Break up the working day with a lunch that you'll anticipate all morning. Delicious, nutritious and visually stunning, these lunchboxes will awaken your senses - and see you through till the end of the day.
Mediterranean lamb and quinoa salad
Make your own day with a delicious and nutritious Mediterranean lunch to look forward to.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 cup raw quinoa
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
12 green beans
1 zucchini, sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 lamb loin
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup brown lentils, drained
100 grams feta, crumbled
¼ cup roast almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup black olives, unpitted
Garlicky mayo
½ cup natural yoghurt
2 tablespoons mayo
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Directions
1. Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions. Set aside to cool.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the beans and cook for 3 minutes over high heat. Add the zucchini and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Sprinkle the cumin over the lamb and fry for 2 minutes each side, then rest before slicing. Toss together the quinoa, beans, zucchini, tomatoes, lentils, feta, almonds and quarter of the olives.
3. Make the mayo by mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl.
To serve
Dollop the garlicky mayo onto the salad then top with the sliced lamb. Serve extra olives on the side.
Make it through the day brown rice and tuna salad
This is a variation on a recipe that has been a family favourite for more than 10 years… and it's still on permanent rotation!
Serves: 2
Ingredients
8 broccolini, halved lengthways if large
1 red capsicum, roughly sliced
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 small orange kūmara, peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and ground pepper
1 avocado, sliced
200 grams tuna in springwater, drained
2 cups cooked brown rice (about 1¼ cups uncooked)
To serve
Walnut pesto (see recipe below)
½ cup toasted walnuts
Walnut pesto (GF) (V)
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup parsley leaves
1 cup walnut halves
½ cup grated parmesan
1 large garlic clove (or 2 small)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and ground pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
2. Put the broccolini, capsicum, red onion, kūmara and oil into a roasting dish. Season well with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cook for 20-25 minutes, tossing once during cooking. Cool, then stir the avocado, tuna and roast vegetables through the brown rice.
To serve: Serve with a big dollop of walnut pesto topped with toasted walnuts.
Walnut pesto
Put the ingredients in a small food processor and whizz to combine. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Prawn and avocado sushi salad
A bit like deconstructed sushi, this addictive salad is brought to life with the creamy Japanese mayo and grunty chilli and sesame oils.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2½ cups cooked sushi rice (about 1 cup uncooked)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon caster sugar
sea salt
1 cup frozen edamame beans
8-10 cooked prawn cutlets
1 avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons pink pickled ginger
3 radishes, thinly sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced (reserve some to garnish)
2 soft-boiled eggs, halved
To serve
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
¼ cup Japanese mayo
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons chilli oil
toasted wakame sheets (optional)
Directions
1. Cook the sushi rice according to the packet instructions then stir through rice vinegar and caster sugar and season well with salt.
2. Cover the edamame beans with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes to defrost. Drain well.
3. Stir the beans through the rice with the prawns, avocado, ginger, radishes and spring onions and top with the soft-boiled eggs.
To serve: Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and spring onion and drizzle with the mayo, sesame oil and chilli oil. Serve wakame sheets on the side, if using.
- Recipes by Sarah Tuck
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