Lunch can be one of the most tedious meals to make– especially if you only have a short lunch break. So, Olivia + Laura are here to share their favorite meals to make when you're in a time crunch. Warning! You may be drooling by the end of this post.
This post may seem unusual for our blog, but it is not. Before we were fashion bloggers, we were foodies! Though, with our current situation, we find ourselves cooking meals instead of buying them. We don't always have time to make elaborate meals, so we've compiled a list of our favorites that we eat regularly.
P.S. This list was thoroughly influenced by Pinterest. So, if you're ever searching for meal ideas, Pinterest has millions.
Olivia's Avocado Bagel
Don't be fooled; this isn't your basic avocado toast. It is an elevated take on a cafe favorite using the following ingredients: a bagel, an avocado, sriracha, a fried egg, and everything bagel spice.
The secret behind this recipe is a thick piece of bread like a bagel of sourdough bread, as pictured below. Using regular french toast will not have the same effect because it will become soggy and will not have the same crunch.
To create this masterpiece, mash half an avocado onto a bagel. Add a drizzle of sriracha sauce onto the avocado, and top with a fried egg. Sprinkle some everything bagel spice onto the egg, and VOILA! A yummy bagel toast made in less than 5 minutes.
This avocado bagel is super simple to make but keeps you full all day.
Tip: Everything Bagel Spice
The Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel sesame seasoning is iconic. Unfortunately, it is unavailable in Canada. But don't worry because we found the Club House Everything Bagel Seasoning which is the Canadian equivalent for exclusively at Costco. You can add this seasoning to basically anything, but we are big fans of adding it to eggs or in salads.
Hummus
Making your own hummus is so much easier than you think! Throw all your ingredients in a blender or food processor and 5 minutes later, you will have the best homemade hummus ever! We love spicy hummus and if you do too, just add a few tablespoons of Sriracha into your blender (depending on how spicy you like it). We love to serve it with some pita chips and a green salad!
Another great way to have this hummus is in a sandwich or wrap with any leftover protein, like chicken! We promise you, it's amazing!
Tip: Leftovers
This one is obvious but make extra food for supper to eat as leftovers the next day for lunch! Then, all you need to do is grab the lunch from your fridge and eat.
Taco Salad
We tried this recipe after finding it on Pinterest and loved it! This vegan taco salad made by Connoisseurs Veg requires some meal prep, but you can do that in advance and store it in the refrigerator. We love to fry the black beans in with the lentils while cooking so they can get a smoky flavour as well.
Also, this recipe doesn't have to be vegan. You can add regular sour cream or minced meat instead of lentils– you can add anything that you would put into a taco.
Tip: Meal Prep
At the beginning of the week, prepare a bunch of pre-cooked meals (like the lentils in this recipe) to throw together and make a quick lunch. Then, when you are not looking to prepare something huge for lunch, you can simply eat what is pre-made,
The O+L Sandwich®
You may have seen this sandwich a couple of times on our story already but today, we are showing you how to make it! You can use the cold-cut or cheese of your choice, but we pair capicollo, spicy salami, prosciutto, and provolone cheese to make this epic sandwich.
Onto some fresh bread, spread pesto and add your cold-cuts and finish with some pickled eggplants or roasted peppers. Pop that into the oven or panini-press for a few minutes to crisp up the bread and melt the cheese. Then, enjoy it!
Greek Salad
We have taken this greek salad recipe from the stunning queen herself, Emma Leger (@emmaleger on Instagram). It is so simple to make but tastes so amazing! You could really put anything in this greek salad though we love following Emma’s recipe with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, olives (obvi), and lots of feta cheese! We like to forget that we are lactose intolerant for just a minute, anyone else? Add a protein to this salad to make it a little heartier! The dressing is our favourite part — we love it so much that we use it on other salads too!
Quinoa Salad
This quinoa salad is the perfect meal prep recipe. Quinoa lasts up to a week in the fridge so you could cook some at the start of the week and you’ll be good til Friday! The ingredients of this recipe are so simple, you most likely have these in your fridge or pantry right now. Don’t be shy to add any other vegetables or proteins that are not mentioned in the video — everything goes here!
Thank you for reading this week's blog! If there is one takeaway from this post it is that life is too short to eat boring meals. So, hopefully, we've inspired you to try out some of these delicious lunches!
We hope you enjoyed reading this, and please let us know if you want to see more foodie content or if you have any other ideas for posts.
Until next week, O+L gang.
Xoxo,
