In this monthly feature, we offer three themed recipes for you to choose from depending on how much time you have and how adventurous you’re feeling:  Bachelor's level takes the least effort to prepare, and Doctorate the most.

Download PDF versions of these recipes:

Bachelor’s: Tex-Mex Wrap (.pdf, 51K)
Master’s: Make-Ahead Muffuletta (.pdf, 56K)
Doctorate: Bahn Mi (.pdf, 52K)
Complete Set: Brown-Bag_0809 (.pdf, 93K)

When school starts, students aren’t the only ones who have to grab lunch on the go. Busy teachers also need to squeeze a meal into a short lunch break. But you don’t always have to hit the cafeteria or throw a frozen entree into the microwave in the teachers’ lounge. With a little planning, you can enjoy a repast that provides a delicious break in the middle of the day.

Lunchtime standby

Sandwiches are a brown-bag mainstay, and for good reason. They’re simple to prepare, easy to tote and offer infinite possibilities for creative combinations. People probably put some kind of filling into some kind of bread long before the 18th century, when the Earl of Sandwich ordered meat between two slices of bread so he could keep playing cards. Nonetheless, in our part of the world the creation bears his name, and the formula is simple:

• Bread. You can use anything—basic sliced bread, pita, a tortilla or Indian naan, for example.
• Spread. Mayonnaise, mustard, mashed avocado or something similar provides a barrier between the filling and the bread to prevent the bread from getting soggy.
• Filling. This is the sandwich’s main attraction and can be anything from sliced cold cuts to leftover meat loaf to chicken salad to cheese and grilled vegetables.
• Garnish. Crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, fresh herbs, sliced radishes and other extras enhance the sandwich’s flavor and texture. They also boost its nutritional profile and add appealing color.

Smart meals

A good lunch will satisfy midday hunger without making you sleepy when class reconvenes. Use whole-grain bread and wraps when you can, as we do for our Tex-Mex Wrap. Also load up on vegetables, a strategy we use for Bahn Mi. And if you prepare a more indulgent creation, like our Muffuletta, keep the portion size reasonable and enjoy it with a simple side of cut-up vegetables or fruit.

 
Of course, you want your creation to stay fresh, so remember to keep items like cold cuts and other meats, hard-cooked eggs and condiments like mayonnaise cold. Store your lunch in the refrigerator or keep it chilled in an insulated lunch bag or even a mini ice chest.

5 Options for Really Busy Days

Some mornings, just putting together a sandwich is a tall order. Here are 5 speedy strategies:

1. Middle Eastern feast. Just about every store stocks several versions of the popular Middle Eastern hummus. Pick up a small tub, along with a package of pita bread, and maybe some olives from the deli counter. Add a side of grapes and lunch is served.

2. Japanese favorite. Most supermarkets make fresh sushi daily. Pick up a package of your favorite kind, along with precooked edamame (soybeans), for a light, flavorful meal.

3. Hit the salad bar. Salad bars offer a cornucopia of fresh veggies, fruits and grains. Load up on greens and other vegetables, tomatoes and chickpeas; add a hard-cooked egg or a small amount of cheese for protein. Steer clear of fatty fixings (like macaroni salad or potato salad) and creamy dressings. Put your dressing in a separate container so the greens don’t get soggy, and toss everything together when you’re ready to eat.

4. Ready to go. Supermarkets offer all manner of prepared foods. Select dishes made with lean protein, whole grains and plenty of vegetables.

5. Choose frozen fare wisely. Frozen food can harbor lots of fat and sodium, but there are plenty of healthy choices. Look for short ingredient lists (with recognizable names), and scrutinize the Nutrition Facts label to find entrees with less than three grams of saturated fat and 500 milligrams of sodium.

 
Level: Bachelor’s

Tex-Mex Wrap

Wraps come together in a hurry on a busy morning. Use this one as a template to create other combinations—try them with tuna salad and butter lettuce, for example, or cheese and sprouts. Adding a few drops of lime juice to the avocado helps preserve its color, while using a whole wheat tortilla boosts the sandwich’s fiber. Enjoy with tortilla chips, sliced jicama and watermelon.

2 tablespoons mashed avocado
1/4 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Pinch of salt
1 (10-inch) whole wheat flour tortilla
2 (1-ounce) slices low-sodium turkey breast
2 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 tablespoon bottled salsa

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Lay tortilla on a work surface. Spread avocado mixture over surface of tortilla. Add turkey, cheese and lettuce. Top with salsa. Fold up bottom 2 inches of tortilla and roll like a burrito. Yield: 1 wrap.

 
Level: Master’s

Make-Ahead Muffuletta

Muffuletta (moof-fuh-LEHT-tuh) is a signature New Orleans sandwich that originated at the Central Grocery in 1906 and is traditionally made on a round Italian loaf with a variety of cheeses, Italian-style cured meats and a marinated olive-and-pepper salad. This version uses ingredients easily found in any large supermarket: ciabatta (chah-BAH-tah) or focaccia bread, a simplified version of the sandwich’s olive salad and deli-counter meats and cheeses. One recipe yields four sandwiches—enough to enjoy throughout the week or to share with a spouse (or really nice co-workers). It’s a substantial sandwich, so you don’t need lots of extras; serve with carrot and/or celery sticks.

Olive salad:
1 cup coarsely chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced

Remaining ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) ciabatta (Italian slipper) or focaccia bread
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound thinly sliced provolone cheese
1/4 pound thinly sliced Soppressata (Italian dry-cured salami)
2  ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
1/4 pound thinly sliced mortadella (a type of Italian sausage)
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3  cup sliced bottled roasted red bell pepper
1/4  pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese

1. To prepare olive salad, combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

2. Slice ciabatta or foccacia in half lengthwise. Brush top half of bread with 1 tablespoon oil. Spoon olive salad on bottom half, spreading into an even layer. Top with provolone, Soppressata, Genoa salami, mortadella, onion, bell pepper and Swiss cheese. Cover with top half of bread, press down. Cut into 4 quarters, using a serrated knife. Wrap each quarter tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 quarter).

Level: Doctorate

Bahn Mi

Vietnamese cuisine is a delicious crossroad of Asian and French flavors. Bahn mi (bahn-MEE) is a mayonnaise-spread French-style baguette filled with pork and crunchy sliced vegetables. Roast the pork tenderloin the night before, cool and refrigerate; assemble the sandwich in the morning. You can substitute skinless, boneless chicken breast for the pork, if you like. Lightly toasting the bread prevents it from becoming soggy. Serve with orange wedges.

Pork:
 1  (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
 2 tablespoons) low-sodium soy sauce
 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
 1 teaspoon brown sugar
 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
 1 garlic clove, minced
 Nonstick cooking spray

Remaining ingredients:
 1 (10.5-ounce) French bread baguette, cut into 4 sections
 1/4 cup mayonnaise
 1/2 teaspoon sriracha Thai hot sauce (such as Hoy Fong)
 1/4 cup thinly sliced radish
 1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber
 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
 1 jalapeno chile pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F.

2. To prepare pork, sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic. Reserve half of soy sauce mixture. Brush pork with soy sauce mixture. Place pork on the rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Roast 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 145 °F. Remove from oven. Brush pork with reserved soy sauce mixture. Tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes or until pork registers 155 °F on a meat thermometer. Thinly slice pork. (You can wrap the pork and refrigerate it at this point.)

3. Cut baguette sections in half lengthwise. Place baguette sections on a sheet pan. Bake at 350 °F for 3 minutes or until lightly toasted.

4. Combine mayonnaise and sriracha; spread evenly on toasted baguette. Divide sliced pork, radish, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeno (if using) evenly among 4 bottom halves. Add top halves of bread. Wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate. Yield: 4 servings (yield: 1 sandwich).