I love cooking, but I usually save more involved recipes for dinner time with my fiance. Cooking is something we really love to share (along with our love of really good food) so I don’t usually spend my faculties on fancy lunches.

I still strive for satisfying mid-day meals, however, so a haphazard mix of unseasoned ingredients isn’t my preferred way to eat, either. I’ve settled on a pattern of quick + delicious + healthy meal prep over the years, where I don’t spend more than 10-20 minutes making an individual meal, or more than 30-40 prepping for a whole week of lunches. This helps me keep my sanity, and allows flexibility in preparing a lot of different types of satisfying foods without expensive ingredients or kitchen tools. I usually follow a template (I’ve mentioned this before on the blog & instagram) involving a high-protein whole grain, some sort of vegetable, and a variety of toppings — cheese, meat, sauces, nuts, etc. I’m heavy handed with spices to add flavor, and liberal with my use of fats and oils to keep myself satisfied. Another thing? I don’t measure. I sprinkle, spread, stir, and season my food with eyeball estimates, and then taste test. If I’m using a Pinterest recipe for inspiration, I try to reflect the relative measurements, but I almost always end up at least doubling the seasoning and vegetables.

Quinoa with spinach, sausage + feta

• Cook quinoa according to directions with liberal additions of onion powder, parsley flakes, salt and pepper
• Slice a ready-to-eat sausage link (I used ALDI spinach + feta chicken sausage) and brown in a skillet with a few teaspoons of olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes
• When the sausage is brown, fill the pan to the top with baby spinach, and cook until wilted
• Serve spinach + sausage over quinoa, and top with crumbled feta cheese