Food is an incredibly important part of your overall well-being and can directly impact your work.
Eating during the day keeps your mind and body fuelled, making it much easier to concentrate and stay focused on your daily workload.
If you’re looking to save money, have a stricter diet, or just want to have more control over what you’re eating, then bringing lunch from home is your best option.
This being said, your options can feel very limited at times, especially if you’re in an office without lots of kitchen appliances.
At Itek House, we have appliances that allow you to heat your food, but not all coworking spaces will.
So here are some creative lunch ideas that don’t require a microwave or oven, saving you from living off of cheese sandwiches.
Pasta Salad:
You can prepare a tasty pasta salad with cooked pasta (such as penne or fusilli), fresh vegetables (like peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion), and a nice sauce or dressing.
Optionally, you can also add proteins like diced chicken, or tuna for a more substantial meal.
Mason Jar Ramen:
Fancy a hot lunch?
If you layer cooked noodles, shredded vegetables of your choice, and proteins such as tofu or cooked prawns in a mason jar.
Add a tasty broth or dressing on top of the jar and seal it up.
Almost every office will have a kettle, so when it’s time to eat, simply pour hot water into the jar and let it sit for a few minutes.
This is a fresh and simple alternative to instant noodles.
Quinoa Bowl:
The base of this lunch is cooked quinoa.
You can also add some leafy greens to the quinoa after it’s cooked and cooled, like spinach or rocket.
You can then top it with chopped vegetables, such as tomatoes, roasted peppers, and steamed broccoli.
For extra flavour, add crumbled feta cheese and a citrus dressing for that zing.
Gazpacho:
Gazpacho is a refreshing, cold, tomato-based soup.
This Spanish recipe requires you to blend ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar.
Chill the soup before packing it for work, and enjoy a cool, flavourful soup!
Soba Noodle Salad:
Soba noodles are thin, Japanese, buckwheat-based noodles, often enjoyed cold.
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, rinse them under cold water, and then let them cool.
Toss the noodles with shredded carrot, edamame beans, spring onion, or any other vegetables you enjoy.
The salad goes great with a soy-ginger dressing or peanut sauce.
Top with sesame seeds and more spring onion and enjoy.
Bean Salad:
A high-protein lunch option, but still great for vegetarians!
Combine different combinations of beans, such as chickpeas, butter beans, and kidney beans, with diced vegetables like peppers, red onion, and sweetcorn.
Toss it with a zesty vinaigrette and fresh herbs of your choice.
Cheese and Crackers with Fresh Fruit:
Different households had different names, but I remember how much I loved getting “picky bits” for lunch as a child.
If you want to opt for a lighter lunch, create a platter with whatever cheeses you like, crackers, and fresh fruits like grapes, berries, or sliced melon.
A nice and simple option, but still satisfying.
Vietnamese Banh Mi Wrap:
Fill a large lettuce, cabbage, or any ‘wrappable’ collard green, leaf with sliced grilled meat or tofu, pickled carrots, cucumber slices, and fresh herbs like coriander and mint, with a drizzle of spicy or hoisin sauce.
Roll it up tightly and enjoy a vibrant, refreshing, and low-carb lunch option.
Simple Salad:
Refreshing, light, and completely customisable, a salad is a reliable lunch to take into the office.
Using your favourite, or a mix of leafy greens as the base, you can add a variety of vegetables, herbs, fruits, cheese, nuts and seeds, whatever you’re craving.
Then add protein like cooked chicken, chickpeas, or tofu, and your favourite dressing.
Sushi Burrito:
Wrap your favourite sushi ingredients, such as rice, raw or cooked fish, vegetables, and avocado, in a large sheet of seaweed (nori).
Roll it tightly and either eat it as a burrito or slice it into smaller pieces for a fun and unique lunch.
As enjoyable as a sandwich and crisps is, sometimes you’ll want to mix it up and have something different.
At Itek House, we aim to make it as easy as possible to stay happy at work, which is why we have a range of kitchen appliances available for you to eat, but if you want a quick cold lunch, these options might be great for you.
If you’re a business in Fife looking for office space, consider Itek House and get in touch.
