Hi Amee’s Savory Dish readers. I’m Jen Pullman, a registered dietitian and blogger over at Nourished Simply. I am so excited to be invited by Amee to guest post! Today I am going to talk about lunch. As a practicing dietitian for over 15 years I have worked with my fair share of clients. Meal planning is one of the most difficult aspects of eating healthy. Breakfast is the most commonly skipped meal, but lunch is the most common meal consumed out at some type of restaurant. I’ll be sharing great lunch ideas to help you create a delicious and healthy lunch at home.

Lunch is what I consider the “rushed meal”. Whether we are working or running errands, lunch often gets in the way of our day and we just grab something so we can get quickly back to our day. Should we take a break, sit down, and really think about and savor our meal? Absolutely! This doesn’t generally happen though. Poor choices can easily be made during the lunch hour.

Planning For Lunch.

To make the best choices in a fast paced society we need to plan. I highly recommend leftovers. When you’re cleaning up your dinner dishes put a portion of your leftover dinner into a portable container and your lunch is ready for the next day. If you’re not a fan of leftovers, like my son, quick meals that you can put together in a rush are a perfect option. I recommend making sure that you have a protein, fruit and/or vegetables, and whole grains if possible.

My favorite lunch is a Caprese Salad . I usually add a serving of fruit on the side and some nice whole grain crusty bread to soak up the balsamic vinegar!

If you want to add additional servings of vegetables try zoodles. Zucchini noodles are a healthy replacement for pasta and an excellent way to eat more veggies.

Sriracha Shrimp with Zoodles

Zucchini Caprese

Many of my clients trying to lose weight will eat salads for lunch. You want to make sure salad contains a source of protein to make the meal more satisfying otherwise you will be hungry not long after finishing your meal.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Cosi’s Signature Salad (Copycat)

Quinoa Greek Salad for One

Sandwiches are a very popular lunch choice. To make a healthier sandwich use whole grain bread and add lots of veggies. My favorite eggplant sandwich includes protein, vegetables, and whole grains.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

What is your plan for lunch? Do you pack or purchase?

Jennifer Pullman MA, RDN, LDN, is a Philadelphia area Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Nutrition Education from Immaculata University. Jen has worked as a dietitian in many health care settings since 2001. Her passion is weight loss and has spent the last eight years working with several Weight Loss Surgery programs in the Philadelphia area.

Jennifer runs a small private practice in her area and is the owner and author of Nourished Simply {Link http://nourishedsimply.com}, a recipe/nutrition blog she started in 2012. The mission of Nourished Simply is to help take the confusion out of eating healthy. Jen helps her patients and blog readers understand nutrition in a simple, easy to understand way.

Jen believes that eating healthy does not need to be confusing or expensive. Jen does not believe in food rules and helps clients enjoy eating again!

You can find Jen as @Nourishedsimply on social media. Connect with her on Twitter {link www.twitter.com/nourishedsimply}, Facebook {link: www.facebook.com/NourishedSimply}, Instagram {Link www.instagram.com/NourishedSimply}, and Pinterest {link: http://www.pinterest.com/nourishedsimply}!