Hi V.,
I am a student again and find my time is so limited, that I try to make lunch as quick as possible. Here are a few things I do:
1. Soup - I make a big pot of soup on the weekends and freeze into individual servings. Then during the week, I can pop it into the microwave to defrost and warm up while I make a big salad. Go for prewashed greens and include some non-lettuce greens like kale, chard, spinach and arugula -- they've got calcium and magnesium, something most of us could use more of. Add a handful of raw nuts and seeds to your salad for a nutritional boost. I make a quick vinaigrette using 1 T olive oil, 1 t white wine vinegar and a splash of Dijon. I love adding a little goat cheese to the salad as well.
2. Rice and beans - again, you can make a big pot of rice on the weekends. I mix rice with canned black or pinto beans, then quickly steam some broccoli and carrots. I add pepitas (dried pumpkin seeds), salsa and 1/4 of an avocado. Sometimes I add cilantro and chopped scallions. I usually add 1 T of nutritional yeast, which is really high in B vitamins -- those are the ones that give you energy and so are really important!
Another version of this I make uses lentils. I cook 1 cup each of lentils and brown rice in 6 cups water. I add chopped onion, carrots, ginger, garlic and curry. I let this simmer until the water is absorbed (30 - 40mins?), then add a bunch of chopped kale and cilantro at the very end. This makes a huge pot that I can eat for days.
3. I try to avoid packaged foods, but I love the Indian food meals at Trader Joe's. My favorite is Dal Makahni (sp?). It comes in a little foil package that you cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. While it's boiling, I steam veggies (in the same pot, using my steamer insert). I mix the whole thing with about 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 T nutritional yeast and eat with a toasted whole wheat pita.
I hope this helps! Remember, your family will do better if you make your health and happiness your #1 priority! It's okay to let the kiddos fuss for a little bit while you take 10 mins to put together a healthy lunch. The bonus is that they'll see you eating healthy, and copy your good habits! Good luck!
A.