Hearty Weekend Lunches

Weekends are a busy time for many of us. Kids have activities, errands need running and there is work to be done around the house. You still need to make time for a good, healthy lunch, especially since you will be busy burning calories, making yourself even hungrier!

It's a good idea to plan in advance and pick up the things you need for weekend lunches when you do your weekly grocery shopping. You don't want to add one more errand to the list, and there are also a lot of things you can cook in advance to decrease prep time on hectic weekend afternoons.

Many good lunches come between two slices of bread. A sandwich is a great lunch, you can use fillings that are healthy and filling and pair the sandwich with some soup or potato chips for a complete, rounded meal. One of my favorites is the good ol' Peanut Butter and Jelly. By using whole grain bread, crunchy organic peanut butter and raspberry preserves, you'll have a grown up alternative to traditional PB&J. Lunchmeat such as thinly sliced ham, turkey or chicken breasts is good on a sandwich and you can add lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts and a small amount of your favorite dressing for a delicious deli treat.

Panini sandwiches are Italian grilled sandwiches. You can buy a panini press, which makes perfectly crisp sandwiches in minutes, or you can use a slightly oiled frying pan with a brick on top of the sandwich to press it down and make it crispy. The bread you chose for panini's should be a thick Italian loaf that you slice into hearty chunks. Filling for panini's include proscuitto, various gourmet cheeses, field greens and herbed vinaigrettes but you can also use American sandwich favorites such as ham and Swiss or turkey and provolone with iceberg lettuce and tomato. Any filling inside crispy sandwich bread is a great pick!

Quesadillas are also easy lunchtime meals. Using two soft flour tortillas, as you would sandwich bread, fill with shredded cheddar cheese, cooked, diced chicken or steak, onions, peppers, tomatoes and/or olives, and heat in a frying pan or melt in the microwave. Slice into pizza-like portions and use sour cream and salsa as dipping sauces.

Sloppy Joes are also hearty lunchtime sandwiches. Brown one pound of ground beef or turkey and drain excess fat. To the cooked meat, add 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup dark brown sugar, two tablespoons red wine vinegar and a dash of salt, pepper and chili powder. Cook until sauce reduces and thickens then serve on warm hamburger rolls.

They key to a good weekend lunch is ensuring it has enough substance and calories to fuel your body for the rest of the day, but also that it's not too heavy as to bring you down and decrease drive and work flow. By planning ahead, you can have tasty lunches every weekend!