Kefir Kommunity

1. Smart Sandwiches – It’s easy to make every bite pack a nutritious punch. Load up your fillings on whole grain bread, pita or tortillas. Add a protein like sliced eggs, tuna, low-fat cheese or tempeh (fermented soy beans – they’re tastier than they sound!) Add some color (not to mention nutrients) with baby spinach, shredded carrots, sliced tomatoes, sprouts, etc. Instead of fat-and-calorie-heavy mayonnaise, try a smear of kefir guacamole. 

 2. Leftovers – The easiest way to pack a cheap, healthy lunch is to make a great dinner the night before and pack up your leftovers! Add some sliced veggies and shredded cheese to last night’s taco ingredients for today’s taco salad. Roll up last night’s stir fry or beans and rice in a large, raw kale leaf and slice to make leftover “sushi.”

 3. From the Freezer – We’re not talking Salisbury steak, although if that’s what you’re into we have a few tips to find a healthy version. Instead, we suggest cooking up a few big batches of soup, chili, or even farmer cheese lasagna during the week end, portioning them out and then freezing them. Grab a frozen meal on your way to work, and heat it up for a quick healthy, homemade lunch each day. If you do end up grabbing something from the freezer section, look for a meal low in fat and calories with at least 3 grams of fiber. Make sure it’s a good source of protein, and that it has fewer than 600 milligrams of sodium. 

4. Exciting Salads – Don’t get stuck in an iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing rut. Spice up your salads with flavorful greens like baby spinach, and peppery arugula. Throw in some basil leaves for an extra kick. Mix in some bitter greens like radicchio, endive, or escarole, and layer on the textures with dried fruit, seeds and ripe olives. Try a scoop of quinoa, hot or cold for a nutritional boost. Check out our salad recipes for even more ideas!

 5. So Long to Soda – Your average 20oz soda contains 250 empty calories and is equivalent to eating about 17 teaspoons of straight sugar! Before you switch to diet soda, which still contains acids that can damage your teeth and stomach, try chopping up fresh fruit and freezing it with water in an ice cube tray. Toss a few in a glass of sparkling water for a fruity, bubbly beverage. We like strawberries, lemons and watermelon – or try cucumber for a less-sweet hint of flavor.

Need a caffeine-free energy boost? Check out yesterday’s post!

What's your favorite healthy lunch? Tell us in the comments below - we'll choose the 10 that make us the hungriest to recieve coupons for free kefir tomorrow, 1/27! (Be sure to enter your email address so we can get your shippnig info! Don't worry, your email address won't be displayed.)