Sick of the Same Old Sandwich?

Try these fast and filling foods...

Eating the same thing everyday can be tedious to say the least. But that's what happens to those of us who only have time to grab a sandwich at the corner café. For most people, lunch is just a way of refuelling for the afternoon's workload. It doesn't have to be that way. With a little planning a working lunch can be fun, nutritious and inexpensive.

Taking a salad is easy. Wash and dry the lettuce leaves, put in a resealable bag and top the leaves with a damp paper towel. Transport the dressing in a screw-top jar. Take a soup complement in a thermos flask and then drink from a mug. Don't forget the silverware, stock up on plastic cutlery and paper napkins to minimize any washing up.

Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Tortilla Wraps
The night before, quarter 1 red pepper and 1 red onion. Put them in a bowl and drizzle over some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add salt and pepper and make sure the vegetables are well coated in the dressing. Transfer to a baking tray and roast in a hot oven until slightly charred. While the veggies are cooking, grill a chicken breast and slice into strips. Mix the roasted veggies with 1 tsp pesto. Take the roasted veggies, the sliced chicken breast and 1 or 2 flour tortilla to work with you. Add a mixed leaf salad if you like.

Salad Niçoise with Fresh French Baguette
Make up a quick Niçoise salad using a can of tuna in olive oil. Drain off the oil and reserve for the dressing, then put the tuna into a bowl. Add some halved cherry tomatoes, snipped anchovies, pitted black olives and blanched French beans if you have them. Make a dressing with the reserved oil using lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the fish then store in the fridge until ready to use. Serve with a fresh baguette.

Parma Ham Ploughman's Lunch
Get the best Parma Ham you can, some sun-dried tomato chutney, a hunk of parmesan cheese, some sourdough bread and a pile of rocket leaves. Make it all look wonderful on a plate.