My struggle to find healthy lunch options has been well-documented here. My favorite lunch foods to make at home are anything but healthy, things like grilled cheese and mac and cheese from a box. I actually love salads too, but only when someone else is in charge of preparing them for me. They just taste better when I don’t make them myself (aka I’m lazy at lunch time)! I’ve even resorted to trying those frozen microwaveable meals, and while there are a couple I like, they contain quite a bit of salt and never leave me feeling satisfied for very long.
When I turned over a new leaf and started trying to make better choices a few months ago, I was on a mission to find ideas that (a) were simple enough that I wouldn’t be able to find an excuse not to prep them and (b) so tasty that I wouldn’t mind eating them multiple days a week. I’m up to about three or four go-to recipes that I rotate through, and while I’d like to add a few more, I’m on the right track. I’m definitely not a picky eater, but when it comes to lunch, I guess I’ve realized I sort of am…
These loaded baked sweet potatoes became a fast favorite here as soon as I tried them. The potatoes are stuffed with a trio of veggies – mushrooms, onions and bell peppers – as well as black beans, all of which have been seasoned with Mexican spices. A little bit of cheese, salsa, and fat free Greek yogurt (infused with more Mexican flavor via taco seasoning) top it all off without adding a ton of calories. This recipe serves four, so I make the veggie/bean mixture at the start of the week, and then simply reheat it and microwave a potato for a fast and easy lunch on subsequent days. The grocery stores around here only sell monster-sized sweet potatoes lately so I often just use half of one to keep the portion size reasonable. It’s delicious and super filling!
What are your favorite quick, easy and healthy lunch ideas?
Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
barely adapted from SkinnyTaste.com
{Note: you can use store-bought taco seasoning, or make your own. I’ll be posting a homemade recipe soon!}
4 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
4 oz mushrooms, diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt
1 1/3 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1/2 cup salsa
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Wash the potatoes, scrubbing them thoroughly. Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork, then cook in your microwave until the potatoes are fork-tender. My microwave has a “baked potato” button which comes in handy, but about 10 minutes should do the trick for all 4 potatoes. (If you don’t have a microwave, you can also bake the potatoes in the oven.)
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and taco seasoning. Add the oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the pepper, onion, mushrooms, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies have softened, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the black beans and continue cooking until warmed through.
Cut an opening in each potato that goes nearly from end to end (leave a little room on each end). Press on the ends of the potato to open it up. Fill each potato with 2 tablespoons of the cheese, a heaping 1/3 cup of the veggie mixture, 2 tablespoons of salsa, 2 tablespoons of the yogurt mixture, and then garnish each with 3/4 of the scallions.
To make ahead: prepare the yogurt sauce and veggie mixture, then transfer to separate airtight containers and refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, just cook the potato and reheat the veggies.
Mmm I love stuffed potatoes, especially sweet potatoes, but I never have the motivation to make them. It makes no sense.
Sweet potatoes are my very favorite! These looks so good!
Those look delicious. I have a honey avocado wrap on my site that I looooove. It can be so tricky to think up new ideas.
I am terrible with lunches, especially at home. I feel like I am always just snacking on whatever I’m cooking for the blog each day, and then end up eating more because I’m “just snacking”. Oof.
These sounds absolutely wonderful though! Such a delicious quick and easy idea!
Thanks to late breakfasts, I sometimes skip lunch altogether (bad, I know!). But if I had food like this around, and someone to prepare it, I’d certainly change my habits. This looks scrumptious!!
Lunch for me is usually leftovers from the night before, so I try to make my evening meals something that I won’t mind eating the next day. It doesn’t always work out so well, sadly. I know I’d love having some of this the day after, though. They look delicious!
I struggle with lunch too. Most days I just go for hummus and pita chips because the idea of actually cooking something makes me need a nap. I could definitely get into these, especially since most of it can be made ahead!
Love loaded sweet potatoes! Great idea to mix the taco seasoning into the yogurt!
Such a brilliant, tasty twist on loaded baked potatoes! Scrumptious idea to stuff them with Southwestern flavors. Thanks for sharing, Tracey!
this is way too messy for me to bring to work so i’m thinking we need these for dinner soon!
I absolutely adore loaded baked potatoes and don’t make them nearly enough- this version looks healthy but also so flavorful and delicious. Thanks for sharing Tracey!!
I love that you used a sweet potato instead of a regular potato when loading this baby up!! Mmmm salty sweet!
I usually just eat leftover dinner for lunch…mostly because I never feel like I want to dirty the whole kitchen making a fancier lunch, only to then dirty it all over again to make dinner! I love this stuffed sweet potato idea. These are loaded with so many of my favorite things!
Sounds delicious! I sometimes have a potato or sweet potato for lunch, but I don’t put much thought into the toppings. Great idea to prep the veggies ahead of time and use them throughout the week.
Yum! I saw your post this morning and totally changed my dinner plans (though they did involve sweet potatoes before).
I bring my lunch to work with me almost everyday and my favorite things to bring are grain salads with lots of vegetables, since I can make a large quantity ahead of time and get many meals.
I struggle to find healthy GOOD lunch options as well..but I have been seriously obsessed with stuffing sweet potatoes with everrryythiing! Can’t wait to try this combo next!
Baked potato is my go to meal. Your toppings sound so good!
These look truly ridiculously tasty!
I am always in need of lunch idea. More times than not it is just leftovers, or cereal because I am lazy. This looks like something to actually look forward to!
AMEN! Salads are 100 times better when someone else is making them and those boxed frozen lunches just don’t last. I end up eating snacks or candy to hold me over. This sweet potato does look perfect though…
Earlier today I was trying to think of new lunch plans, myself. This looks so yummy 🙂 I love loaded potatoes!
I used to have a colleague that was obsessed with loaded sweet potatoes and she brought them for lunch nearly every day. She kind of got me into it and I make them once in a while now. They really are very filling.
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