Lunch: Greek style lentil pasta salad
Directions
Add two 8oz boxes of Banza chickpea pasta to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes or as recommended on the box.
While the pasta cooks, prepare lunch containers with 3 cups of baby kale each. Aim for a daily intake of calcium-rich veggies like kale. If using non-prewashed kale, soak it in water with white vinegar and salt for 5 minutes, then dry thoroughly.
In a separate large bowl, mix one chopped onion, 4 chopped bell peppers, 3 chopped cucumbers, and 2 small packages of cherry tomatoes.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside to cool.
Distribute the vegetable mix among the 7 containers.
To each container, add 1 cup of canned lentils that have been drained and rinsed.
Evenly distribute the cooled pasta among the containers.
Include about 2 Tbsp. of kalamata olives (around 10 whole olives) in each container.
Finish by topping each with 2 Tbsp. of sunflower seeds and 1-2 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar. If preferred, you can add the vinegar when you're ready to eat.
Season each container with roughly ¼ tsp. each of iodized salt and pepper.
Close the lids on the containers and mix the ingredients by shaking or using a spoon. For those meant for consumption later in the week, consider adding a paper towel inside to maintain freshness.
Nutrition highlight
Using iodized salt is a really easy way to help meet your iodine needs for the day. Iodine is essential for producing thyroid hormones, and a deficiency can lead to problems like goiter.