I don’t know about you, but I have been in a major lunch rut lately. When things get busy, I have a habit of falling into the ‘same lunch everyday’ trap and I eat the same thing until I am blue in the face and can’t take it any longer.
My rut as of late has consisted mainly of hummus and veggie wraps. For almost everyday for the past two months, I have had a wrap as part of my lunch because they are quick, mindless, and easy. They take 5 minutes to whip up and can be consumed in even less time!
But, it is time to change it up and spice up my lunches once again. A girl can only stay in a lunch rut for so long before she snaps. ;)
I seriously cannot fathom eating another wrap for a very long, long time.
Please tell me I am not the only one who wears out foods like this. :)
Today I have a delicious, healthy, and super quick black bean salad recipe that makes a wonderful lunch, either as the main course or as a side dish. If you are looking for a way to change up the everyday fare, this is it!
Easy Avocado-Lime Black Bean Salad
I fell in love with this black bean salad as soon as I tasted it. It is like no other black bean salad I have ever made before. The hint of lime and spicy kick from the cumin makes for an addicting and healthy salad full of protein, healthy fats, and flavour.
Adapted from The Kitchn.
Ingredients:
- Two 15-ounce can black beans
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 small shallots, diced
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4-1/2 tsp Kosher Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large avocado, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
Directions: Drain the beans thoroughly and rinse. In a large bowl add the beans and toss with lime juice, cilantro leaves, diced shallot, and ground cumin. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Peel and slice an avocado, and serve the beans at room temperature, with chopped avocado on top or mixed throughout the salad. Note that I did not have any cilantro on hand, but it still tasted delicious! Makes 3-4 servings.
Notes from original recipe: The beans will last for several days in the fridge. You can easily take this salad for lunch and bring along an avocado to chop up just before serving.
The beauty of this lunch is that it is not only healthy, packed with protein and healthy fats, but it is whipped up in a jiffy, leaving you lots of time for life’s other daily tasks.
Lunch rut, be gone.
I think I threw together this lunch in 5 minutes flat. It also makes enough for a few servings so the leftovers can be enjoyed throughout the week.
I wasn’t sure how I would like the cumin + lime flavours together, but it was actually wonderful. I could not get enough of this dish!
I had the salad with a couple slices of Ezekiel bread and some fruit for dessert. It was so filing, well-rounded, and super energizing. If you are looking to break out of a rut, I highly recommend this delicious lunch. It is going to be on my regular rotation for easy & quick lunches. :)
Are you currently in a lunch rut? Do you enjoy mixing it up for lunch or do you rely on the same foods most of the time?
I’m not in too much of a lunch rut. I can’t stand eating the same thing for days, so I switch it up pretty often. Today was yogurt with honey, green beans, celery & pb, chocolate chips, and a pumpkin muffin. yum :)
I love that branch spoon
I never use the word rut, I use the word groove :)
I have found mine. Some may say it’s a rut, but I actually eat the same things every day. I am a high raw GF vegan so basically that means lots of raw veggies and fruits daily. Yes they are different, and yes, I try to prepare them differently but it all comes back to….there’s only so many ways one can get “creative” with broccoli before it’s just….broccoli :)
So that’s why I say Ive found my groove. And am sticking with it..haha!
As for your lunch and your food in general…omg I would say that you never eat the same thing twice, you clearly are never in a rut (even if you think you are, the photos don’t lie :)) and this latest creation is just brilliant.
Major hugs and have a great day honey :)
xoxo
yummy! i TOTALLY know what you mean- i’ve been making some sort of black bean soup / chilis for weeks!!!! totally LOVE this- lots of my favorite ingrediants and i’m always looking for ways to mix it up! thanks for sharing :)
Looks tasty! I try to make about 2 new portable lunch salads at the beginning of each week so that I can alternate them and don’t have to spend lots of time at the end of each day making something new. I really do miss having my sandwich press though – I’d love to go home for lunch and use it once in a while but just don’t have the time. Maybe I should bring it to work? ;)
I’ve been in a “general” rut with my meals lately! I don’t know if it’s laziness, or if I just REALLY like what I’ve been eating… but I think it’s time to change it up, too! Your salad looks delicious! I have some avocados I need to use up, so I’m going to try it!
Delicious! I make a similar black bean salad with quinoa and red bell pepper, too. Sometimes I add roasted corn. I try to mix it up but end up eating hummus in some form with my lunch almost everyday. :)
avocado and lime. you can never go wrong with that! ;)
See, I have the problem of falling into a breakfast rut…without me even realizing it I will eat the same thing for breakfast months on end and when I finally change I can’t even look at what I was having let alone eat it for a long time… The convenience is always what gets you ;)
I have been in a rut on dinner ideas lately, I am eating a lot of tacos, soups and sandwiches. Need more creativity in my life and QUICK!
I make a black bean salsa with cumin, lime & cilantro so I can imagine how tasty this salad would be!
I do have a tendency to eat the same lunches over and over – because it is easy – until I end up being sick of whatever it is. Then I move on to the next thing… :)
I have this habbits of repeating breakfast, lunchs, snacks and dinners too… :S and trying to do something about it cause I feel like im going to miss on other nutriments and vitamins at one point! lol Always eat cereals for breakfast, egg sandwich for lunch, larabar, crackers, carrots & hummus for snacks… for some reason, I never get tired of it… so im trying to be more imaginative on my dinners! I’ve discovered Soba noodles recently and those are aswesome : 3 of my last week dinners included those! lol I am living alone and it’s difficult to plan a different meal everyday, if there is leftovers well, nobody else than me will eat it!
Not an avocado fan, but love beans and lime =)
yum! cumin and citrus is such a classic combination and one i love. i may have to make this!
What a perfect post for me today! I eat a hummus and veggie sandwich on Ezekiel almost every day! While I love it, I need to change it up. It just so happens that I have avocados that need to be used and black beans in the pantry… Now I want to leave work early just so I can go home and make this :) Thanks for the great idea Ang!!!
Thank you Thank you! A no-cook vegetarian lunch that’s high in protein! Just what I needed.
Also, I made your Pumpkin Pie Vegan Overnight Oats this morning. I die. You are genius.
I love the combination of cumin and lime! I’m always throwing together random meals just like this – always with a mexican flare! ha!
This looks delicious and so easy:)
I get in major lunch ruts with sandwiches! If I have too many I start to literally get grossed out by them! Making bigger dinners and bringing leftovers to work has saved me ;)
I know exactly what you mean about being in a lunch rut! Lately all I’ve been having is roasted veggies and tofu. Black beans and avocado sounds good though! I will have to try it.
I actually like to get in a rut sometimes so I don’t have to think so much about what I’m eating.
I actually had hummus and veggies for lunch today! Yum. But, your black bean salad sounds awesome! I love cumin, lime, and black beans together. I change up what else I throw in there, but those are awesome! Or sometimes I swap lemon for the lime.
I eat a lot of the same things for lunch, but I love what I eat, so it never feels like a rut. Hot soup, bread with hummus, large salads. . . all can be adapted endlessly. And my husband and I eat pretty much the same thing several times for dinner each night: hot brown rice, quinoa, millet, with whatever toppings we have on hand. I guess, despite my love of eating out/trying new foods, I am rather simple at heart.