Are you caught in a peanut butter and jelly rut? It is amazing how that sandwich of yummy goo can stunt lunch-time creativity! Today I hope to inspire some creativity and help you reclaim your lunch time menu.

French Bread

This seemingly plain loaf of bread makes some delicious creations that are perfect for lunches. Slice in half to make:

Instead of Fast Food:

A favorite meal we have stemmed from when we lived in Germany. Eating out was very expensive and we tried to reserve it for fun, planned days or events. Sometimes, we would be out to late to get dinner going, but I did not want to take the family to eat out. I would stop by the E-Mart and bought Brotchen (hard rolls), freshly sliced salami, Gouda cheese slices, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and seasoned cream cheese. We also would get chocolate milk as a special treat.

Boboli Pizza Crusts

Mexican pizza- ground beef, jar salsa, top with cheddar cheese.

Soups & Salads

Soups and salads contain digestive enzymes that help our bodies break down the heavier meals better. This is a reason why restaurants serve these first. It’s something to remember the next time you dine out and help your body a little more by eating a soup or salad before the main course.

Soups:

Brunswick Stew (See the recipe in the free sample ebook on our website.)

Chicken noodle with grilled cheese

Taco soup

Spicy Chicken

Ham and Potato Soup

Double Duty Meals:

Just like Rachel Ray has double duty meals in her cookbook, I like to do these once a week too. Some ideas she had were to make this Mexican bean and rice dish for dinner. The next meal you use the leftover mixture to fill green or chili peppers. She has many other ideas as well. Here are some of mine:

Thinking outside of the “BOX”- OR INSIDE Rather

We love new and creative ways to eat mac and cheese! Here are some that we have tried or heard of:

Tuna- add a can of drained tuna fish.

Peas- Cook the peas in the extra water macaroni water and then add to the pasta when cooked.

Ketchup- sometimes I add some ketchup in my bowl of mac and cheese- mmm!

Chicken and salsa- add a can of drained chicken breast and 1 cup of salsa–ole!

Chili Mac- mix a can of chili in with the finished mac and cheese.

Other Ideas:

Rice and refried beans (rice cooker- best invention ever!)

Spaghetti- are you getting tired of the same old thing? Make it green olives instead of mushrooms- Superb! Salt and tastes better than mushrooms.

Last 5 posts by Deepak Shrivastava