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Make lunch an important part of your day and grab a quick bite with a fast and easy entree served with a side of delicious Spicy Roasted Edamame!
Many years ago, when I worked for an investment firm, lunch time was my absolute favorite time of day. I carefully planned my lunches each week and looked forward to that hour of “me time” during the day when I could escape for a few moments.
My lunch hour was the one part of my day, in a day filled of spreadsheets, legal documents and crunching numbers, where I could be creative and clear my head. I would catch up on blog reading (back when there weren’t as many blogs on my reading list), and was happy for fall, spring and milder winter days when I could take a brisk lunch time walk over to a nearby park and get lost in a good book.
Other days I would gather with my co-workers in the break room/kitchen to discuss our weekend adventures while playing card games or quick board games to pass the time.
And, vary rarely, my lunch hour was spent trying to navigate the narrow downtown streets running a quick errand or meeting a friend to hastily catch up over a local restaurant’s lunch time special.
Despite the fact that at that time I worked in a swanky high rise in the middle of downtown, I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on lunch. Because of this I usually brought my lunch from home and as I mentioned, vary rarely went out for lunch. My go to lunch time meals often included affordable and easy things like leftovers, sandwiches, salads, canned soup and LEAN CUISINE® entrees since they were easy (grab and go) and I could keep several meals stocked in my freezer for quick access as I ran out the door to beat traffic each morning.
Thinking back to my days working at the investment firm, there were many lessons learned from that time in my life. One of which is taking time for lunch to not only feed and nourish my body, but to nourish my mind and soul.
These days my work schedule is very different. I mostly work from home, but also teach classes, have meetings and oversee events located all over town. Even though I am often home for lunch, with a pantry or fridge full of food, I often get wrapped up in my work and forget to eat lunch.
This often leads to excessive snacking on fast (a.k.a not so good for me food) or getting irritable and grouchy with everyone. Since I know skipping lunch is not good for many reasons, I am working hard to make lunch time a part of my day again, even when working from home.
Part of making this a success is having super easy and balanced meals, like LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace entrees, and other snacks and side dishes on hand to make my lunch time routine effortless! To ensure I stop for a lunch break each day, I stocked up on several of the LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace entrees, like LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese, LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Spicy Penne Arrabiata and LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Sesame Chicken recently while running an errand to Target. Not only are these entrees easy to keep stocked in my freezer for quick and convenient lunches, just like when I worked at the investment firm, I love that these LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace entrees come in a variety of flavorful options and that they have options made with organic ingredients, as well as options that are non-GMO, gluten-free and high in protein.
While these LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace entrees are great on their own for a quick and satisfying lunch, I usually pair them with a simple side dish, like a simple green salad, some fruit and yogurt, or roasted veggies, like Spicy Roasted Edamame paired with LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Sesame Chicken, to make for a complete balanced meal.
Even though I am making lunch time an important part of my day again, I am still working on the “not working” thorough lunch part of my lunch time hour. You’ll usually still find me at my desk, checking off my to do list, responding to emails, brainstorming or planning my week, as I eat my lunch, but I hope to slowly add a little me time back to my lunch routine!
How do you typically spend your lunch time hour? What are your favorite quick and easy lunch entrees? Please share in the comments below!

A simple and tasty snack or side dish, this Spicy Roasted Edamame is a delicious 5-ingredient recipe!
- 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen shelled edamame
- 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (or olive oil)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Pour edamame in a strainer or colander and run under warm water for 2-3 minutes to thaw. Spread the edamame on a paper towel and pat gently with another paper towel to dry.
- Transfer edamame to a small mixing bowl, and toss the edamame with the chili sause, garlic powder, salt, pepper and coconut oil.
- Spread the seasoned edamame in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan and roast for 30-40 minutes or until edamame is crispy and golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
This Spicy Roasted Edamame is a great snack or side dish and pairs beautifully with LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Sesame Chicken, LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Sweet & Spicy Korean-Style Beef and LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Chicken with Peanut Sauce. To make lunch an important part of your day again, stock up on LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace entrees at your local Target for only $1.99 (normally $3.00) from 1/1 – 1/31. To see all the LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace entrees available, visit LEAN CUISINE® online and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
I love edamame! What a great combo to serve with Lean Cuisine! #Client