What happened to Sandwiches?

One of my newest discoveries is the realization that lunch doesn't have to consist of a sandwich of some sort...pb&j or otherwise. In the process of trying to lower my budget a friend shared that when she prepares lunches for her family they usually consist of the leftovers from a dinner that week or some other easily prepared carb, protein and fruit or veggie. What, no sandwiches?? Sacrilege! How can lunch not essentially consist of a sandwich? Especially when, 3 days out of 7, I have to pack lunches and sandwiches seem to be the simplest option to prepare. Since I have fallen in love with the Trader Joe's complete protein bread and can't bring myself to go back to traditional whole wheat varieties this makes lunch a rather costly affair. Though I do think that the complete protein bread is great for our diet does it really have to be an essential element to our daily life? The answer I realized was, no, it does not.

Thus began my quest for healthy, inexpensive and quick menu options for lunch, sans sandwiches. Sometimes it's just pasta and cheese with a fruit and veggie on the side. Although, more recently I have been either using leftovers from dinner or, better yet, making lunch "the main meal" of the day and maybe using a slice of bread per person at dinner...maybe. I know this realization is not earth-shattering for most people and certainly not a new idea, but for me it has been ground-breaking! Last night in fact, I prepared one of our newest favorite recipes and was amazed at how simple lunch prep for today turned out to be:  container of Lentils-check, bunch of broccoli-check, sweet potato to be cooked at work-check, apple-check...and dinner for my hubby in the fridge as well as a meal for a later date in the freezer. Nice!

How could I end this post without including the recipe. I only wish I could credit the person who originally posted it online. Its not my recipe, and someone inherited it from their mother, but that's all I know, unfortunately. Anyway, here it is:

Lentil Dahl
(I always double or triple this recipe)

1 onion, finely chopped
1 T. oil (I always use coconut oil for just about everything)
1 1/3 c. split red tentils of toor dal
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. turmeric (my new favorite spice)
1/2 tsp. chili powder or more to taste
3c. water
1.8 oz creamed coconut (I just used coconut milk)

Directions:
1. Saute onion in oil until soft and lightly browned.
2. Add lentils, garlic, cumin, salt, turmeric, and chili, stir for 2-3 min.
3. Add water, bring to a boil and simmer gently for 25-30 min. until lentils are tender.
4. Add creamed coconut and stir over the heat until disolved.

Here it is.  It doesn't look exotic, but it sure is tasty.