While a stroll to your favorite lunch spot can be a nice break from the workday, frequent takeout gets expensive fast. Moreover, long checkout lines aren't exactly busy-day friendly. Instead, think ahead and turn the night prior's leftovers into an enticing brown-bag lunch that is low-fuss to assemble, travels well, and will keep you full and satisfied for the remainder of the day.
Start With: Roast Chicken
Chances are, unless you're cooking for a crowd, a juicy roast chicken [1] comes with ample leftovers. Eat the white meat, reserving some of the dark meat for tomorrow's lunch. Before you pack it up, season it to taste with hot sauce.
Brown-Bag Transformation: Spicy Tacos
Pack four small corn tortillas, about 2/3 of a cup of the hot-sauce-laced chicken, 1/4 cup guacamole, 1/4 cup pico de gallo, and a hefty pinch of crumbly cotija cheese (or cheddar). At lunch time, reheat the tortillas and chicken in the microwave, and assemble the aforementioned components into two tacos.
Start With: Cooked Quinoa
If your dinner includes a simple quinoa side [2], reserve a portion for the next day's lunch.
Brown-Bag Transformation: Quinoa Salad
Toss leftover quinoa with a tangy shallot vinaigrette, sliced cherries, parsley, feta, and slivered almonds for a hearty quinoa salad [3] that will keep hunger at bay for hours.
Start With: Grilled Steak
If you're lucky enough to have leftover grilled steak [4] (or any steak, for that matter), pack a few slices in the next day's lunch.
Brown-Bag Transformation: Kale Caesar With Steak
Prep this kale caesar [5] the night before or morning of. Tuck the croutons into a resealable plastic bag, and everything else (including the sliced steak) into a mason jar or other resealable container. At lunchtime, toss it all together (don't reheat the steak or it'll get overcooked).
Start With: Green Salad
If serving a green salad [6] as a side, save a portion of undressed vegetables and salad dressing for the next day.
Brown-Bag Transformation: Add an Egg or Two
Poach [7] or hard boil [8] an egg. (Hard-boiled eggs can be packed in-shell; tuck more delicate poached eggs in a thermos filled with cool water.) Tote along the salad, dressing, and egg to work; at lunchtime, toss the salad with dressing, and top it with sliced hard-boiled egg, or reheat the poached egg [9] and add it whole to the greens for a more substantial lunch.
Start With: Tacos
Whether your tacos are meat-based [10] or vegetarian-friendly [11], save a portion of all of the taco toppings for the next day.
Brown-Bag Transformation: Taco Salad
Pair the taco toppings with a Mexican-inspired vinaigrette (whisk together lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper), salad greens, and crushed tortilla chips (if you have them on hand) for a fully loaded taco salad [12].
