Easy-to-prepare, portable and tasty Passover lunch ideas

Easy Passover Lunches
by Weight Watchers contributor Debbie Koenig

During the week of Passover, as Jews mark their ancestors' exodus from slavery to freedom, the holiday's added dietary restrictions might seem like shackles of a different sort—especially at lunchtime on a busy workday.

But by turning your focus to fresh vegetables and lean protein, eight flour-free, corn-free, rice-free, bean-free days can become an opportunity to eat more healthfully. Here are some ideas for easy-to-prepare, portable and tasty lunches to help you fress without fuss. Print out this list and stick it on the fridge and you won't have any excuse to eat matzo sandwiches all week!

Frittatas—baked Italian omelets made with eggs, vegetables and Parmesan cheese—are packed with flavor, and particularly delicious at room temperature. Make one the night before (or, if you're an early riser, in the morning before work) and portion it out. Use mostly egg whites to save on fat and calories.

Baked potatoes are among the easiest (not to mention most portable) lunches, if your workplace has a microwave oven. Add some cut-up broccoli and shredded low-fat cheese, and you've got a filling, fiber-packed and flavorful meal.

Take advantage of spring's vibrant produce by bringing in an all-vegetable lunch or two. Pair a large, colorful salad with a generous portion of microwaved asparagus, cold roasted cauliflower, or lemon-and-basil-marinated baby zucchini for a vitamin- and flavor-rich treat. If you'd like something more substantial, toss in a small wedge of cheese or a handful of almonds.

A special salad, like a Niçoise with tuna (fresh or canned), green beans, boiled potatoes, hard cooked eggs, tomatoes and a few olives is satisfying to the eye and the tastebuds, and easily toted to the office in a plastic kitchen container.

Soups—from cold, spicy gazpacho to hearty potato-leek to matzo ball—are perfect make-ahead meals. And one big pot lasts for days! Pack a thermos in your kid's lunch box, add a baggie of matzo farfel for crunch, some kosher-for-Passover string cheese for protein and a juicy apple for dessert, and junior's got a complete, healthy meal.

Since most families' Passover traditions feature a special once-a-year recipe or two, take advantage by making enough for several meals. How often do you get to feast on a lunch of charoset on matzo, gefilte fish and farfel kugel?

Speaking of leftovers, almost any dinner can be transformed into a salad-topping lunchtime treat. Grill some extra vegetables, poach a few more salmon filets, toss some extra chicken breasts into the roasting pan when you cook a whole bird. Even vegetarian stews like ratatouille work beautifully over greens the next day.

If you simply must have a sandwich, try baking some kosher-for-Passover rolls using matzo meal. Fill them with tuna, chicken, or egg salad, or even a little leftover brisket.

Let's not forget dessert! Store-bought macaroons can be as little as one POINTS® value each, and a whole chocolate-covered matzo can be three POINTS values (check the nutritional information to be sure). Or, if you prefer something on the lighter side, a container of fruit salad tossed with lemon juice and chopped mint is a sweetly refreshing pleasure.

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