Wraps

• If you're not bold enough to try something totally different just yet, ease the transition by making yourself a whole wheat wrap. Buy the large whole wheat wraps and stuff one with your favorite sliced lunch meats or grilled chicken. Start by spreading a little low fat sandwich spread, add some crispy lettuce, then your favorite meats and cheeses. To make it super healthy add more vegetables such as red onions, peppers, or alfalfa sprouts. You can control the ingredients, and the possibilities are endless. If you want to skip the sandwich spread, take a ripe avocado and smash it into a spread to use as a substitution or add a little of your favorite salsa. Even kids will love choosing their own ingredients for a wrap and rolling it up like a burrito. You can also hold the wraps together with toothpicks and cut into slices, making pinwheels.
  
  

Salads

• A salad is a healthy option for your lunch. Use healthy ingredients and don't soak the salad in a high-fat dressing. Make a bed of dark, leafy greens and add your favorite vegetables on top. Salads are similar to wraps in that you can control what goes in it. Just see what vegetables you have in the refrigerator and get creative. Mix a dark lettuce or baby spinach with green peppers, cucumbers and green onions as a base. Let these vegetables sit in a bowl in the refrigerator for a while and the flavors will mix to make a sweet combination. Add a few more vegetables, some boiled egg whites and a sprinkle of cheese and you'll find that your salad doesn't even need dressing. If you do prefer dressing, stick with a low-fat vinaigrette.
  
  

Bite-Sized Foods

• For a lunch that makes you feel like a kid again, make your own version of a deconstructed sandwich with meats, cheeses and crackers. Take your favorite crackers along with some cheese slices or cubes and deli meats you have cut into small squares. At lunchtime, just build your own mini sandwiches with the ingredients. Take a few condiments such as mayonnaise or spicy mustard and build your own edible masterpiece. Throw in a few baby carrots or whatever vegetable you can find as a side dish. For a sweet treat, pack some peanut butter or hazelnut spread to eat with your leftover crackers. This a fast lunch for those with limited lunch breaks or those with no access to a microwave. Bite-sized lunches work for kids, so why wouldn't it work for adults too?
  
  

Soup

• Soup is another alternative to a plain sandwich for lunch, and can be a welcome change especially on a cold winter day. Nothing will warm you up like a hot bowl of delicious soup. Fill a thermos with your favorite soup, and you'll have yourself a quick and hearty lunch. Add a dash of hot sauce, white pepper, or red pepper flakes to wake up your taste buds. Combine soup with a bite sized lunch of crackers and cheeses for a meal that is satisfying and nourishing. If you don't want to make homemade soup, you'll find there are plenty of tasty options in the grocery store and many are loaded with vegetables and have low sodium.
  
  

Pasta salad

• Boil one cup of whole wheat pasta the night before, and the following morning you can whip up a fresh pasta salad to take for lunch. Add grilled chicken, or keep it vegetarian and toss in some light Italian dressing. Take some fresh bread or crackers to eat along with it. The pasta will soak up the dressing and by lunchtime you will have a meal that will make your co-workers jealous.
  
  

Leftovers

• If you had a fantastic meal last night that you simply want to enjoy a second time, just take some leftovers in an air tight container. If you have access to a microwave at work, you can have a hot meal without letting those dinner leftovers go to waste. Make a dessert to go along with your lunch by mixing your favorite yogurt with a few fresh berries and some crushed granola.