This article first appeared on simplemost.com.
Anyone can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but when you’re no longer a kid, is having one for lunch the best, easiest and healthiest option?
I say no. (Believe me, I used to eat peanut butter sandwiches, sans jelly, all the time, but then I realized there are so many other food options out there!)
The sandwich (and homemade lunch) possibilities truly are endless (even if you don’t think so). But I have no time to make something more complex, I hear you saying. Wrong! With a little creativity and planning, you can make more than PB&J — and it’ll probably be even more nutritious and delicious. And you can make most of the below in under five minutes!
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Here are some more unique — and simple — lunch options to bring to work:
Cheese & avocado sandwich
I prefer cheddar cheese with avocado on some kind of multi-grain bread (mayo and lettuce optional), but you can use any cheese you’d like. If you can’t make this in advance, just store the ingredients in your work fridge and make the sandwich there. (Adding meat is optional, but you’d be surprised at how tasty this sandwich is without it!)
Multi-cheese sandwich
Years ago, I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich at a café, not realizing it would not just have cheddar cheese—but also Swiss, Havarti, and feta! (If you’ve never had feta cheese in a sandwich, go try it right now! Your life will never be the same!) The café also added cucumbers and tomatoes to the sandwich, making for the best grilled cheese ever. Soon, I started to emulate it, without the grilling and varying the cheese selections and fillings, as well (like adding green apples or figs). You can, too!
BLTs
Who doesn’t love BLTs? People think these have to be warm, or eaten right after the bacon is fried, but not true! You can fry the bacon the night before, then assemble the sandwich in the morning before work or once you’re there. I like to eat this cold, but you can heat it up (if you insist). You can also add avocado, alfalfa sprouts, and whatever else you can fit between the bread.
Egg salad
As a salad on your favorite lettuce (try something new, like butter—yum!) or between slices of bread, there are several ways to spice up egg salad. You can do so with actual spices or with creative additions, like chopped celery, dill, you name it.
Pasta salad
Remember that spaghetti dish you love, with olive oil, tomatoes, and chicken sausage? Well, make some one night and bring it to work in the next day or two. The sauce will have soaked into the pasta more by then and will taste delicious cold (especially in this summer heat!).
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