Take-from-home lunches don’t need a failing grade. These make-yourself midday meals get an A+.

Published 12:00 am Sunday, September 1, 2019

As the school year kicks into gear, many parents turn their attention to school lunches, and, more specifically, what to send in their child’s lunchbox that they will actually eat and that’s not a nutritional disaster.

Kids aren’t the only ones who take their lunch to go. Working adults should consider what they eat as their midday meal.

Packing a healthy lunch for yourself and your family is easier and less time-consuming than you might imagine. With a little planning, batch cooking and creativity, you can pull off delicious, satisfying lunches amid deadlines, late nights and a busy life outside the office.

SWEET POTATO NOODLE STIR-FRY

We all know that carrots are healthy, right? Well, a lot of the same things that make carrots so good for us — like beta carotene, vitamin C and fiber — are also in sweet potatoes.

Swapping traditional stir-fry noodles for noodles of the vegetable variety, and then topping them with more vegetables, turns a meal into a powerhouse of nutrition. As a bonus, this quick-to-prepare recipe is easy to double or triple to make it a dinner. Purchasing pre-spiralized sweet potatoes at the grocery store is a time saver.

Feel free to try zoodles (zucchini noodles) or use both vegetable noodles.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 mini sweet peppers of various colors, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, spiralized
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• Salt-free seasoning blend to taste
• Sprinkle of sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion, pepper, garlic and broccoli in olive oil until vegetables are tender. Stir in sweet potato noodles and soy sauce/tamari. Stir occasionally until noodles are soft. Season noodles as desired. Serve as is or with cooked brown rice.

LENTIL TORTILLA SOUP 

A fantastic way to feel like your enjoying the comforts of home is to indulge in a warm, hardy bowl of chili. Use a pressure cooker or slow cooker to transform a few pantry staples into a deliciously satisfying meal.

This recipe freezes well so divvy it into single portions for the freezer and enjoy it later.

Ingredients

• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 sweet pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 2½ cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 15-oz. canned, no-salt-added tomato sauce, diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup mild or medium salsa verde (green salsa)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn, fresh, canned or frozen
• ¾ cup dried red lentils
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• Optional toppings-tortilla strips, jalapeños, chopped red onion, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro

Instructions

Chop the vegetables and measure the ingredients. Toss everything except the optional toppings into a pressure cooker and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Add your favorite toppings prior to serving.

If using a slow cooker, follow the instructions but cook on high for 4 to 5 hours.

THAI WRAPS WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Break out of the traditional sandwich lunch cliché with a wrap. There are all sorts of pre-made wraps to meet personal tastes: whole wheat, gluten free and spiced up varieties. A large flour tortilla is a good option too.

Using bagged tri-color coleslaw mix without the dressing included and pre-shredded bagged carrots will cut down prep time. If you have leftovers, toss the wrap ingredients, minus the cilantro and peanuts, into a skillet and stir fry.

Add the vegetables to rice or rice noodles, toss with the peanut sauce and top with cilantro and peanuts.

Ingredients

• 4 cups cabbage shredded
• 1½ cups carrots shredded (about 5 large carrots)
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup green onions, chopped
• ½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• About 5 wraps 

For the Peanut Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

For the Peanut Sauce: Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice and garlic to a bowl and whisk until combined. Add the peanut butter and red pepper flakes and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

For the Wraps: Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Divide the mixture evenly and place into the wraps. Drizzle the sauce on top and roll up the wraps.

TEXAS CAESAR SALAD

This salad is creamy, crunchy and completely non-traditional with the addition of — wait for it — barbecue tofu! If you are tempted to stop reading, just let me explain the rationale behind what some readers would label as a Texas sized blasphemy. Tofu soaks up any flavor it’s mixed with, which is why it’s a prefect base for barbecue.

Tofu also is loaded with protein and phytonutrients, a fancy term for plant-based chemical compounds that may reduce the risk of health problems like cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1 bunch of lacinato kale, de-stemmed and sliced into 1-inch ribbons
• 1 bunch of romaine lettuce, sliced into 1” ribbons
• ½ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon water
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1½ Tablespoons dijon mustard
• ½ cup raw walnuts, chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced 

For the barbecue tofu:

• 14- to 16-oz. extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry
• 1½ teaspoons traditional paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tablesoop olive oil
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce

Instructions

To roast the chickpeas, heat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse, drain and place chickpeas on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or so stirring occasionally until they are crispy.

For the dressing, blend lemon juice, olive oil, water, sea salt, mustard, walnuts and garlic in a blender or food processor. Set aside.

Prepare the barbecue tofu as follows: Turn the oven to 425. While the oven heats, remove moisture from the tofu by wrapping it in paper towels and weighing it down with something heavy like a skillet or large can.

Stir the spices together in a medium bowl. Rip the drained tofu into bite sized pieces. Coat with the spices. Place the tofu in a single layer on the baking sheet that was used for the chickpeas.

To ensure it cooks evenly, stir occasionally. Cook about 30 minutes or until the tofu is crispy. Remove tofu from oven and drizzle with the barbecue sauce.

Toss washed, dried and ribboned lettuce and kale in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the dressing (or more to taste) taking care to evenly coat the leaves. Add the roasted chickpeas and tofu, and top with ground pepper.

Leslie Harrison of Tyler, Texas, is a certified Food for Life nutrition and cooking instructor.