What's in your Lunchbox ?

En este post ofrecemos algunas ideas a todos aquellos que comemos fuera de casa para que  los contenidos de nuestra fiambrera/tartera sean más apetecibles y saludables.

When you do not have the time to go home for lunch, or the money to go to a restaurant every day, the best solution is to fill (llenar ) your lunchbox ( tartera/fiambrera) with all the sustenance you need for the working day. There are many options for planning your midday meal, and making it more varied and creative. You do not have to take only a cheese sandwich and a piece of fruit. Let's look at ways to make the contents of your lunchboxes more interesting and your diet healthier.

Tips (consejos) for Preparing Lunch

It is difficult to be creative at 7.30 in the morning. It is better to plan what you will eat for the week at the weekend. Prepare different types of food for every day of the week, not only a ham and cheese sandwich from Monday to Friday. If you have access to a microwave, you have many more options. You can reheat (recalentar) dishes like pasta with Bolognese sauce or ratatouille,(pisto) for example. One way to save ( ahorrar ) time is by making extra food for your dinner and having the rest for lunch the next day. Avoid (evita) foods that are too delicate to last (durar) for several hours in your lunchbox, like sliced (en rodajas) avocado or banana.

" Turkey Pesto Sandwich"

Revamp (actualiza ) your Sandwich

Sandwiches are a quick and simple option, and you are not limited to only cheese or ham baguettes. To make them more interesting, vary the type of bread you use. Try  pitta bread, chapatti or walnut (nuez) bread, for example. Use more than one filling (relleno) in the sandwich, combining various cooked meats, cheeses, tinned fish (pescado en lata) and salad vegetables. Include interesting dips ( salsa para mojar ) like hummus or tzatziki or some fresh herbs .

Interesting Salads

There are endless ( un sinfín de ) ways to make salads and they provide  the essential vitamins we need every day. To make them more consistent, use rice, pasta or couscous. You can make plain salads more interesting by adding  fruit or nuts,(frutos secos ) such as ( tales como ) fresh pineapple,(piña ) cherries (cerezas) or sunflower seeds. (pipas ) Ideally you should dress ( aliñar ) the salad immediately before eating it. It is a good idea to keep  a bottle of olive oil and some salt at work for this.

"An apple  a day...  "

An Apple a Day

 ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’(una manzana al dia nos mantiene alejados del médico ) is a common English proverb. Doctors recommend five portions of fruit and vegetable every day to stay healthy. Apples are appropriate to take in your lunchbox because they are more resistant than softer fruit like peaches (melocotones ) or plums.(ciruelas) .

 Something to Drink

 What can you drink with all these assorted lunches? Water is probably the most common option, but it does not have to be plain water. You can find lemon, strawberry or cherry flavoured water. It is also fun to experiment with fruit juices, combining different flavours (sabores)  until you find the combination you like best. You can also try different fruit and herbal teas or apple and banana beers. If you do all the things we recommend, all your colleagues will stop going to restaurants and join (unirse ) you for lunch instead!