let's cook: 4 easy lunches
...and a little spin on the tenderbro ccc
life is a blur. what am i doing? why is the week going so fast yet so slowly?! when i’m home, i’ve been surviving off things that are easy and quick to make during the day. i find that sometimes, although lunch is my favorite meal of the day, i don’t always want something time consuming (like pasta) for a midday meal especially when i have dinner plans later on. so, i’ve been gravitating toward easy bites that are made off the cuff with pantry essentials* and things i always have in my refrigerator at all times*.
i agree with the people who say trader joe’s isn’t really a grocery store but rather a friendly store to pick up interesting snacks, emergency champagne, 1 lb bars of chocolate, random pantry staples at a good price and the occasional packaged sauce (zhoug and garlic spread forever) and their frozen vegetable fried rice and orange chicken for a good and easy depression meal. i don’t want to sound elitist when i say that i really don’t love trader joe’s produce although in a pinch, it’s just fine. but all of that aside, one of my new favorite trader joe’s item is their seeds & grains crispbread norwegian crackers. i randomly discovered how good they are with everything and in doing so, i have learned that they are the absolute perfect thing to have on hand to make a very good lunch. other dishes that make for a really good and quick lunch? adultified mac and cheese, a bowl of good things like tomatoes/rotisserie chicken/cucumbers/feta and manila clams in a white wine sauce to dip baguette in.
let’s ~get into it~.
*things that are in my refrigerator at all times recently: dill, chives, mint, gotham greens california crunch, persian cucumbers, 1/2 dozen eggs, whole grain mustard, dry white wine, salted butter, calabrian chili, crunchy dill pickles, capers, labne, plain whole milk yogurt, zhoug, plain hummus, ricotta, block of parmesan, and one sharp cheese like goat or feta.
*my personal savory pantry essentials: