Written by: Dr. Frannie Koe, MD
Edited by: Breanne Hughes
I actually eat lunch at home most days and someone else cooks. I now have Dulce, my personal assistant who prepares many of our meals, and my partner, Tim, does a lot of cooking as well. He will cook enough at night for me to have leftovers for the next day or two. I often pack a supper to take to the clinic but I consider that packing a lunch! Everyone has a different schedule, so the recipes and ideas are for home or office and work. Variety is always key in our diets to keep us from getting burned out eating healthier foods.
Fermented vegetables are easy to take and I use them to help people with acid reflux, heartburn, digestive issues, irritable bowel syndrome, and for overall good health. A variety of cultures have used fermented foods for thousands of years. It is easy and fairly quick to make a simple sauerkraut on the counter in your kitchen. You can ferment garlic, okra, green beans, beets, carrots and even squash and zucchini. My first husband swears by his kraut. He had a lot of heartburn and issues with acid reflux. He has had no problems since he started eating fermented foods. Below is a link to the recipe I use.
Sauerkraut recipe:
Smoothies:
I make a vegetable smoothie that I take in my lunch almost every day. Right now, my personal assistant Dulce helps me make them. She will make 4-6 pint jars at a time and put them in the fridge so l can easily grab one to add to the other items in my lunch. I have even frozen them if I cannot drink them all before they spoil. They keep for several days. Click on the link below for the recipe.
Green Vegetable Smoothie Recipe:
Salads:
Salads are great to take in a lunch. Slaw, either with mayo dressing or olive oil and vinegar dressing, holds up well. My partner Tim adds sour cream or heavy cream when he makes slaw, and it is delicious. Our mayo dressings will be on our Condiments page.
Salads need to be kept cool because they can lose texture, wilt, or spoil if they get warm. Often, wetter ingredients may need to be added at the last minute to keep the salad fresh. This is especially true when making a big batch and storing it in the fridge to grab and go in a lunch bag or cooler. At home, Tim and I will put the drier ingredients in a big bowl and the wetter ingredients, like tomatoes or the dressing, in a smaller bowl, and then combine them when we are ready to eat.
Keto Mayonnaise Recipe:
Protein:
We have already mentioned a couple of protein ideas, including eggs, cheese and meat sticks. But leftover salmon patties, leftover hamburger steaks, pork chops, ribs, and chicken are all good options. If you are out, you can buy a rotisserie chicken and grab some foods listed above. In fact, I often recommend this to the many truck drivers who are patients of our clinic.
I have learned to make salmon salad as I do not care for tuna salad as much. I dislike sardines, but I have added sardines to my salmon salad for the health benefits and cannot even taste them once I mix them in. You can buy tuna in a can or pack with water only.
Many of my patients like sardines and other canned fishes like mackerel. Always buy these in water and not oil as the oil is usually not very healthy. I even suggest avoiding the fish packed in olive oil because it is likely to be of poor quality.
I almost always try to buy sustainably raised canned fish. Although it is more expensive, the quality is much higher. I have purchased a couple of brands of Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon. Please see the affiliate links below.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0746GXCRP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UB6FU4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H83SMY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And here is the link for the salmon salad recipe I’ve used for years. Instead of relying on a written recipe, I just make it like I would the tuna salad that my mom taught me how to make.
Salmon Salad Recipe:
I try to avoid processed canned meats. These often have chemicals that may increase your risk of colon cancer, so I caution my patients to stay away from these. Other great portable sources of protein are meat sticks. Fortunately, there are lots of high-protein options that aren’t highly processed. For example, many of my patients who hunt make deer sausages. Also, there are several types of zero-sugar beef jerky and dried meat products that are great to take in a hurry when there are no leftovers in the fridge. You can also make your own jerky at home fairly easily. My sister makes a delicious beef jerky and was generous enough to share the recipe. I have not made it myself, but I have eaten it many times and have plans to whip up a batch at home soon.
Beef Jerky Recipe:
I buy meat from an online subscription service called Butcher Box. Butcher Box offers meats that are grass fed. I have it delivered monthly for about $200. It is more meat than we can eat in a month, and we have the option of changing up which protein we get. You can check them out here:
I understand not everyone can afford wild-caught fish and grass-fed meats. We will also talk about this topic in future blogs and offer suggestions and alternatives on the site.
