People think that food bloggers eat very well, and on some level this is true but on certain days there’s a descent chance I’d get kicked out of the club. Breakfast I’m usually pretty good about and dinner is whatever is in season or on sale at the market but lunch, well lunch and I have some issues.
Because I spend most of my day in the kitchen cooking and taste-testing, I often find myself skipping lunch in lieu of lots of nibbling. A brownie here, some steak there, a handful of chickpeas here and before I know it I’m full and somehow forgot to eat any veggies (besides the ones hidden in the brownies…).
Even though I’m not a huge meal prepper, I could use a little help in the lunch department. I think if I had some healthy food on hand, I might save that brownie for dessert instead of eating 4 and calling it lunch. In fact, easy lunches (and hidden veggie recipes) is the most requested recipe suggestion I get. So it was due time I take a page from my own book.
I took myself back to my college days where 19 hour days in the library were completely normal. I went to McGill where we work hard and play hard! I used to bring breakfast, lunch and dinner to the libs. And yes, I looked nomadic. I tried to minimize as much stuff to carry as possible by making meals that were veggie, carb and protein loaded without 15 different tupperwares. For lunch this often meant grain-salads on a bed of lettuce or soup and bread.
Even though I no longer have to trudge through the snow with my 50lbs of books and food, I still think I could benefit from the forethought I used to put into my meals. So from now on I am going to attempt to create more veggie and protein packed meals that can serve as easy lunches.
Not surprisingly, this was the inspiration behind this Moroccan Quinoa and Chickpea Salad. Filled with protein, carbs and topped on some greens for a bigger veggie-punch, I was pleasantly surprised by how much better I felt when I sat down to a real lunch. And managed to only eat one brownie for dessert 😉
PrintMoroccan Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Moroccan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
- 2 cups chickpeas, cooked
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1/2 cup dates, chopped
- 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp sea salt
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa, chickpeas, grated carrots, dates and pistachios.
- Top with olive oil and vinegar and give it a good stir to coat.
- Add in spices and stir until well combined.
- Serve warm or cold.*
- Will keep up to one week in refrigerator.
*Can eat immediately, but gets better as it sits and the flavours meld together.
Are you a meal-prepper? What are your go-to lunches?
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27 Comments
sohni
December 22, 2017 at 5:45 amhealthy and delicious recipe…loved it..i would like to try this at home
Jen Kracoff
August 20, 2015 at 6:48 pmMade it tonight – we loved it!! Thanks!
Davida Kugelmass
August 21, 2015 at 7:17 amThat makes me so happy, Jen! It’s actually on the menu for us tonight 🙂 Hope all is well, lady! xo
Max
May 27, 2015 at 6:23 amI just made a single serving of this and it tasted so awesome, really! I will definitely make a week-meal-prep of this soon, but with quinoa instead of millet. I used millet today and it still was delicious, but very mushy and dense. Thanks for the recipe!
ellie | fit for the soul
September 12, 2014 at 9:50 pmI love to eat healthy for the most part, but meal prepping, well…prepping anything in general is not my thing. Haha! Lunch is never a full on meal like I would have for breakfast or dinner, as it usually winds up being a bunch of stuff combined in the same plate. 🙂 And this quinoa salad sounds delish! I used to eat the stuff all the time but have gotten out of the habit. Must start fresh!
[email protected]
September 11, 2014 at 6:35 amNow this is right up my alley. I can make this on a weekend and then feast on it all week long. Hell I might even share some with the Hubby. He’s such a lucky guy.
By the way, I’m sad you spent 18 hour days in the library back in college. I think I saw the inside of that place maybe five times in my four years, and mostly because I worked in the computer lab there the first week. That didn’t last long.
Davida Kugelmass
September 11, 2014 at 7:58 pmCan I just say that I had a shitty day but waking up to a massive inbox attack from you definitely helped make it a little bit better. Now if you could convince the weather to go backwards and repeat summer I would be even happier! Alternatively we could just move to Australia…
Also I regret working so hard in college. I graduated with a great GPA which means absolutely nothing when you blog full-time. I think my parents are wondering why they ever bothered to invest in my education…
[email protected]
September 12, 2014 at 6:49 pmI’m thrilled I was there for you in your time of need. See – I got your back, and you can tell your parents college taught you disciple and how to work hard, whether it be in a library or in your pajamas (hell it was college, I suspect you were in your pajamas in the library) which are valuable life lessons but also extremely useful skills for a full time BUSINESS women, whose business just so happens to be blogging.
Gabby @ the veggie nook
September 9, 2014 at 9:38 pmOh man I was the same way! I carried 3 meals and snacks + books and a laptop everywhere almost everyday in school. It was insanity and now I barely do any of it! I have been trying to get better especially since I’m in full time school again. I’ll have to keep this one in mind 🙂
Kristen B
September 9, 2014 at 4:37 pmJust made a batch of this for dinner tonight and it is delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe 🙂
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health
September 9, 2014 at 1:06 pmi have been really good about meal planning, not that im bragging but it has been making my life so much easier. I try to spend 2 hours or so every week in meal planning ( a batch of granola/muffins etc, 1-2 soups/stews, cut/chop veggies, cook quinoa/couscous to throw in salads, and a dough for pizza because….pizza nights are MUST) this salad looks sooo good and all that flavors-yum!
Chelsea @ Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen
September 8, 2014 at 6:08 pmOh gosh, I remember those days of packing all 3 meals to take to campus and hauling around 3 huge bags containing my school stuff, my food, and my gym stuff. It was such a workout I didn’t even really need to go to the gym!
I was a big fan of prepping grain and bean salads back then too – and during internship! But sometime when times were just too busy to cook during internship I would resort to chopped veggies, hummus, crackers, and cheese for lunch. Simple, but so satisfying!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
September 8, 2014 at 4:59 amI am a massive quinoa fan.. but I have never made a salad with quinoa before. I definitely need to recreate this recipe, it looks delicious!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
September 8, 2014 at 12:44 amI like the idea of adding pistachios to a quinoa chickpea salad! I’ve been all over cashews lately and I think I need some pistachios back in my life.
For lunch I often will do a smoothie, yogurt bowl, or big bowl of fruit with a protein bar.
Cassie
September 7, 2014 at 10:10 pmI loveee grain salads. I forget that I love them until I’m eating them. Moroccan Quinoa ones are sooo addictive. I can’t believe you spent 19 hours in the library. I spent maybe 19 hours a semester in the library. I would always bring some loud snack like carrots or an apple and get the dirtiest looks. #sorryimnotsorry for my produce intake.