As a work from home mom, which by the way is a term I’ve been hearing a lot lately, I don’t have time to go out and grab lunch and making it from scratch each day feels like a huge waste of time. I also don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen on the weekend meal prepping. I could allocate time to create a menu, grocery shop and cook, but I’d rather spend that time with Tommy and Nick.

This new recipe video features a lunch that started as a side dish my mom would make for dinner this summer is perfect for a light and filling lunch. There’s no reheating, it holds well for at least for 4 days and is allergy friendly. It’s vegan, gluten free, and packed with veggies. You can of course add chicken or other protein if you want but I promise you won’t miss it.

In the video, I shot a portion being served in a mason jar because well, they look cute on camera but a single serving is a little bigger.

I used veggies that were in season as well so you can just visit your local farmer’s market for the ingredients, with the exception of the dressing, black beans, quinoa and avocado. You also could just use lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in lieu of a dressing.

Easy Quinoa + Veggie Super Lunch

This recipe makes 4 hearty servings that will keep. The ingredients will cost less than $20 total. Here is what you will need:

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 1 can or box Black Beans
• 1 sliced zucchini or summer squash
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 sliced red onion
• 1 cup chopped kale or baby spinach
• 1 avocado
• Dressing of choice (I used a Mango Cilantro from Trader Joe’s, a Balsamic Vinaigrette would go well too or just use EVOO with Lemon Juice, Salt and Pepper)

Cook quinoa according to package. Slice veggies thinly with a mandolin for a quick job. Combine ingredients. If you want to store servings indivudally, put dressing on the bottom and shake before it’s time to eat. Slice avocado fresh each day to keep it from browning.