Lunchbox: 75+ Easy and Delicious Recipes for Lunches on the Go

by Aviva Wittenberg

Overview

Say good-bye to the same boring, limited lunch rotation, and hello to everyone’s new favorite meal of the day! Lunchbox contains literal months’ worth of recipes for flavorful, filling, nutritious, and delicious meals—guaranteed to stay fresh until lunchtime. With chapters on Soups, Sandwiches, Salads, Warm Bowls, Cold Bowls, Handpies, and Brunch for Lunch—as well as simple, satisfying snacks and sweet treats to pack alongside—these straightforward recipes will get anyone out of that dreaded lunch rut for good. Every recipe has a “Get Ahead” tip, calling out exactly what to make ahead of time, as well as a “Packing Tip” on how to assemble a balanced and beautiful lunchbox. The steps are fuss-free, and all ingredients can be found in any local grocery store. In addition, you’ll find lunch packing strategies and multi-week meal plans to help you efficiently plan your menu and your time, streamlining meal prep to avoid that stressful morning crunch. This book is great for any eating pattern, with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, hot weather and cold weather seasonal suggestions, and freezer-friendly choices, too.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454955795
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	493,671
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Aviva Wittenberg learned to cook at her mother’s side and honed her skills in the kitchen cooking for her family. She has been sharing her adventures in lunch packing on TV, print publications, and online on her Instagram (@avivawittenberg) for more than 5 years, packing more than 3,700 lunches.
 

Read an Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

For every weekday morning of my childhood, I was a clock watcher. Sitting in the classroom, I’d study the minute hand traveling around the clock that hung on the wall, counting down to lunchtime when I could finally tear open the day’s brown paper bag and see what my mum had packed for me. (And this was especially the case on Fridays, when I knew there was a special sweet treat in my future.) I’m all grown up now, but little has changed about my love of lunch—I still look forward to digging into whatever has been prepared and taking a moment (and sometimes it is just a moment) to hit pause on the day and enjoy a bite to eat. The difference is that now I’m the resident lunch packer, and I’m packing lunches every day for my family of four.

I spent years working in an office in a windowless cubicle, then upgraded to more years working near a window with a view of a parking lot. So I know how important taking a proper lunch break can be. I always made the point of slipping out of the office for a quick walk to clear my head, and when back at my desk, I’d kick off the afternoon with some lunch. The lunches I brought from home were always the best ones (rivaled only by the dumplings made daily at the little dim sum place in the food court down the street), and I took great joy in creating that delicious meal for myself.

A few years, and two daughters, later, I joined the daily grind of packing school lunches. At first it was a struggle—I’d gotten used to packing my own lunch, but adding two more was tough— and yet, through trial and error, I fell into a routine that made this daunting task seem not so daunting after all and resulted in lunchboxes returning home empty (well, most of the time!). After a few years of being in the swing of things, I started sharing what I packed for my girls’ lunches on Instagram. It came about accidentally, when my daughter desperately wanted her own Instagram account to stay in touch with friends. After some negotiation, we agreed she could have an account if I could follow her—which meant I needed an account too! At the suggestion of a friend (who is as food-obsessed as I am), I started sharing what I was making for the girls’ lunches most days. I’d always taken pride in the lunches I prepared, and it felt good to share. I quickly found a community of parents, caregivers, and lunch eaters of all types who were looking for lunch ideas and sharing theirs. This book is a collection of all the tips and tricks I have learned along the way, as well as more than 75 of my go-to recipes for lunches on the go.

This book is for anyone who packs lunches, whether they’re for yourself or someone else. My goal is to make life easier for you, and lighten the stressful morning time crunch that many of us experience, with delicious lunch ideas that everyone will enjoy. The recipes you’ll find inside this book are all simple, straightforward, and, for the most part, speedy: they count on great ingredients rather than oodles of time, to deliver a big hit of flavor for your midday meal. They reflect what my family enjoys eating on a regular basis, the kids included (and you can read more about my approach to kids and lunches on page 10). They include both old favorites from my childhood and new favorites influenced by the variety of food we’ve eaten in our hometown of Toronto or discovered in our travels around the world.

You should be able to find everything you need to make these recipes in a regular supermarket, but if I had any doubt, I’ve noted an alternative that will do the trick. And remember, you’re packing your lunch here (or your family’s lunch) and not my lunch, so make substitutions based on what you have in your fridge or pantry and what works best with how you prefer to eat. These are lunch recipes, after all (not blueprints for building rockets!), so play around, have fun, and make them work for you.

Welcome to the world of great-tasting lunches on the go! Say goodbye to vending-machine sandwiches, pallid pastries, sad desk lunches, and lunchboxes that come home untouched. Open your arms to making your lunch break (whether it is 55 minutes or just 5) a special moment in your and your family’s day—one that’s worth clock watching for.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Lunch Packing Strategies 5

Lunch Packing Gear 13

Prepping Your Kitchen 17

Packing Your Lunchbox 21

Brunch for Lunch

Bacon & Egg Handpies 26

Egg in a Roll 29

Egg, Greens, & Cheese Tortilla 30

Sweet Potato & Onion Frittata 33

Pumpkin Spice Waffles 35

InfallibLe Crepes 39

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes 40

Basic Crunchy Granola 43

Sandwiches

Asparagus Frittata on Brioche 47

Exceptional Egg Salad Sandwich 48

Grilled Broccoli, Mozzarella, & Roasted Red Pepper on Focaccia 51

Goat Cheese, Peach, & Basil Panini 52

Smoked Cheddar, Apple, & Spinach Panini 55

Gruyère & Pear Sandwich 56

Sourdough Crostini with Ricotta, Pears, Honey, & Thyme 59

Chicken or Tofu Katsu Sandwich 61

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich 65

Flatbreads

Grape, Feta, Kale, & Rosemary Flatbread 68

Heirloom Tomato, Corn, & Pesto Flatbread 71

Grilled Zucchini, Preserved Lemon, & Herb Flatbread 72

Butternut Squash, Leek, Goat Cheese, & Pesto Flatbread 75

Potato, Cheddar, & Bacon Flatbread 76

Soups

Roasted Tomato Soup 81

Carrot & Orange Soup 82

Curried Leek & Potato Soup 85

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup 86

Parmesan Broth with Vegetables & Tortellini 89

Red Lentil Soup 90

Creamy Corn & Potato Chowder 93

Chicken Soup 95

Salads

Beet & Citrus Salad 100

Watermelon & Halloumi Salad 103

Vibrant Quinoa Salad 104

Roasted Cauliflower, Manouri, & Pomegranate Salad 107

Carrot, Currant, & Mint Salad 109

Cucumber, Dill, & Yogurt Salad 110

Kale Ribbon Salad 113

Late '90s Salad 114

Spring Caprese 117

Summer Caprese 118

Autumn Caprese 121

Farro Nicoise 122

Spinach, Orange, & Chicken Salad 125

Colo Bowls

Chickpea, Asparagus, & Orzo Bowl 128

Fresh Roll Bowl 131

Southwestern Bowl 132

Sesame Noodles 135

Sushi Bowl 136

Crispy Tofu or Chicken Bowl 139

Deconstructed Taco Bowl 141

Warm Bowls (& Handpies)

2 in 1 Meals 146

Handpies 101 149

Brothy Beans & Greens Bowl 153

Curried Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas, & Spinach Bowl 154

Moroccan Spice Stew 157

Mushroom Stroganoff 159

Dumpling Noodle Bowl 163

French Onion Soup Pasta 164

Ratatouille Bowl 167

Chicken Pot Pie Stew 168

Quick Spaghetti Bolognese 171

Snacks, Dips, & Spreads

Puff Pastry Cheese Sticks 175

Bagel Chips 176

Quick Pickled Onions 178

Crispy Cannellini Beans 179

Smoky Black Bean Dip 180

Cannellini, Lemon, & Basil Dip 181

Hummus 183

Deep Green Fall Pesto 184

Sundried Tomato Pesto 185

Fig & Balsamic Onion Jam 186

Maple, Onion, & Thyme Jam 188

Roasted Red Pepper Spread 189

Baked Sweets & Treats

Pumpkin Pumpkin Seed Mini Loaves 193

Apple Carrot Muffins 194

Apricot Vanilla Muffins 195

Cranberry Orange Muffins 196

Rice Pudding Muffins 199

Cinnamon Sugar Yogurt Bites 200

Banana Chocolate Chip Soft Cookies 203

Baked Pear, Vanilla, & Spice Donuts 204

Baked Chocolate Banana Donuts 206

Maple Seed Brittle 207

Granola Bars 209

Sweet Handpies 210

Recipes by Category 212

Suggested Lunch Plans 215

Acknowledgments 219

Index 221