Lunch used to be a welcome break at the office or a fun break at school, and now? Ugh, it just the worst.
Suddenly we’re all expected to stop the 30 things we are simultaneously giving 100% of our attention to make lunch, and who has the energy?
The default easy lunch has always been the sandwich, but if you’re a food lover, eating the same boring sandwich day in and day out is a real emotional drain. After all, it’s the little things we’re looking to for momentum to get through these marathon days. If you’ve been defeated by lunch, you are not alone.
Here’s a quick rundown of our easy (promise!) ways to reinvigorate your lunch routine. Add a few of these things to your grocery list for next week, and maybe—just maybe—your lunch hour will be a little less cranky.
- This seems like a no-brainer, but most of us don’t keep nearly enough condiments in our refrigerator. Pick up a few prepared spreads, sauces, or dips, like basil pesto, pimiento cheese, horseradish cream, olive tapenade, or Thai chile sauce to add to your sandwich. With no extra effort, every day feels like a new lunch.
- Un-sandwich your sandwich and grab a box of your favorite crackers, flatbreads, or pita chips. Eating your sandwich like it’s a charcuterie board makes lunch feel like happy hour! Add some olives, roasted peppers, and cute little pickles to complete the illusion.
- With an extra 3 to 4 minutes, you can turn a turkey and cheese sandwich into a turkey melt, which is something you would pay money for at a restaurant, right? Heat a tablespoon of butter or oil in a skillet and brown the sandwich on both sides for just a few minutes.
- Put hot sauce in your mayo. Bonus points if it’s a chipotle variation.
- See those beautiful purple radishes up top? Put those on your sandwich! Fresh fruits, veggies, and greens make the most basic sandwich feel a little extra. Radishes, bell peppers, apples, pineapple, or big handfuls of cilantro are anything but boring.
- Vinegar is the secret to why store-bought subs (Hoagies? Heros?) are so good. Drizzle some red wine vinegar on your sandwich, or add vinegary pickles, pepperoncini, or chopped up giardiniera.
- Last, not least, and definitely the simplest: toast your bread! We forget to do it at home, but it changes everything.
If this doesn’t help, it might mean it’s time to move on from sandwiches for a while. Here are a few of our favorite non-traditional lunch recipes that can be made ahead of time and enjoyed for several lunches:
Smashed Chickpea Toast with Pickled Fennel
Kale Chopped Salad with Tofu and Coconut-Peanut Dressing
Chilled Chile-Garlic Noodles with Shrimp
Lemon-Roasted Broccoli and Sausage Grain Bowl
Poke-Style Roasted Salmon Bowl