27 Diabetes-Friendly Lunches Perfect for Spring

As the vibrant days of spring approach, dive into these colorful and flavorful lunch recipes. These meals are packed with a rainbow of vegetables, complex carbs, whole grains, and are low in saturated fat. They are therefore suitable if you follow a diabetes-friendly diet. Plus, these recipes feature seasonal produce like leafy greens, carrots and strawberries. Recipes like our Goat Cheese Open Face Sandwich with Tomato Avocado Salad and Chipotle Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls are tasty and satisfying ways to celebrate the change of season.

Open-Faced Goat Cheese Sandwich with Tomato and Avocado Salad

This simple lunch comes together in just 10 minutes, making it a great option for busy days.

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Falafel Pita Sandwiches with Tzatziki

This delicious vegetarian sandwich is packed with flavor from the yogurt sauce and quick pickled vegetables, and it’s only 400 calories! You can prepare the marinated vegetables, falafel mix, and tzatziki sauce in advance for easy lunches or dinners later in the week.

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Grilled Cheese and Cauliflower Sandwiches

Transform a comfort food classic into a healthier, low-carb, veggie-filled version. We use cauliflower rice to make gluten-free toast that holds this Green Chili Grilled Cheese Sandwich together for a delicious and healthy dinner.

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Salsa and Bean Stuffed Potatoes

Taco night meets baked potato night with this simple recipe for baked potatoes loaded with salsa, beans, and avocado. This easy, healthy family dinner comes with just 10 minutes of active time, so you can make it on even the busiest weeknights. This recipe is just as delicious with sweet potatoes instead of russets.

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Chipotle Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls

A bold, smoky marinade enhances roasted cauliflower in this meal prep version of our popular Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos from Carolyn Malcoun. To cut down on prep time for these healthy taco bowls, look for pre-cut cauliflower in the produce section. You can also save time by using microwave-safe quinoa packets (you’ll need an 8-ounce packet for this recipe) instead of cooking the quinoa.

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Vegetarian Italian Hoagies

Traditional Italian subs contain meat, but this deliciously easy sandwich packs a punch with artichoke hearts, red onion, and tangy pepperoncini instead. We love it for both dinner and lunch. If you’re packing hoagies to go, keep the ingredients separate and assemble them just before eating to avoid soggy bread. Serve with a tomato and cucumber salad.

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Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes and Pistachio

Pre-cooked farro makes this dish ready in no time. And you can prepare it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup!

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Nacho Salad with Shredded Chicken and Avocado

Dinner doesn’t get simpler than this five-ingredient salad. And it’s full of potential for Super Bowl Sunday.

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Spinach and Strawberry Meal Prep Salad

One of our most popular salad recipes, Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Feta and Walnuts, gets a makeover in these simple but totally satisfying Spinach Salad Bowls. They require minimal preparation and can be customized to your liking. Swap the chicken thighs for roasted salmon and almonds or pecans for the walnuts, and use any fresh berries that look good at your market.

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Vegan BLATs (Avocado BLT)

Roasted shiitake mushrooms drizzled with soy sauce with a pinch of smoked paprika become a natural, vegan alternative to bacon. Try them in this vegan version of a classic BLT with creamy avocado and egg-free mayonnaise or on a salad as a replacement for bacon bits.

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Crunchy vegetarian wraps

These vegetarian wraps are perfect for school or office lunches.

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Chipotle Ranch Egg Salad Wraps

Put a Southwestern twist on easy-to-pack egg salad sandwiches with this healthy wrap recipe.

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Wild rice salad with tofu, snow peas and carrots

Sesame oil and nori (dried seaweed) give this healthy grain salad recipe an Asian twist. Serve as a vegetarian main dish or as an accompaniment to grilled shrimp or baked chicken.

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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

This delicious and healthy salad combines elements of Caesar salad, pasta salad, and chicken salad for an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes (and most of the prep can be done at in advance). Use your blender to whip up the tangy buttermilk-based vinaigrette, which would also be great on a salmon or chickpea salad.

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Seitan BBQ Sandwiches

Enjoy classic barbecue flavor with vegan seitan or wheat meat. Sliced ​​seitan needs time in a hot pan to turn brown and crispy; let it sear before coating it in the tangy ketchup mixture for optimal texture. A side of sweet potato chips is the perfect pairing for a quick weeknight meal.

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Anti-Inflammatory Beetroot and Avocado Wrap

Filled with fiber and monounsaturated fats, avocados are one of the best foods to eat to fight inflammation. Combined with beets, which contain their own anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, you’ll have a healthy lunch. The tahini-lemon mixture adds brightness and a nutty flavor to the wrap. To julienne the beets, cut them into thin slices, then cut the slices into matchsticks. Or to save time, simply grate the beets on the larger holes of a grater.

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Lemon Shrimp and Orzo Salad

Consider making a double batch of this easy pasta salad: it’s delicious the next day. The orzo will absorb the dressing as it goes, so add a little more olive oil and lemon juice if you like.

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Cauliflower gnocchi with red cabbage and apples

Tender cabbage and a vibrant pan-fried sauce of applesauce and mustard are the perfect pairing for moist, low-carb cauliflower gnocchi. Add diced chicken-apple sausage for extra protein.

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Chipotle Lime Cauliflower Taco Bowls

A bold, smoky marinade enhances roasted cauliflower in this meal prep version of our popular Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos from Carolyn Malcoun. To cut down on prep time for these healthy taco bowls, look for pre-cut cauliflower in the produce section. You can also save time by using microwave-safe quinoa packets (you’ll need an 8-ounce packet for this recipe) instead of cooking the quinoa.

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Charcuterie salad with quinoa

This healthy take on a deli salad combines hearty quinoa and chickpeas with small amounts of ham and mozzarella, so you get all the flavor without overdoing the sodium. This healthy quinoa salad is great for dinner and also makes a delicious lunch the next day.

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Wrap with roast beef, arugula and marinated onions

Quickly marinate a few onions the day before to add a delicious touch to your healthy breakfast wrap.

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Salmon pita sandwich

This quick lunch recipe is packed with heart-healthy omega-3s from canned sockeye salmon. If you’re bringing this sandwich for lunch, keep the salmon salad aside and stuff the pita right before eating.

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Lentil salad with feta, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives

This Mediterranean lentil salad, with chopped vegetables, feta cheese and a light vinaigrette, is perfect to have on hand for a quick lunch.

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Spicy Shrimp and Edamame Coleslaw Bowls

Quick 10-Minute Spicy Coleslaw serves as the low-carb base in this vegetarian lunch recipe. Topped with protein-rich edamame and shrimp, this satisfying lunch will help you get through the afternoon.

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Roasted Vegetable Pitas

Roasting brings out the sweetness of the vegetables in this vegetarian sandwich recipe, topped with smoked provolone cheese.

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Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

In this Cucumber, Tomato, Swiss Cheese and Chickpea Salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made with avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra vinaigrette is delicious with grilled vegetables.

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Tuna, white bean and dill salad

Take canned tuna to new heights by adding creamy cannellini beans, fresh dill and a zesty Dijon vinaigrette.

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Read the original article on Eating Well.