5 Easy, High-Protein Lunches
Maybe it’s just me, but lunch seems to be the hardest thing to plan for sometimes, especially for a busy work week. You need something that is simple, easy to [...]
Have I mentioned how much I love fall? Probably. Yes. The answer is yes. Aside from Pumpkin Smoothies, I really, really dig football (Packer fanatic, here) season, cooler weather (AKA 75 and sunny every day in the A), and just a feeling of newness. It’s sort of a “let’s get back to health and implement some healthy routines” time of year. Am I the only one?
Anyone else feel like this?
I’m also feeling A LOT of pumpkin, roasted veggies, soups, and tailgate food in the near future.
But first – I wanna share this #BabeBowl with you guys. While I was moving and just really doing all the things in August, I relied heavily on both take-out and #BabeBowls. I think it’s all I ate for a solid month.
More on what a #BabeBowl is here.
And meal prep was actually tough – I didn’t feel like I had a kitchen to even cook in half the month so meals had to be really simple and not require a lot of cooking.
This is something I was eating over and over again (you probably saw me posting about it 100 times on IG) and it’s V unlike me to not throw in some chicken or deli turkey or eggs into my #BabeBowl but I didn’t have a lot of options.
Enter: RED. LENTIL. PASTA.
I posted about red lentil pasta last week as being one of my fav skinny pasta swaps, and it’s become an absolute staple in my house. (AND you can get it in bulk on Amazon now)
Regular Pasta: 42g carbs, 2g fiber, 7g protein
Red Lentil Pasta: 30g carbs, 4g fiber, 14g protein
So. No brainer, right? Subtract out that fiber and you’ve got 26g net carbs (you don’t absorb fiber) for a whole serving of actual pasta.
I added edamame to this for an extra protein/fiber punch, but I don’t eat edamame every day because of the soy content. I only eat it in a pinch, and I always have a bag of frozen edamame in my fridge.
If you avoid soy, add a scrambled egg or some shrimp.
Anyways, then I BULK it up with shredded brussels – another one of my skinny pasta swap tricks! I’m so obsessed with bulking up pasta bowls with shredded brussels or kohlrabi or cabbage or any sort of hearty veggies like that. I feel like I’m eating a ton of pasta without the carb coma.
Plus, #vegetables and #health.
Let me know what you guys think! And I love love love seeing your #BabeBowl posts on IG so be sure to tag me.
HAPPY SATURDAY!
Author: Megan Hanen, RDN, LD
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Serves: 2
A vegetarian bowl filled with tons of protein, fiber, and healthy fat.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic
2 oz red lentil pasta
1 c edamame
4 c shredded Brussels sprouts
1 Roma tomato, diced
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
Heat a pot of salt water and bring to a boil. Add pasta. This pasta will cook much more quickly – only 5-7 minutes – than regular pasta so keep an eye on it. When it’s done, drain.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat, add garlic and saute for about 15 seconds, then add in the shredded Brussels and saute for about a minute.
Add the edamame and tomato and heat through. Remove from heat.
Add pasta to the mix and drizzle remaining olive oil, lemon, and season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
Serving size: 1/2 recipe
Fat: 17 Carbohydrates: 46 Fiber: 12 Protein: 22
xx, Megan
