Lunch

When looking to round out a meal come brunch, lunch, or dinnertime, I stick to a simple motto: put an egg on it (not to be confused with "put a bird on it" . . . ). While fried and scrambled are nice, I hold a special place in my heart for the oozing yolks of a perfectly poached egg, but until now I hadn't thought of them as portable. It turns out, with an ingenious kitchen hack, these luscious eggs can become a protein-packed part of the brown-bag lunch rotation. Keep reading to find out the simple secret.

You sit down to a huge salad complete with mesclun greens and an array of veggies such as carrot shreds, cucumbers, diced red peppers, and cherry tomatoes — you even add chickpeas and sunflower seeds for protein. The fiber is supposed to fill you up and the protein sustains your energy, but an hour or so later, you feel famished.

If your salad is leaving you hungry, then add some extra fiber and protein by scooping a cup of cooked whole grains on top. Quinoa, barley, millet, buckwheat, or rice will beef up the calorie amount by about 200 calories, but you'll also be getting three to eight grams each of extra fiber and protein. Cook your whole grains in veggie broth for extra flavor, and add beans or chopped veggies while cooking for interesting texture and added nutrition.

Check out the chart below to see how these whole grains compare.

This Sunday, treat Mom to a made-from-scratch midday meal that's filled with Spring produce. She's guaranteed to feel special — and to remember it for years to come.

Lavender Collins Cocktail

Mom will love sipping on this floral, lemonade-like cocktail that's designed for adults only. The pastel blue hue in this cocktail comes from creme de violette, which is the essential ingredient in the lavender Collins cocktail.

Asparagus Caesar

Caesar salad is a classic, but it can instantly receive a seasonal boost by subbing ribboned asparagus in place of lettuce greens. For extra crunch and flavor, throw in some quality anchovies and crispy croutons.

Continue reading for the rest of the menu.

There's no need to hit the drive-through lane; healthy food can also be fast, without requiring too much preplanning. These healthy options are easy to prepare and, with a little forethought and time, will be no-brainer options for grabbing to go during the week.

Spinach Veggie Wraps

With only five ingredients, these spinach veggie wraps are easy to throw together, even if you're fridge isn't well stocked. And since you can simultaneously cook all the components — barley, steamed spinach, and sauteed veggies — prepping your lunch will take only about 15 minutes.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Make a little extra of this creamy avocado pasta for a filling day-after lunch (it offers 14 grams of protein!) that only takes 15 minutes to prepare.

Spinach Chickpea Salad

Grab your food processor and make a big batch of this flavorful yet simple spinach, cilantro, and chickpea salad. The fiber and protein will keep you full, while the garlic and lemony flavors will keep your palate pleased.

Tuna Dill Cakes

For an even faster lunch, make a large batch of these tuna dill cakes at the start of the week and add to a bed of lettuce for an instant, protein-packed salad lunch anytime. The cakes will only take you about 15-20 minutes to prepare and bake.

You're not a morning person — you barely have enough energy to brush your teeth let alone muster up the pep it takes to hit the gym. No problem. There are plenty of other opportunities during the day to work out, and here are five reasons to make it happen at noon.

1. Everyone else is doing it: If procrastination is your middle name, it's easy to say you're going to work out, but then find a million reasons to put it off until it's 6 p.m. when you're too starved to even think about exercise. Around lunch is a popular time to sweat it out — you'll probably even notice a few of your co-workers slipping out of the office and heading out with gym bag in hand. Getting inspired by joining the pack at the same time every day is one way to make sure you don't skip out on your workout, and once you do it for a few weeks, it'll become a habit.
2. Reduced risk of injury: Since your body has been awake for several hours, it's had more time to move around and get the blood flowing. Heading into a noon workout means your mind is more alert, which can prevent injuries caused by morning grogginess (like falls or forgetting to use equipment properly). A warmed-up body is also less tense and more flexible, lowering your risk of a pulled muscle. As an added bonus, when your body feels more open, you're more likely to work out harder and longer.
3. Saves calories, burns calories: If you have plans to meet a friend for a noon yoga class, you know you can't down an enormous meal beforehand without feeling gassy and sluggish, so that's one way a noon workout saves calories. Plus you'll burn 300 or more calories on the hour-long workout, and since brisk exercise has been shown to suppress your appetite you'll feel inspired to eat something light and healthy for lunch afterward (instead of blowing all your hard work on a 1,400-calorie burger and fries). That midday workout can also give you energy later on in the day, avoiding the need for a high-calorie late afternoon pick-me-up.

Keep reading for two more reasons to exercise at lunchtime.

While we typically simmer up a batch of homemade soup when a craving strikes, we turn to store-bought from time to time, particularly when we're feeling under the weather. The problem? It tends to fall flat no matter the source — whether a can, tetra pack, or the prepared foods section of Whole Foods — and tastes, well, canned. In these instances we turn to a few simple strategies to perk things up.

• Play with garnishes: Raid your pantry and crisper. Try adding a pinch of red pepper flakes, a few cracks of pepper, a drizzle of oil, a chiffonade of basil or other fresh herbs, a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream, a handful of oyster crackers or crumbled saltines, or even a sprinkling of seeds, chopped nuts, or grated salty cheese like Parmesan. Not only do garnishes improve the soup's flavor, but they also add textural and visual contrast.
• Pay attention to the serving vessel: This may seem silly, but taking the time to serve soup in a favorite bowl or mug with proper silverware, rather than in its to-go container or a chipped bowl helps. We're visual creatures; embrace it!
• Adjust the seasoning: Soup, even of the homemade variety, tends to require a bit of tweaking to make the flavors shine. Oftentimes all a bowl needs is an extra pinch of salt, a splash of lemon juice or vinegar (try balsamic in tomato soup), or a hit of spice to take things from pathetic to palatable. Like all matters of seasoning, make sure to taste along the way.

What steps do you take to doctor up store-bought soup?

A common suggestion to lose weight is to eat salads for meals. While the fresh veggies are healthy and delicious, the tasty toppings of cheese and nuts can really add up — your simple salad could end up containing half a day's worth of calories!

Check out the list of popular salad toppings below, and be extra aware that the more toppings you add, the more calories are going into your body. Salads definitely make excellent meals, but hopefully this nutritional breakdown will help keep your bowl healthy.

Keep reading to see the nutritional info for other salad toppings.