Stay at home mom lunch ideas is an exhaustive collection of yummy & nutritious lunch options that help you go through your day happily and without getting hangry.
The list is intended to have something for all and so there are varied kinds of lunch options on the list. Right from sumptuous salads to the one pot rice and pastas, from on the go breads and sandwiches to the Gluten free Lunch Ideas.
To top it all I do have some Indian wholesome lunch ideas too in the list.
Stay at Home Mom Lunch Ideas
Here are some delicious stay at home lunch ideas that you would love to make for your family.
SALADS FOR LUNCH |
| 1. Cobb Salad |
| 2. Falafel salad |
| 3. The Sprouts Salad |
| 4. Israeli salad |
| 5. Mexican beans salad |
| 6. Russian Salad |
| 7. Kimchi Salad |
| 8. Coles Slaw |
| 9. Macaroni pasta salad |
| 10. The Mix Greens salad |
| 11. The Sauerkraut |
| 12. Thai Raw Papaya Salad |
RICE & PASTA |
| 13 Fried rice |
| 14. Rice with Chicken Schezwan |
| 15. Biryani |
| 16. Rice with lentil curry |
| 17. Spaghetti and meatballs |
| 18. Pesto pasta |
| 19. Alfredo pasta |
| 20. Rice with Thai coconut curry |
| 21. Rice with vegetables and hot garlic sauce |
| 22. Fried Rice with Chicken in Black pepper sauce |
BREADS & WRAPS FOR LUNCH |
| 23. Roast chicken and lettuce sandwich |
| 24. Egg and cheese sandwich |
| 25. Falafel wrap |
| 26. Shawarma wrap |
| 27. Burrito |
| 28. Open Sandwich |
GLUTEN FREE LUNCH IDEAS |
| 29. Millet salad |
| 30. Millet pancake |
| 31. Quinoa salad |
| 31. Millet Dosa |
| 32. Savoury Lentil Pancakes |
INDIAN LUNCH IDEAS |
| 33. Flatbread with Indian Vegetable Curry |
| 34. Rice with lentils curry |
| 35. Chicken curry with baked bread (Naan) |
| 36. Fried bread with Potato Fry |
| 37. Stuffed vegetable breads with yoghurt |
Wholesome Salads for Lunch
1. Cobb Salad
This is a salad that doesn’t feel like one. It is filling, healthy & full of goodness in the bowl. Simple to put together for those healthy cravings. Just add the greens like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, chicken, boiled eggs & some cheese of your choice.
Dress in nicely with Red wine vinegar, mustard and olive oil dressing. Season it according to your taste and just eat the goodness to your hearts content. The best part of this lunch is that all the ingredients are easily available in your pantry and you can use leftovers too to make this healthy & chipper salad.
2. Falafel salad
This mediterranean delight is full of crunch, taste & goodness for your gut. Take your choice of greens, I usually use baby spinach and coriander finely chopped, add in the onions, tomato some olives, cucumbers season with salt pepper and lime juice.
Now add the falafel bullets and top these hummus and some tahini dips. You are in for a delicious and filling lunch for the day. If you want to add in some simple carbs, you may add in bite sized pita pieces however I avoid any breads in it.
3. The Sprouts Salad
This Indian salad recipe is simple to make and yummy to relish. Use sprouted green lentils and steam them for some time. You can use these in raw form too.
Add in chopped onions, boiled potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, green chillies, chopped coriander & season it with salt, pepper, red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder and add in a dash of lemon juice. You have a wholesome protein rich meal with you to savour. This can be eaten as a breakfast too if you want to try out “Raw till Lunch”. For more such breakfast ideas do check this out.
4. Israeli salad
This salad is made by chopping vegetables into small pieces. Vegetables like capsicum, carrot, cucumber, onions, coriander, parsley, and avocado can be used in this recipe. You can add your choice of meat to it as well. Add it za’atar spice & yoghurt or the famous tahini dip or simply dress in it lemon juice and olive oil dressing. and you have a hearty and colourful bowl of deliciousness in front of you.
5. Mexican beans salad
This salad is very versatile and can be used as a stand alone salad or as a topping on nachos. It is made with avacado onion cucumber tomato black beans and cheese. It is the perfect lunch to cool you down on a summer afternoon
6. Russian salad
An easy and yummy recipe is made from boiled potatoes, carrots, eggs and Beas tossed together in mayonnaise. This recipe is also perfect for a family or friends get together at home. Serve it chilled garnished with fresh chopper parsley.
I often make this as an accompaniment to dinner too. My kids love this salad too. If you are looking for some dinner inspiration, do check out this post.
7. Kimchi Salad
This spicy salad is known to be originated from Japan is fundamentally made from cabbage and spiced with onions, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and red chilli powder and some sugar. I do add the sesame seeds to my recipe too.
This is best served chilled and I like to prepare it after fermenting the cabbage for a couple of days. This recipe makes it probiotic and fermented foods are always good for your gut as they help in flourishing the good gut bacteria which we all need to have good metabolism.
However I do need something along with this salad as with fermented recipe, there is a limited amounts (1/2 tables spoons) that we should be eating. So I always have either some cutlets or some savoury pancake or fried rice along with this salad depending on what is available in my refrigerator.
8. Coles Slaw
I love this creamy and crunchy recipe and am also awed by the ease with which I can toss this out on the table for every one to relish. Cabbage carrots mayonnaise, some honey and apple cider vinegar and that’s all you need.
To make it richer I sometimes add apple slices, soaked almonds and some raisins too. But I like the basic version the best. I usually have it with some bread and I am good for lunch.
When it is all of us in the family that are there for lunch, I do accompany this with some pan fried or grilled chicken and breads. This is so because I do understand that the growing kids do need their share of proteins and carbs in their every meal. Since I am trying to get fitter I usually have low carbs and some quantifies proteins in my diet.
9. Macaroni pasta salad
This is the perfect lunch to eat on a hot summer day. To make this simple yet delicious recipe you just need to boil some macaroni pasta and add your vegetables of choice like capsicum cucumber and lettuce and mix in your choice of sauce add seasonings, crumble some cheese and serve it chilled.
10. The Mix Greens salad
This is the healthiest salad on our list and is perfect for the health-conscious people. In this salad we add raw green vegetables and some fresh fruits to our salad. You can add lettuce cucumber capsicum sprouts spinach etc.
You can also add kiwi, pomegranate and some cheese to the recipe. Wear your creative hat and make one satisfying bowl of salad for yourself and enjoy your lunch.
11. The Sauerkraut
This is made from finely cut or grated cabbage and mixing it with salt in a jar. the natural process of fermentation starts and prepares it as a sour salad. Again for this the quantity that you take daily should be limited and I usually eat it as an accompaniment to the main meal.
12. Thai Raw Papaya Salad
Simple and gut-friendly this salad is made with 3/4 basic ingredients. Grated raw papaya soya sauce, sugar, garlic and roasted peanuts is all you need to put together this salad. And it is a great and filling option for lunch.
Rice & Pasta for a Filling Lunch
13. Fried Rice
This is a very easy to cook meal and is usually a balanced meal in a bowl. It uses the vegetables and meats available in your house. In my kitchen I usually use beans, carrots, garlic & spring onions to dish out the bowl of friend rice.
You can add some left over grilled chicken & some chilli sauce to make it more palatable. Some people also add a fried egg to it.
14. Rice with Chilli chicken
Serve some butter tossed rice with dry chicken chilly preparation. I do add veggies like capsicum red yellow bell peppers mushrooms and spring onions to the chicken.
15. Biryani
This famous Indian Delicacy is exotic and a little elaborate to cook. However it is not difficult to make in your kitchen. It is a layered preparation of rice with cooked mix vegetables in yoghurt sauce and baked to perfection.
The one thing that makes any biryani dish stand out is the aroma and hence the use of authentic Indian whole spices like pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and saffron is a must.
16. Rice with Lentil curry
Also known as “the Dal Chawal’ in hindi, this Indian preparation is very healthy to eat. This is the go to meal for a lot of Indians since it is easy to make and there is immense variety of lentils and recipes available in Indian cuisine to make your perfect bowl of Dal Chawal for lunch.
17. Spaghetti and Meatballs
This Italian origin dish is loved by people all over the world. Some Spaghetti with Meatballs and sauce can brighten up the day for anyone. I do make this for my family and add chopped vegetables like capsicum and onions in my meatballs so that my kids eat some veggies alongside their meat and pasta.
18. Pesto Pasta
This simple yet healthy recipe is made by tossing pasta is green sauce made from sweet basic leaves and pine nuts. I also sometimes substitute walnuts for pine nuts and it tastes awesome too. Do try it and let me know if you like my version of pesto sauce as well.
19. Pasta in Alfredo Sauce
Pasta In Alfredo sauce is something my kids love. The basic white sauce flavoured with mushrooms and some sweet corns is easy to make and quick to serve for those afternoon hunger pangs.
20. Rice with Thai coconut curry
The green coconut curry is a Thai preparation and goes well with plan boiled rice. I love the richness that coconut milk adds to this dish and the fibre that goes into the gut with the choice of green veggies in the curry. This is one meal I cook often at my home and luckily my kids too relish the rich coconut flavour.
21. Rice with vegetables and hot garlic sauce
A quick to serve meal. Toss the choice of vegetables in a hot garlic sauce and serve it with rice. You can also add tofu into this a make it a fuller meal.
22. Fried Rice with Chicken in Black pepper sauce
This is one is my husbands favourite recipe and I usually make it as a part of the weekend lunch. Chicken and veggies tossed in a sauce with lots of black pepper and garlic into it, served with rice.
BREADS & WRAPS | Sumptuous Stay at Home Mom Lunch Ideas
A sandwich is in itself a great idea for Lunch. It offers a perfect balance between carbs & proteins. You can enrich it with vitamins and minerals by adding the spread of your choice and veggies to your liking too. And hence, this forms a significant part of my Stay at home mom Lunch Ideas list too.
23. Roast chicken and lettuce sandwich
This is as delicious and simple as it sounds. Have the bread of your choice, Add in the chicken top it up with onions tomato slice some fresh green lettuce and a slice of cheese. And you are good to go.
I like to have my sandwiches cold but grilling this too have a piping hot lunch is also not a bad idea for a cold winter afternoon. Enjoy your sandwich with some hot soup or some cold buttermilk depending on the weather outside.
Actually a cup of cappuccino is a great accompaniment to the sandwich too.
24. Egg and cheese sandwich
Load your bread with boiled egg and cheese, grill it and enjoy the sinful and lip-smacking egg sandwich for lunch. Accompany it with some gut friendly salad and you are good to go for the rest of the day.
25. Falafel Wrap
This is one of my favourites and I love the loaded falafel sandwich. Pita bread filled with some salad, falafel bullets and pickled / fermented salad too. Top it with hummus and yum.
26. Shawarma Wrap
Tortilla wrap loaded with some salad, grilled chicken, picked salad and some sour cream, wrap it and you have a handy lunch that you can eat on the go too.
27. Burrito
The Mexican delight with rice, kidney beans, salad and sour cream is sure to bring a big smile to the kids faces. This is again a good lunch for this days when you are short of time and have to be on the go.
28. Open Sandwich
I usually use the foot long subway kind of bread and make an open sandwich with little veggies/chicken and cheese and serve it with some mustard and tomato sauce.
GLUTEN FREE LUNCH IDEAS | Healthy Stay at Home Mom Lunch Ideas
29. Millets salad
Toss some cooked millets with veggies and dressings of your choice and you have a bowl of gluten-free goodness ready for you. I usually boil mills and keep in refrigerator to be used in making salads often. Also do experiment with different types of millet available.
I recently made a pearl millet salad by tossing in some onions tomatoes, greens and capsicum, coriander and lemon juice and topped with toasted peanuts. I loved the outcome too.
30. Millets pancake
This is made by using millet flour and making a batter out of it. Make savoury pancakes and eat with salad and dips of your choice. I make finger millet pancakes and eat these with some salad and hung curd based spicy dip. A traditional salsa also goes great with these pancake recipes.
31. Millets Dosa
This is an elaborate recipe and needs prior planning & preparation. This is made by replacing millets with rice in the traditional dosa recipe. This helps it become gluten-free and healthier too.
32. Savoury Lentil Pancakes
Mixed lentils soaked and ground to prepare a batter. Season it and cook on griddle like pancakes. this is an amazing gluten free lunch idea and makes up for a healthy and satisfying meal.
INDIAN LUNCH IDEAS | Wholesome Stay at Home Mom Lunch Ideas
33. Flatbread with Indian Vegetable Curry
Traditional Indian flatbread with Mix vegetable curry makes up for a fulfilling meal in the afternoons. There are a lot of variations that one can go in for to make the vegetable curry.
34. Chicken curry with baked bread (Naan)
Chicken cooked in Indian spices and Onion and tomato-based curry, when served with fermented baked bread commonly known as Naan Bread in India, is an all-time favourite of my family.
35. Fried bread with Potato Fry
Traditionally called Poori in India, the traditional puffed fried bread with potato fry is another simple and delicious recipe to try for the days when you want to eat something different from the regular meal options.
36. Stuffed vegetable breads with yoghurt
This is again an amazing and filling lunch option, however, it requires some level of skill in making these breads. These are commonly called as parathas in India and you can use from Potato to cottage cheese to make these delightful breads to be served with fresh yoghurt and pickle.
37. Yoghurt curry with rice
More commonly called as Kadhi Chawal in India, this is a yoghurt and chickpea flour based sauce that tastes yum and is a favourite at my place too. Add in some fried fritters and serve it with boiled rice and you have a sumptuous lunch ready for your family.
So this is all about Stay at home mom lunch ideas from my side. I hope you find this post useful and try out some new recipes for this. Do share your feedback with me if you do.