5 Brown-Bag Lunches That Start With Tonight's Dinner

Updated on 1/5/2016 at 5:00 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Lauren Hendrickson / Nicole Perry

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 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, 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 that will keep hunger at bay for hours.

Start With: Grilled Steak

If you're lucky enough to have leftover grilled steak (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 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 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 or hard boil 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 and add it whole to the greens for a more substantial lunch.

Start With: Tacos

Whether your tacos are meat-based or vegetarian-friendly, 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.