In this article, we are going to learn healthy lunch ideas with eggs. Have you ever planned for a healthy lunch for your kids and ended up making the same thing everyday? As we have discussed previously on Repurpose My Blog, eggs can be prepared in a variety of ways. Not only are they versatile and inexpensive, they are also full of nutrients. Eggs are high in protein, riboflavin, folate
and Vitamin B12. They are also low in cholesterol and saturated fats. Eggs are an excellent choice for breakfast or lunch options. Here is a list of healthy lunch ideas with eggs that your kids will love! There are plenty of healthy lunch ideas with eggs that you can try. Eggs are known as a great protein source and include a lot of nutrients that your body needs. They’re also delicious and easy
to cook. If you’re looking for healthy lunch ideas with eggs, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a list of 12 egg recipes that will help you eat better during the day. Eggs are a super convenient, inexpensive, and healthy way to make any meal healthier. There are so many ways you can add eggs to any recipe, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Since they’re so versatile, let’s take a look at some of the health benefits of eggs.
Healthy Lunch Ideas With Eggs
Need Inspiration For Lunch Ideas? Here’s A List Of Healthy Lunch Ideas With Eggs To Help You Out. Eggs are a great food, filled with protein and other essential vitamins. They are affordable and easy to cook. My day is incomplete without an egg and it should be the same thing with you. Eggs can be eaten on their own without any side dish. However, adding them to your lunch will increase its nutritional value as these foods contain all of the essential nutrients that our body requires.
I’ve rounded up easy, healthy egg recipe ideas from my website for you below. Each of these egg dishes uses minimal ingredients but pack in a TON of flavour.
As a dietitian, I’ve made sure that these recipes get in lots of vegetables and that they’re balanced in nutrition. Eggs are one of my favourite protein sources, and I go more in depth on their nutrition benefits below if you’re interested.
Many of these recipes can be enjoyed for any meal of the day – breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. I’d love to know which ones you end up making!
Egg Nutrition Benefits
There are so many reasons why eggs are one of my favourite protein sources. They’re easy to cook with, super versatile, delicious, affordable, AND packed with nutrition benefits.
A standard serving of 2 large eggs provides 13 grams of complete protein, which provides essential amino acids to build and repair our muscles, organs, and body tissues.
Protein also helps to slow digestion, meaning you’ll feel fuller for longer when including a quality source of protein in your meals and snacks. This is what makes these recipes so satisfying!
In addition to protein, eggs are rich in other essential micronutrients like:
- vitamin A
- vitamin D
- vitamin E
- vitamin B12
- folate
- iron
- selenium
- choline
Did you know that eggs are even a source of antioxidants, like lutein and zeaxanthin?
What’s more – the fat content of eggs can help your body absorb any fat-soluble nutrients found in the rest of the meal (like in vegetables, for instance)!
The recipes below share easy, delicious ways to reap the health benefits of eggs 🙂
1) Easy Stovetop Shakshuka (No Oven)
2) Brussels Sprouts & Sweet Potato Sheet Pan Hash
3) One-Pan Taco Breakfast Skillet
4) Nutritious Egg Frittata Muffins
5) Savoury Kimchi Oatmeal
6) Root Vegetable Frittata
7) Eggs Benedict With Canned Salmon & Herby Hollandaise
8) Pesto Potato Hash Skillet
9) Kimchi Quinoa Bowl With Fried Egg
10) Easy Coconut Curry Shakshuka
11) Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich (No-Mayo)
12) Chimichurri Grain Bowl
13) Spanakopita Frittata
14 Chopped Quinoa Salad With Eggs
15) Sweet Potato & Kale Skillet Hash
16) Baked Tomato Pasta With Eggs & Feta
17) Cucumber Avocado Salad With Quinoa & Eggs
18) Kale Butternut Squash Breakfast Hash
19) Easy Arugula & Tomato Frittata
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Heat a large pan over medium. Add olive oil and sauté chopped bell pepper for ~5 minutes.
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Add spinach to the pan, sautéing for about 1 minute until slightly wilted.
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Add tomato sauce, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, adjusting for taste. Cook for ~3 minutes, stirring regularly.
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Using the back of a spoon or spatula, make space in the sauce mixture to crack the eggs into. Next, sprinkle with crumbled cheese and cover pan with a lid.
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Let cook until egg whites are done (around 5-10 minutes), making sure not to overcook (you want the yolks to still be soft). NOTE: Keep an eye on the eggs at this point, as timing will differ depending on how deep your pan is, how hot your oven is, etc.
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Remove pan from heat, and sprinkle with fresh basil, cracked pepper, and an extra drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy hot and serve with a side of freshly toasted sourdough!
1. Tikka Egg Naan Wrap
Tikka spiced hard boiled egg, wrapped in a grilled naan wrap, perfect for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ( 30 mL ) oil
- 1 tbsp ( 15 mL ) tikka masala
- salt, to taste
- 3 tbsp ( 45 mL ) half-and-half cream or water
- 4 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
- 4 tandoori roti or naan flatbreads
- 1 small tomato, sliced
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
Instructions
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In a skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Blend in tikka masala and salt. Add cream or water and blend to create a light tikka masala sauce.
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Fold in cubed hard boiled eggs and coat with tikka masala sauce.
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Arrange naan or tandoori roti on a plate and top with ¼ amount of Tikka Masala Eggs. Add tomato and red onion and fold over, to serve. Continue to assemble with remaining naan and eggs. Yield = 4 wraps.
Notes
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Slightly toast, grill or warm tandoori roti or naan flatbread before assembling into a wrap.
2. Curried Egg Salad Sandwich On Challah Bread
This delicious egg salad is mixed with curry spices topped on soft challah bread (egg bread). A flavorful spin on a classic.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup ( 75 mL ) mayonnaise
- 1 tsp ( 5 mL ) curry powder
- ¾ tsp ( 4 mL ) salt, or to taste
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, cubed
- 4 challah bread (egg bread), sliced
- 2 romaine lettuce leaves
Instructions
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In a medium sized bowl, combine mayonnaise, curry powder, salt and green chilies. Gently fold in hard boiled eggs and combine.
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Arrange two bread slices on a plate with romaine lettuce on one side. Top with ¼ of curried egg salad mixture. Continue making sandwiches with the remaining bread and egg salad mixture.
3. Indian Spiced Rice with Poached Eggs
Full of flavour and easy to prepare, this egg dish makes a perfect lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ( 30 mL ) salted butter
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 tbsp ( 15 mL ) curry powder (mild or hot)
- 1 cup ( 250 mL ) basmati rice
- 1 3/4 cups ( 440 mL ) vegetable stock or water
- 1 tbsp ( 15 mL ) white vinegar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup ( 250 mL ) baby spinach
- ¼ cup ( 60 mL ) chopped fresh mint
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
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In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until transparent (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add red pepper and curry powder; stir to combine. Add rice and stir for 1 minute. Add stock, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, while rice is cooking, fill a medium saucepan with 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) of water. Add vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Break each egg into a small ramekin or bowl. Gently slide eggs into simmering water one at a time. Cook until whites are set and yolks are soft, 3 to 4 minutes (3 minutes makes a runnier egg). Remove eggs with a slotted spoon.
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Once rice is cooked, remove from heat, uncover and fluff with a fork. Stir in spinach and mint; season with salt and pepper. Divide rice onto four plates. Place an egg on top of each bed of spiced rice.
Health Benefits Of Eggs
Health benefits of eggs include promoting healthy hair, skin, cardiovascular system and boosting energy levels. Eggs are a super convenient, inexpensive, and healthy way to make any meal healthier. There are so many ways you can add eggs to any recipe, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Since they’re so versatile, let’s take a look at some of the health benefits of eggs.
1. Incredibly Nutritious
Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet.
A whole egg contains all the nutrients required to turn a single cell into a baby chicken.
A single large boiled egg contains :
- Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA
- Folate: 5% of the RDA
- Vitamin B5: 7% of the RDA
- Vitamin B12: 9% of the RDA
- Vitamin B2: 15% of the RDA
- Phosphorus: 9% of the RDA
- Selenium: 22% of the RDA
- Eggs also contain decent amounts of vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B6, calcium and zinc
This comes with 77 calories, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats.
Eggs also contain various trace nutrients that are important for health.
In fact, eggs are pretty much the perfect food. They contain a little bit of almost every nutrient you need.
If you can get your hands on pastured or omega-3 enriched eggs, these are even better. They contain higher amounts of omega-3 fat and are much higher in vitamin A and E
SUMMARYWhole eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet, containing a little bit of almost every nutrient you need. Omega-3 enriched and/or pastured eggs are even healthier.
2. High in Cholesterol, but Don’t Adversely Affect Blood Cholesterol
It is true that eggs are high in cholesterol.
In fact, a single egg contains 212 mg, which is over half of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that cholesterol in the diet doesn’t necessarily raise cholesterol in the blood
The liver actually produces large amounts of cholesterol every single day. When you increase your intake of dietary cholesterol, your liver simply produces less cholesterol to even it out
Nevertheless, the response to eating eggs varies between individuals
- In 70% of people, eggs don’t raise cholesterol at all
- In the other 30% (termed “hyper responders”), eggs can mildly raise total and LDL cholesterol
However, people with genetic disorders like familial hypercholesterolemia or a gene variant called ApoE4 may want to limit or avoid eggs.
SUMMARYEggs are high in cholesterol, but eating eggs does not adversely affect cholesterol in the blood for the majority of people.
3. Raise HDL (The “Good”) Cholesterol
HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. It is often known as the “good” cholesterol
People who have higher levels of HDL usually have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and other health problems
Eating eggs is a great way to increase HDL. In one study, eating two eggs per day for six weeks increased HDL levels by 10%
SUMMARYEating eggs consistently leads to elevated levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol, which is linked to a lower risk of many diseases.
4. Contain Choline — an Important Nutrient That Most People Don’t Get Enough Of
Choline is a nutrient that most people don’t even know exists, yet it is an incredibly important substance and is often grouped with the B vitamins.
Choline is used to build cell membranes and has a role in producing signaling molecules in the brain, along with various other functions
The symptoms of choline deficiency are serious, so fortunately it’s rare.
Whole eggs are an excellent source of choline. A single egg contains more than 100 mg of this very important nutrient.
SUMMARYEggs are among the best dietary sources of choline, a nutrient that is incredibly important but most people aren’t getting enough of.
5. Are Linked to a Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
LDL cholesterol is generally known as the “bad” cholesterol.
It is well known that having high levels of LDL is linked to an increased risk of heart disease
But many people don’t realize that LDL is divided into subtypes based on the size of the particles.
There are small, dense LDL particles and large LDL particles.
Many studies have shown that people who have predominantly small, dense LDL particles have a higher risk of heart disease than people who have mostly large LDL particles
Even if eggs tend to mildly raise LDL cholesterol in some people, studies show that the particles change from small, dense to large LDL, which is an improvement
SUMMARYEgg consumption appears to change the pattern of LDL particles from small, dense LDL (bad) to large LDL, which is linked to a reduced heart disease risk.
6. Contain Lutein and Zeaxanthin — Antioxidants That Have Major Benefits for Eye Health
One of the consequences of aging is that eyesight tends to get worse.
There are several nutrients that help counteract some of the degenerative processes that can affect our eyes.
Two of these are called lutein and zeaxanthin. They are powerful antioxidants that accumulate in the retina of the eye
Studies show that consuming adequate amounts of these nutrients can significantly reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, two very common eye disorders
Egg yolks contain large amounts of both lutein and zeaxanthin.
In one controlled study, eating just 1.3 egg yolks per day for 4.5 weeks increased blood levels of lutein by 28–50% and zeaxanthin by 114–142%
Eggs are also high in vitamin A, which deserves another mention here. Vitamin A deficiency is the most common cause of blindness in the world
SUMMARYThe antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin are very important for eye health and can help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Eggs are high in both of them.
7. Omega-3 or Pastured Eggs Lower Triglycerides
Not all eggs are created equal. Their nutrient composition varies depending on how the hens were fed and raised.
Eggs from hens that were raised on pasture and/or fed omega-3 enriched feeds tend to be much higher in omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids are known to reduce blood levels of triglycerides, a well known risk factor for heart disease
Studies show that consuming omega-3 enriched eggs is a very effective way to lower blood triglycerides. In one study, eating just five omega-3 enriched eggs per week for three weeks reduced triglycerides by 16–18%
SUMMARYOmega-3 enriched and pastured eggs may contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Eating these types of eggs is an effective way to reduce blood triglycerides.
8. High in Quality Protein, With All the Essential Amino Acids in the Right Ratios
Proteins are the main building blocks of the human body.
They’re used to make all sorts of tissues and molecules that serve both structural and functional purposes.
Getting enough protein in the diet is very important and studies show that currently recommended amounts may be too low.
Eggs are an excellent source of protein, with a single large egg containing six grams of it.
Eggs also contain all the essential amino acids in the right ratios, so your body is well-equipped to make full use of the protein in them.
Eating enough protein can help with weight loss, increase muscle mass, lower blood pressure and optimize bone health, to name a few
SUMMARYEggs are fairly high in quality animal protein and contain all the essential amino acids that humans need.
9. Don’t Raise Your Risk of Heart Disease and May Reduce the Risk of Stroke
For many decades, eggs have been unfairly demonized.
It has been claimed that because of the cholesterol in them, they must be bad for the heart.
Many studies published in recent years have examined the relationship between eating eggs and the risk of heart disease.
One review of 17 studies with a total of 263,938 participants found no association between egg intake and heart disease or stroke
Many other studies have arrived at the same conclusion
However, some studies have found that people with diabetes who eat eggs have an increased risk of heart disease
Whether the eggs are actually causing the increased risk isn’t known, because these types of studies can only show statistical association. They cannot prove that eggs caused anything.
It is possible that people who eat lots of eggs and have diabetes are less health-conscious, on average.
On a low-carb diet, which is by far the best diet for people with diabetes, eating eggs leads to improvements in risk factors for heart disease
SUMMARYMany studies have looked at egg intake and the risk of heart disease and found no association. However, some studies have found an increased risk in people with type 2 diabetes.
10. Are Filling and Tend to Make You Eat Fewer Calories, Helping You Lose Weight
Eggs are incredibly filling. They are a high-protein food, and protein is, by far, the most satiating macronutrient
Eggs score high on a scale called the satiety index, which measures the ability of foods to cause feelings of fullness and reduce later calorie intake
In one study of 30 overweight women, eating eggs instead of bagels for breakfast increased feelings of fullness and made them automatically eat fewer calories for the next 36 hours
In another study, replacing a bagel breakfast with an egg breakfast caused significant weight loss over a period of eight weeks
SUMMARYEggs are highly satiating and may reduce calorie intake later in the day. Regularly eating eggs may promote weight loss.
The Bottom Line
Studies clearly show that eating up to three whole eggs per day is perfectly safe.
There is no evidence that going beyond that is harmful — it is just “uncharted territory,” as it hasn’t been studied.
Eggs are pretty much nature’s perfect food.
On top of everything else, they are also cheap, easy to prepare, go with almost any food and taste awesome.