I have found the perfect lunch: Kitchen & Love Quinoa Quick Meals. I have the basil pesto, jalapeno and roasted pepper, and mango and roasted peppers varieties on hand, and they check the following boxes for me:
Cheaper Than Takeout. You can get six for $22. That seems steep, but it’s cheaper than the lunch special at the place down the street–and you don’t have to drive.
Healthy. The basil pesto cups are 450 calories while the other two I’ve tried are a little over 200 calories. Furthermore, it’s quinoa. There’s a bit of added sugar (which I really don’t like), but that’s not a deal-breaker because the relevant question, again, is “compared to what?” If we’re comparing it to (say) an order of General Tso’s chicken–which Google tells me has 62 grams of sugar–it’s a no-brainer.
Satisfying. This has kind of surprised me. They are tasty and they have a neat texture, but they’re not trigger-a-dopamine-rush-so-that-you-wolf-it-down tasty. I find that I eat them slowly, and by the time I’m finished, I’m satisfied. I’m not full, but I don’t feel compelled to walk down to the office kitchen and see if by chance there are any leftovers from a big event sitting out.
Easy to Eat. You need to be a bit careful opening the sauce because it might splatter, but you don’t need to refrigerate it, heat it, or do anything to it. Each cup also comes with a little spork, and while the little spork is (frankly) a pretty lousy eating utensil it works well enough.
