13 Easy Vegan Lunches You Can Bring to Work
While it may be tempting to eat out every day when you’re at the office, doing so can get expensive, not to mention unhealthy. And when you’re a vegan, the options can be somewhat limited.
Fortunately, these vegan lunch recipes will keep you full and productive all day. Here are 13 delicious, healthy vegan lunch ideas that are easy to make.
13 Vegan Lunch Ideas
1. Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Salad Sandwich
Source: Two Peas & Their Pod
Total time: 10 minutes
This easy and delicious sandwich requires—you guessed it—smashing the ingredients together and serving on bread. It also works as a salad (minus the bread, of course).
2. Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad
Source: POPSUGAR Fitness
Total time: 45 minutes
Packed with fiber, this salad in a Mason Jar is already healthy with veggies like greens and peppers. Plus, you’ll feel full for longer—which will keep you from feeling cranky, and in turn be more productive.
3. One Pan Mexican Quinoa
Source: Vegan Heaven
Total time: 25 minutes
Quinoa is also high in protein, which has a number of long-term health benefits for your body physically and mentally. It’s the star of this delicious lunch option.
4. Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad
Source: Happy Kitchen Rocks
Total time: 30 minutes
In addition to being completely vegan, this lunch is gluten-free. If you have a spiralizer or are interested in adding one to your set of kitchen appliances, you’ll be enjoying it in no time.
5. Vegan Curry-Spiced Sweet Potato & Wild Rice Burgers
Source: Ambitious Kitchen
Total time: 1:15
Like other vegan burger recipes, you can give these versatile lunches a unique twist with different ingredients and toppings. You can also make these in advance and freeze them before cooking.
6. Pineapple BBQ Tofu Bowls
Source: Sweet Peas and Saffron
Total time: 35 minutes
Fire up your grill to make these easy lunch bowls. You can store them in your refrigerator for up to four days, so they’re convenient options if you need to plan ahead for a busy work week.
7. Tofu Burrito Bowl
Source: The Fitchen
Total time: 15 minutes
You’ll find plenty of nutrients—protein, fiber, and healthy fats—to boost your productivity and focus at work in this delicious vegan alternative to the classic burrito bowl. The spices make it especially tasty.
8. Spicy Veggie Noodle Bowl
Source: Deliciously Ella
Total time: 35 minutes
This is a great-tasting way to pack more vegetables into your lunch. Experiment with different vegetables—and even fruits like mango—for more variety.
9. Vegan Sabich Sandwich
Source: My Goodness Kitchen
Total time: 25 minutes
This vegan twist on the classic Israeli sandwich uses a white bean and vegan mayo spread instead of egg. It also includes fried eggplant, tabbouleh, and hummus.
10. Olive and Artichoke Tart
Source: Green Evi
Total time: 50 minutes
A slice of this delicious tart, packed with flavor and soy-free, is a great choice for work lunches, as well as a weekend brunch.
11. Sushi in a Jar
Source: Feasting on Fruit
Total time: 10 minutes
Far from authentic but absolutely delicious, this deconstructed vegan sushi parfait is easy to prepare and customize according to your tastes. It also looks as good as it tastes, so you’ll make all your coworkers jealous!
12. Ranch Pasta Salad
Source: Vnutrition and Wellness
Total time: 20 minutes
Much healthier than its meat alternative, this pasta salad contains tempeh for protein and will make for an easy and great-tasting lunch at the office.
13. Creamy Cauliflower Pakora Soup
Source: Taste of Home
Total time: 40 minutes
Modeled after the taste of Indian pakoras, this soup is flavorful and especially satisfying in the winter. Pro tip: If your commute to work is a bumpy one, freezing soup in individual containers ahead of time will keep it from spilling or leaking.
Being a Vegan at Work
There are many benefits to going vegan—it can help you lose weight, reduce your risk of heart disease, and improve your kidney function, to name a few—but there are also some challenges. The workplace can present some difficulties for vegans. Here is information you should know.
Statistics
According to a 2018 poll by Gallup, 5 percent of Americans are vegetarian, and 3 percent are vegan. Some other statistics include:
• Veganism and vegetarianism are more common among people earning less than $30,000 per year and less common among higher-earning individuals.
• At 8 percent, adults between the ages of 30 and 49 make up with age group with the largest number of vegans. They are closely followed by the 18-29 age group, 7 percent of whom report being vegan.
• Five percent of people identifying as politically liberal say they are vegan, higher than the percentage of those identifying as moderate or conservative.
The Challenges of Being Vegan at Work
• Work lunches
If your team is going out to lunch or you’re meeting a client at a restaurant, you may have a challenge finding a vegan option on the menu. So, what do you do? If you’re the one choosing the restaurant, it’s a lot easier: you can just pick a place you know has vegan options. Otherwise, call ahead to let the restaurant know about your dietary restrictions. Most will be accommodating to your needs.
• Snacks
If you work in an office, chances are, people bring in snacks and treats often. Unfortunately, as a vegan, you probably won’t be able to eat most of them. Bring in vegan alternatives to snack on instead. This will also help you keep your energy up. If it’s during a time of year when there is an abundance of treats, such as the holidays, have a vegan treat of your own, like a cupcake.
• Health
Of course, your diet affects all aspects of your life, including work. Nutrients are necessary for focus, productivity, and more. Make sure you talk to your doctor about your diet and how to replace the nutrients you may not be getting from food with dietary supplements and other resources.
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