5 Brown-Bag Lunches That Start With Tonight's Dinner

Start With: Roast Chicken

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Chances are, unless you're cooking for a crowd, a juicy roast chicken comes with ample leftovers. Eat the white meat, reserving some of the dark meat for tomorrow's lunch. Before you pack it up, season it to taste with hot sauce.

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Brown-Bag Transformation: Spicy Tacos

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Pack four small corn tortillas, about 2/3 of a cup of the hot-sauce-laced chicken, 1/4 cup guacamole, 1/4 cup pico de gallo, and a hefty pinch of crumbly cotija cheese (or cheddar). At lunch time, reheat the tortillas and chicken in the microwave, and assemble the aforementioned components into two tacos.

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Start With: Cooked Quinoa

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If your dinner includes a simple quinoa side, reserve a portion for the next day's lunch.

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Brown-Bag Transformation: Quinoa Salad

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Toss leftover quinoa with a tangy shallot vinaigrette, sliced cherries, parsley, feta, and slivered almonds for a hearty quinoa salad that will keep hunger at bay for hours.

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Start With: Grilled Steak

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If you're lucky enough to have leftover grilled steak (or any steak, for that matter), pack a few slices in the next day's lunch.

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Brown-Bag Transformation: Kale Caesar With Steak

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Prep this kale caesar the night before or morning of. Tuck the croutons into a resealable plastic bag, and everything else (including the sliced steak) into a mason jar or other resealable container. At lunchtime, toss it all together (don't reheat the steak or it'll get overcooked).

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Start With: Green Salad

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If serving a green salad as a side, save a portion of undressed vegetables and salad dressing for the next day.

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Brown-Bag Transformation: Add an Egg or Two

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Poach or hard boil an egg. (Hard-boiled eggs can be packed in-shell; tuck more delicate poached eggs in a thermos filled with cool water.) Tote along the salad, dressing, and egg to work; at lunchtime, toss the salad with dressing, and top it with sliced hard-boiled egg, or reheat the poached egg and add it whole to the greens for a more substantial lunch.

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Start With: Tacos

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Whether your tacos are meat-based or vegetarian-friendly, save a portion of all of the taco toppings for the next day.

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Brown-Bag Transformation: Taco Salad

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Pair the taco toppings with a Mexican-inspired vinaigrette (whisk together lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper), salad greens, and crushed tortilla chips (if you have them on hand) for a fully loaded taco salad.

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Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Lauren Hendrickson / Nicole Perry

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