Lunch Doesn't Have to be Pretty, It's Purpose is to Make You Pretty!

Some people eat to live and some people live to eat. I am a mixture of both and a firm believer in if you eat bad you'll look bad, if you eat well you'll look swell! 
I get to excited when I prepare or someone serves me a fancy meal. I just love food and the "OOhhhhs, Ahhhhhs" that go along with it. Have you ever tried something that looks delicious but tastes the exact opposite?  That happened to me once in a nutrition cooking class. A classmate made some sort of baked banana dish, it was God awful!
I like my lunches to be nutrient dense, economical, and quick so that I can sit down and relax a bit while I eat. So here's a few cheap, quick lunches that take about 5 minutes to make (except the soup).

                                        Oatmeal with lowfat or soy milk, and a pile of fresh fruit

Add a slice of whole wheat toast for scooping and dipping 

Albacore tuna with a dab of real mayo, on a corn tortillas

with organic mixed greens and organic strawberries

Potato-Cheese Pierogies with organic lima beans,

organic pear & wild blueberry sauce, and drizzle of

extra virgin olive oil  

Ham and Great Northern Bean soup with a

pureed vegetable base

I decided to make some soup one bitter cold winter day when I all I could do was walk around all tight with my shoulders up to my ears, freezing my bum off, not to mention I was starving!  I had some left over ham, a frig full of veggies and a can of Great Northern beans.

Ham and Great Northern Bean soup with a pureed vegetable base

1/2-1 C ham 

2 cups dried (soak, reserve liquid) or 1 can Great Northern Beans

1 fennel, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 sweet potato (you decide with or without skin)

1 onion (I  used a sweet onion, but whatever you have on hand is fine)

1 tsp of crushed garlic (more if you like)

1 bay leave (remove prior to pureeing mixture)

Dash of pepper

Parsley garnish or add when pureeing

Water

Drizzle of olive oil (optional)

Parmesan (optional)

In a medium size stock pot, add enough water (or use liquid from soaking beans) to cover vegetables. Boil vegetables until tender. Remove bay leave. Once tender, in one cup batches puree in a blender. NOTE: Hold lid down while pureeing, be careful of the stream / pressure when removing lid after blending. Transfer pureed vegetable into a holding bowl until all are pureed.  Once completely pureed, return pureed vegetables to stock pot, add beans and ham. Let simmer, stirring gently until sauce slightly thickens. If sauce thickens too much, add water to create desired consistency. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, and grated parmesan.

If you eat healthy, you'll look healthy. You  must exercise too, and try to get a little balance in your life. Sounds simple.