As teachers we need a quick lunch that will sustain us throughout a long day. You work super hard, and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice taste just because you’re squeezed for time. Check out these easy lunch ideas for teachers! Here are some of my favorite easy, yummy, & reasonably healthy lunches. I hope you find them helpful if you’ve run into a “lunch rut”.
Easy Lunch Ideas for Teachers: Chicken Salad
Separate the chicken with a fork. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Enjoy on crackers or bread!
- 1 Can of Chicken (Don’t knock it until you try it! My hubby laughed when I brought it home and called it cat food. After he tried this recipe he now jokingly asks… “Will you make some of that cat food?”)
- 2 Tbsp. Chopped Onion
- Cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup light mayonnaise
- Cilantro to taste
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Easy Lunch Ideas for Teachers: The Scrumptious Hot Dog Sandwich
Cut the hotdog in half lengthwise, and cut the bun open to make it sandwich style. Load it up with lettuce, tomato, a little ketchup, and mayo. It tastes a lot like a BLT…but better!
Easy Lunch Ideas for Teachers: Fried Rice
I recently started making this a lot. It’s so super easy, and I use leftover rice/pork from dinner. The rest of the ingredients are staples in most kitchens. Just combine the following ingredients in a frying pan & cook for 15 minutes. (I like to clear a side for the eggs, & start mixing them in when they are about half cooked.)
- 3 cups of cooked rice
- 1 cup chopped up pork chop
- 2 cups frozen veggie mix (peas, carrots, corn)
- 3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Eggs
Finally, this may be obvious to many but it wasn’t to me. What is better than a quick and easy recipe? Not cooking at all!
I had resisted joining Costco for a while. The annual fee and big lines kept me away. I finally gave in when I had my second boy and figured buying in bulk would probably be a good idea. However, if I would have joined sooner I would have realized that they sell premade meals near the huge $5 rotisserie chickens. Each Costco has about 5 different options (and they periodically change). Our current selection includes stuffed bell peppers, Chicken/green beans/macaroni, & Korean BBQ Beef!
For about $15, you can have a big family meal with plenty of left overs for lunch the next day. It’s a little pricier than buying the ingredients and preparing it yourself, but it’s a whole lot cheaper than take out. To me, the cost is completely worth it in prep time saved and pots not needing washed. If you can take the left overs for lunch, your lunch prep is almost nonexistent.
I hope you love these quick lunch ideas as much as I do! Now, I’m off to make some of that delicious cat food!!
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Happy Teaching!
I use hot dog buns for other sandwiches too – it always seems like we only use part of the pack of hotdog buns when we get them, and they’re just right for a lunch sized sandwich. They also make amazing garlic bread if you spread them with butter, sprinkle on powdered garlic, and broil them for a few minutes!
Yum! I bet my kiddo would love your garlic bread idea.