A Week of Dinners that Make Good Lunches

Is there a better week to discuss dinners that easily transform into the next day’s lunch? If you are in the midst of preparing for Thanksgiving, cooking for a large crowd, or just planning your weekly meal plan, double duty recipes are budget and life savers.  It makes for a streamlined grocery list and requires less time in the kitchen, plus it is an easy way to ensure that you are eating a real meal more than once a day.  Below are 7 recipes that are delicious for dinner and the next day’s lunch.

Quinoa With Zucchini and Spiced Skillet Chicken: This dinner is ready in under 45 minutes and will leave the house simply fragrant.  It is a protein packed meal of chicken, quinoa and garbanzo beans seasoned with cumin, paprika and garlic.  Enjoy this salad cold or reheated as is for lunch the next day, if you have it cold through in quick iceberg salad with an easy oil and vinegar dressing for a well-rounded lunch.

Black Bean Salad: Enjoy 5 minute tacos (thinly slice meat and stir fry with onions, spices and hot sauce) topped with a healthy and refreshing black bean salad.  Save some of the meat, or alternative protein of choice, to add with shredded lettuce and even ripe mango to the black bean salad for lunch.

Turkey Meatballs: Jamie included many ingenious ways to transform meals by dressing them up or down in her last book Fast, Fresh Family Meals.  Take the same approach with these turkey meatballs by serving them warm with pasta or quinoa for dinner and the next for lunch as lettuce wraps.

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Angel Wings Pasta: I would serve this alongside a hearty soup and a simple butter lettuce salad with an olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing for a filling dinner.  The pasta will be great cold the next day with a sprinkling of goat cheese.

Arugula Salad with Tahini Vinaigrette: This salad is a one bowl meal!  Throw in grilled chicken, tofu or seitan and enjoy for both lunch and dinner.  Another idea is to enjoy falafel and/or pita and hummus on the side.

Fried Brussels Sprouts with Lentils: It is finally brussels sprout season! Served warm this dish hits all the flavor bases, and tastes like a totally new meal when served cold.  Add brown rice, roasted potatoes, or even flat couscous for a lunch that will feel like a real treat.

Chicken Pastrami Rolls: This recipe might change your life.  I tried it once, and will make again as soon as I have access to good kosher pastrami.  No, it’s not healthy, but there’s a reason we get an extra soul and probably an extra stomach on shabbos.  This is recipe is especially choice if you have any picky eaters, many children or teenagers to feed.  If you have space, in which case I will be extremely impressed, this will taste great alongside potatoes from the cholent or simply with salads and dips.