5 Quick & Healthy Lunch-Dishes Under $10

Hey guys! What’s for lunch today? Who else hates figuring out what to eat for lunch? How about when you’re on the run but also try to eat healthy… Oh, and not wanting to spend a fortune for a quick-lunch that you’re going to grab and run?  Of course, we don’t mind spending money on sit-in lunch dates with friends, but not so much when comes to grab-and-go right?

On the other hand, if you’re also trying to maintain a healthy diet than you know fast food is a “No Go”. Choosing to eat healthy & fast isn’t really easy, so I decided to share my top 5 healthy choices on the go. I am highlighting the particular choices I order that are also fresh, healthy, fast, and wont break your bank.  Here they go:

Habit Burger Grill

Can’t say enough about how much I love the food at Habit. One of the reasons they’re on top of my list is because they have so much variety with their menu options. They make food fresh as you order, and their food is delicious. Another advantage with Habit is that you can call/go online and order food ahead of time, so you just pick up as you arrive. Some of my favorites with them are their Chicken BBQ Salad, or Grilled Chicken Salad (450 calories without dressing and 690 w/dressing). Both these salads are super tasty, yet fresh and filling. Their sandwiches are also great. Try their Chicken Sandwich with BBQ sauce on wheat bun (680 calories w/sauce).

Nordstrom’s Ebar

Ebars inside of Nordstrom stores are my next choice for quick-lunch because you can easily grab-and-go after some quick shopping.  Given that most major malls carry a Nordstrom, you’re sure to come across one while shopping.  They have some wonderful salads, and other dishes that are prepared daily with fresh ingredients. One choice in particular that I recommend is their BBQ Chicken Salad with the ‘Champagne Vinaigrette‘ dressing. Ask for the dressing at checkout. This salad is very fulfilling; don’t let its small size fool you. It’s served cold, and has only 480 calories without the dressing.

Starbucks

Yes, you read that right! Starbucks has a few food menu options that are healthy, and there is one in particular that I have to point out. It’s called “Zesty Chicken & Black Bean Salad”, and it’s usually seating in their cold bar so you don’t need to wait to have it prepared. This salad may also look small, but it’s actually very fulfilling. It’s got ingredients like quinoa, grilled chicken meat, roasted corn, black beans, feta and with only 360 calories (without dressing) who can say No?

You should probably grab this with your morning coffee as it runs out fast.

Baja Fresh

When I visit Baja Fresh, their ‘Grilled Shrimp Chile Lime‘ salad is one of my favorites. There is a good amount shrimp in this salad, along with kale, pico, onion, bell pepper, jicama, tortilla strips, and avocado. Tastes as good as it looks, and only had 365 calories (without dressing). You can also pre-order this dish online (during work) so you don’t waste half your lunch break waiting around. I also love their fish/shrimp tacos that are kinda light, yet fulfilling.

Oh, and they also offer beer for those who crave one for lunch on a hot summer day.

Earthbar

Earthbar is definitely on my favorite stops at any time of the day. I think they probably have the most healthiest food of all the locations I already named. “Acai Bowl” is the menu option I will highlight with them.  I know it doesn’t come off very lunch-ish, but trust me when I say this bowl will get you full. It comes in a huge bowl full of fruit, granola, protein (flavor of choice), peanut/almond-butter, milk (of choice) and some other goodies. I usually get this right after a quick workout and it’s definitely considered my lunch for the day since it will keep me full until dinner. This option has 580 calories but you can always put in a request have it split it into two cups so you only consume half 🙂

OK! If you read this far I think it’s safe to assume that I am not a huge ‘red meat’ kinda gal. However; most of these food-stops also offer “steak” instead of chicken. Remember, if you are trying to go extra healthy than you may want to skip the dressings as prepackaged dressings are loaded with salt and saturated fat.  They do more damage than you think! Hope you found these suggestions helpful, and if so please comment below. I am also curious to know if there are other dishes I should know about! 🙂