Lately, it’s been so freaking hot where I live (hello, summer) that I don’t even want to turn on the stove for 30 seconds, let alone the oven. Remembering an awesome avocado and egg sandwich that I once had at a New York City deli, I devised this AMAZING veggie wrap.

You need: one wrap tortilla, half a fresh avocado, half a small tomato, one hard-boiled egg, one carrot, a couple tablespoons of cheese (type is up to you), a tiny bit of Miracle Whip, a tiny bit of pesto sauce, a tiny bit of honey mustard, and sprinkles of salt and pepper.

Hard-boil the egg (it takes 10-15 minutes) far enough in advance so that you can cool it down with some ice cubes and cold water in the refrigerator before you make the wrap. When it’s cold, peel it and slice it thinly. Slice the half-avocado thinly as well, and the half-tomato.

Grate the carrot. Grate the cheese, too, if it’s not already grated. I use cheddar and mozzarella, but I think almost any kind would be good.

Once you’ve done all that, set the empty wrap tortilla on a plate. Spread the mayonnaise across the diameter, then spread the pesto sauce evenly next to it.

Layer on the avocado slices, the egg slices, and the tomato slices.

Pour the grated carrot over what you have so far, then the grated cheese.

Finally, squeeze just a little bit of honey mustard over the whole thing, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Roll it up (as best you can; it might overflow), and dig in. YUM yum yum yum YUM. Now that is motivation enough to become a vegetarian.

But now I’ve found the perfect solution: sweet spinach salad!

This takes less than five minutes to make, and it’s DELICIOUS. I feel like I am eating a dessert salad whenever I make it, no joke. All you need is some spinach, a few strawberries, a dab of honey, and a squirt of lemon juice.

Easy process: slice the strawberries and cut off the tops. Rinse the spinach and chop or tear it into smaller pieces. Toss the spinach and the strawberries in a bowl, and poke them for a few seconds to combine them.

Now for the fun part: squirt the lemon juice (I use about half a teaspoon) over the salad, then drizzle the honey over it. Mix everything up with your fork, and that’s IT! Dig in and enjoy… it’s the perfect side for a warm, summery day.

You might think a salad can’t justifiably be called “cooking,” but I’d have to disagree. This salad isn’t just thrown together…it’s lovingly crafted using carefully chosen ingredients that are fresh, yummy, and healthy.

My mom thought up the specific combination, so I have to give her the credit. And okay, even though this salad isn’t figuratively thrown together, it CAN be literally thrown together, which is a great part of its appeal.

Lunch in 5 minutes or less? Yes, thank you.

Here’s what you need for one salad: half of one heart of romaine lettuce (they usually come in bags of three), half a medium-sized tomato, 6-10 kalamata olives (preferably pitted, unless you want an olive tree to grow in your stomach), a few tablespoons of fresh feta cheese, and your dressing of choice.

Tear the romaine-heart half into shreds, and slice the half-tomato into thin wedges. That should take you approximately a minute. Then throw the lettuce on a plate, garnish it with the tomato slivers, throw on the olives, and top with the feta.

Drizzle a nice dressing (vinaigrettes go well with this) over it, and ba-da-boom! Lunch!

Chicken Pot Pie gets a bad rap for being kind of time consuming but there are some very easy short cuts to take to go from unpacking groceries to hot and ready pot pie in less than 50 minutes (45 if you’re a good chopper).

Ingredients:

1 Medium Yellow Onion

3 Carrots

3 Celery Stalks

1 Cup of Frozen Peas

1 TB Butter

1 Store-Bought Rotisserie Chicken

2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup (10 3/4 oz. Use A Name Brand)

1 Cup of Milk

1 Box of Roll-Out Pie Crusts

1 Egg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 for a 13×9 pan or 425 for a deeper casserole dish.

2. Remove the skin from the chicken and cut or rip the entire chicken into bite-sized pieces. When you’re done, you’ll have about 3-4 cups worth of chicken pieces.

3. Combine the chicken, cream of chicken soup and milk in a stock pot or large saucepan. Stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once it boils, set it aside.

4. Prepare the carrots and celery (Washing, peeling, etc) and chop them. Don’t make the pieces too large or too think. If the pieces are larger than a quarter they’re probably too big. Peel and finely chop the onion.

5. Saute the carrots, celery and onion in the butter on medium high. They’re done when the onions become translucent.

6. Remove the vegetables from the heat and pour them into the creamed chicken. Stir until combined.

7. Pour peas into mixture.

9. Spray pan with cooking spray and put pie crust in the bottom.

10. Pour ingredients into the dish and place the other pie crust on top. If you’re feeling crafty, you can crimp the edges of the crust with your fingers to give it a decorative look.

11. Slice a small X on the top of the crust so the ingredients can bubble up from the pie.

12. Crack the egg and beat it with a fork. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pie with egg. If you don’t have a brush you can lightly dab the egg on pie with a paper towel. The egg gives the pie a beautiful golden brown color.

13. Bake for 30 minutes then check on the pie. The pie is done when the top is golden brown and the insides are beginning to bubble. If the pie isn’t done, continue baking in 5 minute increments.

That should do it! You’re only 13 simple steps away from a delicious pot pie. And that soda on the side? I recommend a root beer…or just a tall glass of milk.

I love flavor, I need my food to be moderately healthy, not too expensive, and easy to make. I do love cooking elaborate meals, but not in the middle of the day when I’m consumed with everything else I’m doing.

So over time, a few simple lunches have worked their way into my mental cookbook, simple lunches that I’m now going to share with you! Here are four options that are delicious, easy, and relatively cheap to make, as well as healthy for you…well, healthier than Wendy‘s…that’s for sure.

1. Toast whole wheat bread. Spread your favorite hummus across both pieces of the bread (I prefer using the really spicy stuff). Then add turkey or your favorite lunch meat.

2. Stuff a whole wheat wrap with avocado slices, tomato slices, and mozzarella cheese. This is AWESOME, trust me!

3. Toast whole wheat bread. Spread reduced fat Peanut Butter across the bread. Top this with sliced banana. This sandwich is not only pretty good for you, but it’s also SO filling.

4. For a better version of the grilled cheese, try this:

Use whole wheat bread and place it in a frying pan with olive oil. Top it with mozzarella cheese or fat free cheddar cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over this and then add the other piece of bread. Sooo good!

All in all, there’s no reason to catch yourself ordering in every day for lunch or swinging through a drive through. With some whole wheat bread/wraps and just a few other ingredients, you can make some pretty tasty lunches; so do it!

Got any other easy, quick lunch ideas? We’re starving for ‘em!

My type of Mexican feast definitely has a taste that is a bit different from your normal greasy burrito. So here’s the secret:

You’ll need:

1 box of Mexican Rice (with seasoning)

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 jalapano pepper

1 jar of hot salsa

1 bag of cheddar cheese

1 tomato

1 can of black beans

Whatever meat you prefer, if you want.

Tortillas

Start to boil the water for the rice while you chop the peppers and the tomato. Begin to stir fry the peppers and tomatoes and put the rice in the boiled water. If you’ve got meat; throw it in with the stir fry.

As the meat finishes cooking, add the beans and salsa to the mix. Once the rice is done, add all of this to the rice (after the seasoning is in) and then slowly add the cheese. Scoop this into your tortilla and wrap it up like a burrito and you’re good to go.

Not only is this delicious, but you can make it slightly healthier, too. Just replace the cheese with fat free cheese, make the tortillas wheat, and use olive oil for your rice instead of butter. Also, try not using meat or at least not any red meat. If you follow those instructions, you’ll have yourself an awesome AND healthy burrito!

Having a tough day? Stressed about that impending Calculus midterm? Still freaking out about that horribly embarrassing drunk dial fiasco this past weekend?

Grab a sandwich from the cafeteria and check out the “History of the Drunk Dial”!

You’re not alone!