When it’s time to break for lunch, what food calls your name? If you’ve come to work unprepared, it’s all too easy for the ease of the drive-through or a quick deli stop to beat out healthy selections. Your best defense against a waistline-expanding lunch is a simple-to-prepare and tempting spread of foods that will have you anticipating lunch - and leaving your colleagues jealous of your brown bag.

Something for Everyone: Five Tasty Office Lunch Ideas

Brown Bag Traditional

If sandwiches are your bag, seize the inspiration and run with it - just remember to keep variety in the mix. Occasional lean cold cuts are fine, but steer clear of using them every day. Harvard School of Public Health research found a 42 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease with the daily consumption of nearly two ounces of processed meat (prepared by smoking, curing, salting or adding other chemical preservatives) such as deli meat. For healthy variety, try a wrap with hummus, leftover meat from the night before, and plenty of crunchy raw veggies; good old peanut butter - but hold the jelly and use strawberry or banana slices instead; or a tasty tuna salad using Greek yogurt instead of mayo, a squirt of Dijon, and diced grapes. Lose the chips and toss in some fruit and a cup of yogurt and lunch is packed!

Leftover Extravaganza

What office lunch idea requires no creativity and tons of economic ease? Think of leftovers from last night’s dinner. Make it easy on yourself and do the portioning of your lunch while you clean up dinner - adding extras to round out the meal. Spare chicken breast? Slice it up and add it to a big bowl of greens. A too-tiny-to-satisfy scoop of shepherd’s pie? Add a side salad, fruit, or cup of soup and it will take your lunch up to filling speed.

Partial Victory

Depending on situation, it might be easier to bring some of your lunch and buy the rest. If the cafeteria usually has plain baked potatoes on hand, for instance, but they use heart-stopping toppings, make a plan to bring your own steamed broccoli and chili to use to top your potato off. Or, does the salad bar that you brought have veggies, but you’re tired of the same suspicious chicken they serve day in and day out? Bring your own protein (another way to work in leftovers) to top the salad bar selections.