5 Quick Tiffin Recipes For The Girl Who’s Always On The Go

The biggest question that haunts my friends (and my mom) who stay alone is — what to pack for lunch? Given how busy any college-going or working woman is, also perpetually late, figuring out what to eat through the day seems like an impossible task.

More often than not, this time crunch leads to ordering from outside and then, one look at the bill, and you’re crying. Not to mention the added weight to crib about — no matter how many ‘love your body’, ‘you are beautiful the way you are’ quotes you read to feel better, and how often you resolve to eat healthier, come Monday, and it’s back to square one.

Solving this problem and giving you a chance to come up with more creative excuses, here are 5 quick, tasty, and easy-to-pack recipes that you can carry to college or work, and limit eating the greasy food from the local joint to just once a week.

 

Courtesy: My India Taste

1. Lemon And Peanut Rice

Tangy rice with the crunchiness of the peanuts makes for a meal that you won’t be able to resist. Add red chillies according to your spice intake and eat with a glass of chilled lassi.

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 glass rice
• Handful of mustard seeds
• Ginger to taste
• 1/4 cup peanuts crushed
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste

 

Method: Boil the rice till cooked. Take a pan and heat some oil. Add mustard seeds. Once you hear the seeds popping, add the turmeric, rice, and salt till everything has blended. Take it off the heat and squeeze in the lemon. Stir well and serve.

Courtesy: Martha Stewart

2. Basic Pancakes

This breakfast staple doubles up as an easy-to-make lunch as well. You can add variants to it by pouring maple syrup, honey, or maybe, chocolate chips?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

 

Method: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine).

Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle on a medium flame. Fold a paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).

Cook until the surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst — 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside — another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter, cover loosely with aluminium foil, and keep warm in the oven. Serve warm, with desired toppings.

 

Courtesy: The Every Girl

3. Shrimp And Spinach Pasta

This dish will just take 5 minutes of your time and you will never get tired of eating this healthy lunch. Get ready to share the recipe with whoever takes even a tiny bite!

Ingredients: 

• 1 packet of pasta
• 1/3 lb shrimp (precooked and deveined)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• Pepper to taste

Method:  Slice garlic to the desired size. Boil the pasta till its cooked. Sauté pasta, shrimp, and garlic on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add spinach to pan and continue sautéing until spinach is lightly wilted. After sautéing, combine in a medium-sized bowl. Slice lemon and squeeze over the top of the pasta. Dust top of pasta with pepper. Settle in for a delicious meal.

 

Courtesy: Natasha’s Kitchen

4. Salami And Cream Cheese Sandwiches

The easiest thing to whip is sandwiches. And salami makes it even better. Whether you make them with cream cheese, mustard, or mayo, they will taste amazing. Oh look, you have 3 different recipe ideas right there!

Ingredients:

• Slice of bread
• Salami
• Cream Cheese/Mustard/Cheese

Method: Slice the bread with the said ingredients and pack! For added flavour, sear the salami on a pan just to make the edges a little crispy.

 

Courtesy: Archana’s Kitchen

5. Veg Kathi Roll

This is a trap. You can basically make the stuffing out of any vegetable or meat — even last night’s dinner will work like magic. Place it inside the roti and that’s it! The best part is that your roti doesn’t have to be round for this!

Mix and match various ingredients; any combination would do for this. In fact, send us your favourite recipes on hey@thehauterfly.com, or comment below with them, and we will feature them on the site!