Three More Easy Lunches

by Erika Lutz | More from this Blogger

31 Jan 2007 11:00 AM

Yesterday I wrote about Three Easy Lunches to make for any day. Those three lunches were Tuna On Crackers + Tomato Slices, Macaroni & Cheese + Grapes, and Grilled Cheese Sandwich + Tomato Soup. Today I want to add three more easy lunches; those three lunches are Beans 'n Rice, Baked Potato with Salsa, and Scrambled Egg Sandwich.

Lunch #1: Beans 'n Rice Do you like eating beans? I really do, and beans are a good alternative to meat in some dishes, and so much less expensive than meat, too. For Beans 'n Rice, you could go for any of three different beans: red beans, black beans, or lima beans.

• Red beans and rice is a famous Cajun dish that tastes great and is full of flavor. To make a quick and easy red beans and rice probably won't taste quite as exceptional as, say, Popeye's Red Beans and Rice, but you can still season the red beans to where it has a lot of flavor. Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to the red beans and see where to go from there. Of course, don't over season, but do it gradually to see how much you will like.
• Black beans and rice is good served with salsa and sour cream. Think bean burrito, but with rice instead of the burrito. Season the black beans as well, and get as creative with additions as you'd like.
• Lima beans and rice is one of my 2-year-old's and my favorite lunches. I cook a package of frozen lima beans at least once a week and eat it with garlic powder, salt, a little olive oil and over rice. I think lima beans are just great tasting as well as a healthy food to eat.

As for rice, cook whatever rice you like; since I've never enjoyed cooking rice in a rice cooker, I usually cook 5-minute rice.

Lunch #2: Baked Potato with Salsa Another easy lunch is a baked potato cooked in the microwave and topped with salsa. Although the oven takes quite a while to bake a potato, the microwave is much quicker. A microwave can whip up a baked potato in a matter of minutes, around 5 or 6 for 1 or 2 potatoes. And many people wanting to cut back on fat have started topping their baked potatoes with salsa instead of sour cream and cheese. Chopped green onions is another good thing to top a baked potato.

Lunch #3: Scrambled Egg Sandwich Maybe it's just my family who eats scrambled egg sandwiches, but I definitely recommend you try one. Just scramble one egg per sandwich, the way you like your eggs cooked (I like my scrambled eggs rather wet). Season it with salt and pepper, then scoop the pieces of egg between two pieces of bread (or toast) with ketchup used as the spread. That's all! It makes for a very easy and satisfying lunch.

There you have it - three more easy lunches!

Learn more about Erika Lutz

Erika Lutz is a 26-year-old wife of 5 years and mother of a 2-year-old. Although Erika grew up in Louisiana, she currently lives in Colorado where she stays at home with her daughter.

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