Sorry to say guys but your eight weeks of summer lovin’ are OVER!
It’s OK though, Remedy’s here to help you get ready with some great ideas to liven up your snackage and lunches because it’s BTS!
Here’s some cheap ‘n’ easy ideas that’ll get you through, give your gut a boost AND save you some pennies.
Chickpea Salad
Canned chickpeas, lentils or black beans make for a healthy, fibre packed, sustaining salad. Try heating a drained can of chickpeas with teaspoon of curry powder, cool and mix with chopped bell pepper, celery, dates and red onion and cilantro for a spicy, tangy twist.
Pesto Pasta Salad
Grab a spoonful of jarred pesto (basil or sundried tomato) and mix through some leftover cold pasta (if you’re going gluten free try spelt or pulse pasta). Got a bit more dough to spend? Get fancy and throw in some fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and olives. Bonus points for this little lunch because cooled pasta contains resistant starch. Resistant starch is key to supporting a healthy gut as it acts as a source of food for the ‘good bacteria’ in the large bowel, fuelling their growth and activity which is all good for supporting a healthy gut microbiome.
Asian Inspired Noodle Salad
Try a simple salad using cooked and cooled soba noodles (go for buckwheat for a nutty flavour) and whatever veg you have in the fridge. Whip up a dressing with lime juice, soy sauce and sesame oil adding in carrots, cabbage, spring onion, edamame, red peppers and cucumber for colour, fibre and all of the vitamins! Cold noodles = you guessed it – resistant starch!
Potato Salad
Want something comforting and filling? Try a homemade potato salad. Use leftover roasted or boiled potatoes and mix with yoghurt, dill pickles (live cultures ahoy!), hardboiled eggs for a protein hit, Dijon mustard, green onions and celery for crunch. (Cold potatoes = resistant starch!) A pre AND probiotic potato salad.
What about snacks ‘n’ sides? Not all are created equal!
Fruit
Aim for fresh over dried. Dried fruit sticky and high in sugar so best as a ‘sometimes’ food. Avoid dried fruit bars and fruit straps or fruit leathers which are very high in sugar, low in fibre and can stick to teeth.
Vegetables
Crunchy veggie sticks like carrot, celery, cucumber and peppers are all winners as are cherry tomatoes. Steer clear of chips or crisps.
Dips
Hummus, tzatziki and guacamole are all great options for the lunchbox with veggies or crackers.
Live cultured foods like yoghurt and kombucha
Incorporate live cultured foods into your everyday diet to give your gut health the TLC it deserves. But make sure you read your labels! Fruit yoghurts can pack a punch in terms of sugar content as can some brands of kombucha. All Remedy drinks contain no sugar, naturally and come in handy 250ml cans which are perfect for on the go.
So there you have it – some quick, easy and cost effective ways to incorporate gut boosting foods into your lunches.
