Going out to lunch at work adds up fast. Instead of going broke with fast food all week, prep lunch at home. Rice is cheap and it’s super easy to prep multiple lunches at a time for the week. The secret is to jazz it up with add-ins. Here’s a few of our current favorites.
Red Beans & Rice
A box of Zatarain’s Red Beans and Rice can make 3 lunches. Make the rice according to the package instructions and add any/all of the following:
- Sauteed onions
- Sauteed bell peppers
- Cooked and crumbled ground turkey or Italian sausage
- Cooked and sliced Italian sausage (links)
- Sour cream
- Green onions
Spanish Rice
A bag of Spanish rice also makes 3 lunches. Cook and add any/all of the following:
- Cheese
- Taco meat (ground beef with taco seasoning)
- Leftover grilled chicken
- Leftover fajitas ingredients
- Salsa
- Pico de Gallo
- Sour Cream
Taco Rice
We don’t buy taco rice packets that often. It’s pretty similar to Spanish rice but is a good way to mix things up. Add:
- Black beans (canned – drained and rinsed)
- Corn (frozen or canned)
- Sour Cream
- Mini tomatoes
- Cheese
- Taco meat (ground beef with taco seasoning)
- Slice of lime to squeeze
Yellow Rice (AKA Greek Salad Bowls)
We prefer Zatarain’s box of yellow rice, not the bag that is pictured above, and we typically make Greek Salad bowls with combinations of the following:
- Sliced canned beets
- Canned chickpeas
- Mini tomatoes
- Grilled lemon chicken (you could use plain rotisserie, too)
- Diced cucumbers
- Tzaziki or Greek dressing
- Romaine lettuce
- Hummus
- Soft pita wraps or crunchy pita chips
A note about Greek dressing …
Finding a decent creamy Greek dressing is difficult in Minnesota. It’s just not nearly as good as what you can find in Detroit. I typically buy the vinegrette-style Greek and add sour cream and some extra lemon juice or oregano until it tastes good.
Fajitas Bowls
We love fajitas. Whenever we make them, a rice bowl with leftover fajitas chicken or beef barbacoa and veggies is the way to go! You could do over Spanish rice, plain white rice, or cilantro-lime rice.
Cilantro-Lime Rice:
Add lime juice, lime zest, salt, and cilantro from the squeeze tube to plain, cooked white rice. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Stir Fry Bowls
So, I am big on one piece of chicken can serve several people or, in this case, ‘be’ several lunches. Dice raw chicken breast into thin, little strips, season with garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and Lawrey’s, and sautee in pan until cooked thru. Add whatever store-bought Asian sauce sounds good — sweet & sour, orange sauce, kung pao — and serve over white rice. Add any/all of the following:
- Chopped peanuts (any nuts, really)
- Sunflower seeds (salted and roasted)
- Chow mein noodles
- Wonton strips (near croutons in grocery store)
- Green onions
- Diced pineapple
Broccoli Cheese Rice
While I make a mean broccoli cheese rice from scratch, for quick lunch prep, you can use the pre-made packets. Just make the rice according to the back of the package and add:
- Steamed broccoli
- Steamed cauliflower
- Extra cheese
I wrote about steaming veggies here.
That’s it for now. Enjoy!