherries
8. Spinach
9. Tomatoes
10. Bell Peppers
11. Cherry Tomatoes
12. Cucumbers

Clean 15 *Lowest in Pestisides

1. Avocado
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapples
4. Cabbage
5. Sweet Peas
6. Onions
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Papayas
10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant
12. Honeydew Melon
13. Grapefruit
14. Cantaloupe
15. Cauliflower

For a full list and more information, visit www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php