I quit SUgar with the luchbox book

2 cups buckwheat groats¼ cup chia seeds 1½ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder 1 cup grated sweet potato ¼ cup coconut oil 1 onion, chopped if you’re on FODMAP, use 2 tablespoons chopped

What does a healthy lunch look like?

What about snacks?

What about kids?

You eat leftovers a lot for lunch…what’s the trick?How to use this book

Recipes

5 Inside Out Breads

Totable Mugs and Jars

A Bunch of Salad Jars

Little Lunch

Big Lunch

Sunday Cookup

Soups for All Seasons

A Bonus Office Cake

Instagram!) Consider this book that you hold here a “best of” these ideas,

compiled from a number of my previous print-only books

Me, I rarely (if ever!) buy lunch out My midday meal is mostly an opportunity toensure I get a big nutritious hit in the middle of the day And probably not a weekgoes by when I’m not asked how I go about doing this, by both busy office workersand parents How about we share with you my answers… and some recipes!

Yours in wellness,

Don’t forget to share your creations and tips on social media, tagging us so then

we can share… and on and on goes the love! #IQSlunchbox #IQSJERF

What does a healthy lunch look

like?

At I Quit Sugar we work to the bold aim of getting seven to nine serves of

vegetables and fruit into everyone’s diets each day (the Australian guidelinesrecommend six serves; the UK just five)

So lunch should contain about three serves of veg!

Plus a portion of protein

Add a serve of good fat (your good fats guide is here)… about 1 tablespoon of

extra-virgin olive oil, butter, coconut oil or ¼ cup of cheese or avocado, for

instance This might come in the form of a dressing

Most of the wonderful essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids in our food are fat-soluble only Without fat, you’re not getting the full

bang for your nutritional buck!

eating full meals

I believe most people do not eat enough – at least enough dense nutrition –

particularly at lunch I was the same for years I’d get all modest with my middaymeal, then turn to snacks (sweet ones) around 3pm It took several visits to Europe

to get a good feel for how a meal should be eaten Over there, women and menalike commit to a proper lunch that fills them up until dinner They don’t do

afternoon tea and snacks are not de rigueur

Some things to try:

Eat a handful-sized serve of protein at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Include at least 2 cups of vegetables at lunch and dinner If it’s a salad, it should be 3 cups.

While adjusting to this ‘three meals only’ way of eating, add an extra boiled egg (or two)

or feta cheese (a proper slab) to your meal if you get hungry Throw on some seeds, nuts and, of course, a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil or dressing like the Europeans do Don’t be shy about including several elements I’ll often eat a soup or broth and a box

of leftover roast vegetables with a leftover chop.

What about snacks?

The research that backed this approach pertained to diabetics You could say it’s

a myth borne as a paltry fix for sugar addiction But most of us were not designed

to eat this way – it’s inefficient and taxing on our bodies, which don’t get the

opportunity to rest between meals An increasing number of studies are showingthat bigger breaks between meals have big health benefits

Plus, there’s this:

Full meals tend to be nutritionally dense; snacks rarely.

The good news: Once you’re off sugar for several months, you’ll find you don’t need

to snack

curbing the snack attacks

Most of the time when I think I’m hungry between meals it’s more a case of my notbeing quite satiated yet In such cases I find it helpful to:

Wait 15–20 minutes Sometimes my metabolism is slow to react Wait a little – go for

a walk, run an errand – and then see if you’re still hungry.

Drink some water Quite often hunger is actually thirst.

Eat a tablespoon of coconut oil This works 100 per cent and for a good few hours Promise!

If I’m genuinely hungry between meals, I eat I recommend nuts, cheese or

yoghurt They can be found most places (even in service stations) and they work fast.

Cinnamon and all things nice

Why do I add cinnamon to my ‘sweet’ recipes? Along with turmeric, cloves and bayleaves, it stimulates insulin activity (indeed, triples it) and helps process sugarmore efficiently

Sitting at a café in Paris recently, I heard an old man next to me comment on acouple walking past eating pizza on sagging paper plates “Pfft, they are obviouslynot European,” he said The French (and most Europeans) don’t eat on the run, It’sseen as déclassé (a promenade stroll with a gelato or glace is the exception) I see

it as unhealthful Full meals are packed with nutrition and satiate On-the-run food

is junky and leaves us wanting more The lack of mindfulness and commitmentalso means we’re not aware of what and how much we’re eating Again, no

satiation

what about kids?

Although we don’t think adults need to snack, kids are a different story Their littlebodies need as much fuel as possible for all that growing they need to do Checkout our section on little lunch for some great snack ideas to keep little tummies fullbetween main meals

My kids have a no peanut rule at their school…

cool?

Yup We’ve marked all nut-free recipes as “Kid-friendly”

You eat leftovers a lot for

lunch…what’s the trick?

On the 8-Week Program we guide people to simply cook double and bang half in alunchbox for the next day You can then eat the meal cold (with some fresh saladgreens added) or reheated (maybe with an extra serve of Par-cooked ‘n’ FrozenVeggies the next day

If I want to get fancy (using the office stovetop) I do my Last Night’s Dinner with anEgg Stuck In It routine I share the recipe for this a little later

Also see my rant about doggie bags from restaurants and cafes, and how they’renot illegal (should your waiter try to tell you as such)!

How do you make it work in an office kitchen? Like how do you actually carry it all in and heat it?

It goes like this…

We do salad jars Follow our tips on the right ordering of ingredients to make it allwork when you tip into a bowl!

We use microwavable BPA-free containers

We tote things frozen… they defrost by lunchtime

Note: Defrost things slowly, in the fridge, if you can, or in a cool spot It will preventdenaturing

We’re cool with microwaves If the only thing standing between you

and a healthy meal is a microwave, use it!

But ensure you don’t heat foods in plastic containers Transfer to a bowl and place

a plate on top to cover.

We bring extra bits – herbs, ferments etc in ziplock bags to jazz everything up atthe last minute

We always reuse our ziplocks Just wash in soapy water, turn them inside out andstick them to the kitchen window to dry Genius!

What basics do you suggest I have in my fridge,

freezer and pantry?

In our freezer we always have Par-cooked ‘n’ Frozen Veggies, peas, loaves of

homemade bread, pumpkin puree and shredded chicken to use as bases for lunchmeals, making cooking time even quicker

In our freezer we also keep a bunch of things in ice cube trays: Dressings, stock fordeglazing Last Night’s Dinner

In our pantry we always have a few tins of sardines, tuna, good quality extra-virginolive oil and eggs (to toss into a pan of leftovers or into muggins)

In our fridge we always have one or two ferments, good quality butter and jars ofhomemade dressings and stocks, the base of all great lunches

On our kitchen counter, we keep spring onions in a glass of water, ready to snipinto a salad or on top of leftovers for a fresh punch

But now to the recipes…enjoy!

how to use this book

You’ll notice every recipe has a bunch of icons next to it Here’s what they mean:

2 cups buckwheat groats

¼ cup chia seeds

1½ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

1 cup grated sweet potato

¼ cup coconut oil

1 onion, chopped (if you’re on FODMAP, use 2 tablespoons chopped chives or the green tops of green shallots and add

½ cup extra sweet potato)

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup sunflower seeds

This stuff suits most FODMAPs, Paleo peeps, vegans, lactose intolerants, nut sensitives,

gluten-frees and anyone in between or beyond.

Rinse the buckwheat well Place in a large bowl or jar and cover amply with water.Allow to soak for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight)

Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 23cm × 13cm loaf tin with baking paper.Place the chia seeds in a glass jar with 1 cup of water Seal with the lid and shakeevery few minutes until a chia gel forms (about 10 minutes)

Drain the buckwheat using a sieve – it might be slimy, so ensure you rinse it well.Allow all the water to drain out

Place the drained buckwheat, chia gel, baking powder, sweet potato, coconut oil,onion and salt in a food processor or high-powered blender and process until athick paste forms Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle the sunflowerseeds on top

Place the bread on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 1 hour When cooled,remove from the loaf tin and allow to cool completely before cutting into 1cm

slices Serve as is, or toasted and spread with coconut oil (or butter or olive oil,depending on your dietary needs)

This bread will last 4–5 days in the fridge To freeze, cut into slightly thicker

(1.5cm) slices and layer between baking paper It can be thawed and toasted verysuccessfully

1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil, plus

extra to serve (optional)

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon each of black mustard seeds,

cumin seeds and fennel seeds

1 teaspoon each ground coriander seeds

and ground turmeric

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1½ cups sprouted mung beans or brown

lentils

1 cup cooked basmati rice

1 cup grated sweet potato

1 cup arrowroot

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 eggs

¼ cup ground chia seeds shredded coconut, to garnish cream cheese, to serve

This bread is great on your guts and wonderfully balanced to keep your doshas calibrated I’ve also sprouted the beans to reduce the phytic acid and make it even gentler on the guts – not a big deal if you don’t have time, but it creates a more textured bread, so consider doing

so Why is it ‘inside-out’? Well, I’ve taken my standard kitcheri recipe ( from my second book) and put the toppers (the egg and coriander) and the sweet potato variation all on the

inside of the bread to bring you a meal in one loaf.

Preheat the oven to 180°C Grease and line a 23cm × 13cm loaf tin with bakingpaper

Melt the ghee or coconut oil in a small frying pan over a medium–high heat Addthe onion and sauté for 1–2 minutes Add the mustard, cumin and fennel seeds,spices and ginger, and sauté for 1–2 minutes until the mustard seeds start to popand the onion is translucent Set aside to cool

Transfer the onion to a food processor with the sprouts, rice, sweet potato,

arrowroot, baking powder, salt, eggs and chia seeds and process until combined.Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top of the batter Sprinkle with

shredded coconut Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comesout clean Leave to sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack Once theloaf is completely cool, cut into thick slices and store in a container (or wrapped infoil) in the fridge It will keep for up to 5 days Alternatively, slice and freeze for up

to 1 month

Serve the kitcheri loaf warm, spread with cream cheese, coconut oil or butter

5 cups chopped raw veggies

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, skin on

3 eggs

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped thyme plus extra

sprigs to garnish (optional)

good pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons flour (any kind)

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 cup chopped pistachios mushroom sauce

3 knobs of butter pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

150g button mushrooms, sliced

Place the vegetables and garlic on the baking tray and roast for 30 minutes

Transfer to a food processor (squeeze the garlic out of its skin first) and pulse untilthe vegetables resemble breadcrumbs Add the eggs, herbs and salt and blenduntil combined, leaving some chunks Stir through the flour, coconut oil and

Lift the loaf from the tin and slice into thick slices Serve with the the mushroomsauce

1 1/2 cups almond meal

3/4 cup arrowroot flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

5 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/3 cup pitted olives, halved 3/4 cup grated zucchini 1/3 cup finely diced ham 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons pepitas

This simple loaf sees the outside sandwich toppers embedded in the bread.

A meal-in-one in every slice.

Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a loaf tin with baking paper

In a large bowl, mix together the almond meal, arrowroot flour, salt and

bicarbonate of soda In a separate bowl and using a fork, whisk the eggs lightlywith the apple cider vinegar Add the parsley, olives, zucchini, ham and cheeseand whisk well, then add the egg mix to the dry ingredients Mix well to combine,then pour the dough into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle with the pepitas

Bake the bread for 30–35 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden and askewer comes out clean Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack Allow

to cool for 5 minutes before slicing Freeze leftover slices between sheets of bakingpaper in a ziplock bag

Pimped Variation: inside-out FRENCH TOAST

Dip both sides of two slices in a mixture of one beaten egg and a dash of milk.Heat a little olive or coconut oil in a frying pan over medium–high heat and cookthe egged bread for about 2 minutes on each side or until nicely browned Servewith guacamole

2 large, very ripe bananas

1 cup grated parsnip (about 150g or

2 parsnips)

4 eggs

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 tablespoons (or 1–2 frozen cubes)

full-fat coconut milk

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons chia seeds stirred into

1 cup water and soaked for 10 minutes 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted

1/4 cup buckwheat or quinoa flour, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder pinch of sea salt

TO GARNISH (OPTIONAL)

1 small, thin parsnip, halved lengthways activated buckwheat groats or shredded coconut

This fake banana trick is a really good one for anyone wanting to up the nutritional count

of their breakfast and cut back on fructose It’s great as is Better toasted under a grill, in a sandwich press or in a frying pan with a dash of coconut oil (or butter if you don’t mind

Let the loaf sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool Slice and serve.Store the cooled bread in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze (place individualslices between baking paper) for up to 3 months

MAKE IT Blueberry banana Bread (BBB):

Add an extra 1/4 cup of chia seeds to the chia seed ‘goo’, and 1 cup of

blueberries to the main mixture

During World War II, bananas were scarce So housewives of the era used parsnips – boiled and mashed with spices – as mock bananas.

Ha!

olive oil, coconut oil or butter, for greasing

some red things: cherry tomatoes,

halved; diced red capsicum

some green things, like tiny florets of

raw broccoli

some sweetness: frozen peas, a

tablespoon of pumpkin or sweet potato

Kids are naturally ‘simplicious’ They totally get the hands-in, cut-the-guff, intuitive approach The ingredients in these mini-muffins-in-a-mug are just to give you some ideas – use leftovers and whatever you have to hand You will need an office microwave for

this one!

Rub the insides of two mugs with a little oil or butter Now hand them over to thekids and invite them to add whatever ingredients they like until the mug is half-full Cover the mug (I use a saucer or small plate) and heat in the microwave forabout 45 seconds

Now get the kids to crack an egg into their cup(s) and sprinkle over the cheese.They can then stir the lot with a fork Microwave again for another 30–60 seconds.MAKE IT without a microwave:

The kids can assemble all the ingredients in a ramekin and then crack an egg overthe top and sprinkle over some cheese Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for

15 minutes

MAKE IT for the lunchbox:

Make the muggins in a microwave-safe container and, once cooled, top with

the lid

The science says they don’t kill nutrients any more than boiling Indeed, some

studies show they retain more nutrients than other cooking methods Nor do theyradiate you They use a form of non-ionising radiation (it can’t directly break upatoms or molecules) Just stand back a little (1 metre) when it’s in use to avoid theEMFs (electromagnetic fields) and don’t put plastic in there Use glass or ceramic

containers instead.

300g Greek-style full-fat organic plain

yoghurt

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small cucumber, cubed

8 pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

small handful of basil leaves and/or mint leaves

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

I came across this concept – yoghurt as a meal with savoury toppings – in New York at the

Chelsea Market.

Divide the yoghurt between two bowls and top each with half of the tomatoes,cucumber, olives, onion, herbs and pine nuts Drizzle over the olive oil and lemonjuice Season to taste

300g Greek-style full-fat organic plain

yoghurt

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

80g vintage Cheddar, crumbled

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted 1/2 pear, thinly sliced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

300g Greek-style full-fat organic plain

yoghurt

small handful of watercress(or rocket or

basil leaves)

1 avocado, cubed

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 rashers streaky bacon, chopped and fried

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Divide the yoghurt between two bowls and top each with half of the celery,

Cheddar, walnuts and pear Season to taste

Combining cheese and yoghurt might seem odd But then so is beetroot on a

burger Give this a crack You’ll get it

Divide the yoghurt between two bowls and top each with half of the leaves,

avocado, tomatoes and bacon Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and season to taste

1/4 cup almond meal or gluten-free

self-raising flour

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder

1/2 tablespoon rice malt syrup or 1/2

teaspoon granulated stevia

1/4 cup coconut milk or any other type

of milk Greek-style full-fat organic plain yoghurt,

to serve

1 cup full-fat organic plain yoghurt

1 cup frozen strawberries (or any other

berries)

1 cup coconut flakes

A muffin in a mug Ergo, a muggin You will need an office microwave for this one!

Add all ingredients to a microwave-safe porcelain mug and mix with a spoon

Microwave on high for 1 1/2–2 minutes Serve with yoghurt

NOTE: If you’re carrying this to work, you can par-cook it first (so it doesn’t spill)

Place the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (or just mash with afork) Transfer to containers with wide necks and firmly fitting lids, and freeze

2 cups grated or chopped fresh

or frozen zucchini

1/2 frozen banana (or add extra zucchini

and a big pinch of powdered stevia)

1 cup milk (any kind)

1/2 cup cooked quinoa or whole rolled

oats (raw, soaked or cooked)

2 tablespoons nut butter (pecan or almond is best)

1 tablespoon chia seeds 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Meet the thickie: a smoothie made over into a full meal This thickie will keep you going ’til

late dinner.

Place all the ingredients in a blender with 1/2 cup of water and blend until

smooth Add a little more water if you need to

Smoothie bags:

Freeze ingredients together in ziplock bags and have them ready to plonk into yourblender

They’re cheap and nutritionally dense (more so than a cucumber)

They add creaminess (you can use less avo!)

You can cut up a few and store them in the freezer ready to toss in the blender (noadditional ice required!)