Are you bored with your lunch?  Lunch is a big topic of discussion in my house.  My children (8 and 10 years old) want one thing and typically it involves a pasta type product bathed in a cheesy sauce.  However, I am all about balance with whole grains, veggies and a lean protein.  Plus, a fruit to sweeten and cleanse the palate.  With this month’s Recipe Redux calling for lunchtime creativity, let’s muster up a new noon-time meal to get excited about!

Limpin’ Along for Lunch: Ever get in a lunch rut? Need new ideas for packing your kids’ or your own lunch? Are packable noontime options dwindling? Surely you’ve met the ‘What shall I pack for lunch?” question head-on with creative ideas. Please share your healthy lunch recipe – so we can swap it into our own rotation.

I am a firm believer that lunchtime calls for simple nutrition action.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should get your through the peak of your day with energy and productivity.

My lunch criteria:

• Incorporate fiber with veggies, fruits or whole grains, beans or lentils.
• Add protein (seafood, chicken or turkey breast, tofu, egg, yogurt) for satiety and to stabilize your blood sugar for at least 3 - 4 hours.
• Choose healthy fats for texture and mouthfeel (avocado, nuts, seeds, fish, and/or olive oil).
• Throw in some fruit (berries, apples, orange slices, melon).
• Use what you have in your pantry or fridge - in other words, repurpose leftovers.

Today, I want to put a spin in my salmon and add some color with roasted red potatoes, beets and Persian (mini) cucumbers.

I love beets (I have to confess I buy them peeled and pre-cooked from Trader Joe’s).  They are so tasty to sweeten up salads, bean dishes and as a relish for sandwiches or burgers.  The other night I roasted red potatoes, so I pulled these from the fridge and diced them up to throw into the mix.  I always have mini cucumbers in the fridge — they are so crunchy to snack on wherever and whenever!

Tri-Color Veggie and Salmon Salad with Dijon Caper Dressing

 

Serves 2

Ingredients

5 ounces salmon, wild, in pouch

2 Persian cucumbers, diced with skin

2 red potatoes, roasted*, diced

1 large beet, pre-cooked, diced

For dressing:

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon small capers

Directions

*To roast potatoes, slice, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, place in an oven-safe baking dish in a 400 degree oven for 20 - 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cook a few minutes before dicing.

 Toss salmon, cucumbers, potatoes and beets in a medium bowl.

Whisk mustard, vinegar and capers together in a small bowl.  Drizzle on top of salad.  Serve.

Enjoy eating simply,

-Vicki