Easy Pita Lunch Ideas

These 4 easy pita recipes are great packed for healthy lunches! All are vegetarian - prep the components ahead of time for a fast, delicious midday meal.

There’s a category that’s seriously underrepresented on Love & Lemons: lunch. Lunch, for me, is the meal that happens in between all of these recipe posts. It’s usually a quick throw-together meal that utilizes a previous night’s dinner and/or an assortment of random on-hand ingredients… (ie. a half of an avocado, a few leaves of kale, leftover quinoa, an opened container of greek yogurt). I love a big lunch salad, but when I don’t have enough greens & things to make up a full meal, I take what I do have and put it in (or on) a pita. I…

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Peanut Butter Crispy Treats

I can’t even follow my own recipes. I set out to remake this pistachio goji granola in bar form (thanks to a reader suggestion). I thought it was a great idea, especially because I’ve been looking for healthy grab-and-go breakfast options for Jack to take to work. I realize this looks more like dessert than breakfast, but I had to come up with something more enticing than the pre-packaged Costco office bagels (he just informed me) he’s been consuming every morning. For the sake of our marriage, I’m not going to get started on why he eats these (how can…

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Superfood Sunshine Orange Smoothie

Brighten up your morning & boost your immune system with this superfood orange smoothie packed with ginger, goji berries, hemp seeds & citrus!

Happy almost new year! I don’t know about you, but I’m sure ready to start eating a little bit lighter and brighter. And of course, “healthy” in my book doesn’t mean bland and boring… quite the opposite. In the middle of winter,* I find myself craving bright orange and red foods… so here’s a sunny smoothie I made to brighten up winter mornings and give my immune system a boost. Orange Smoothie Ingredients Oranges – Of course, oranges are essential here. Because winter is citrus season, I use lemons, limes, grapefruit, and oranges as much as I can. As an…

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Pistachio Goji Berry Granola

Have you ever made granola on the stove? Try it once, and you won't go back! I love eating this easy 15-minute granola over yogurt or on its own.

Every time I make granola I remember why I shouldn’t make granola. We have no self-control when it comes to it. This is my favorite version yet… and I can attest to that because right after I made it, Jack and I stood at the kitchen counter and ate it all. Bit by “just a little bit more,” this (our photography subject) disappeared. The good news: It’s quick and easy, so 15 minutes later, we were ready to roll with a second batch. The trick – make it on the stovetop. I know, it sounds wrong, but it’s so so…

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Avocado & Pomegranate Crostini

Avocado, pomegranate and feta make a pretty holiday appetizer crostini.

‘Tis the season for sugary, buttery treats… but as you may know, I’m not big on butter. I’m also not particularly good at holiday traditions… Maybe it’s the Austin influence, but I love anything with avocado. I made this glorified guacamole and I think the little pomegranate gems make it especially festive. Only thing missing in this picture is a merry Christmas margarita. For a healthier version, this would be delicious on endive spears. For a less healthy (but gluten free) version, feel free to break out the tortilla chips.

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Maple Cornbread Muffins

Rosemary & maple make these easy cornbread muffins lightly sweet & cozy-tasting. I love to serve them at Thanksgiving or with a big bowl of chili.

Move over, dinner rolls, and make way for… cornbread muffins! Maybe it’s my Midwestern background, but I love corn, especially in this sweet & savory corn muffin recipe. My Cornbread Muffin Recipe Ingredients In my opinion, good cornbread should be golden & crumbly and walk the line between sweet and savory. These corn muffins do just that. Here’s what I use to make them healthy & delicious: Maple syrup sweetens them naturally and adds depth of flavor to this corn muffin recipe. Rosemary flecks them with green and brings its cozy, fresh wintry taste. Canola oil or olive oil is…

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Quinoa Quesadillas

Happy day-after Halloween, who’s ready to cook? No one… That’s what I thought. So before we head to Thanksgiving Town, I thought I’d share another quick and easy (and tasty) meal you can throw together using last night’s leftovers… Just like the picture says – take your leftovers from this salad, add some black beans (maybe a few more spices), and some cheese… fold it into tortillas… then dig in to some pretty hearty & healthy quesadillas. Of course, cook these on your stovetop and not on your marble countertop.

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Sweet Potato Tahini Crostini

  We got home last week and I immediately started thinking about post-vacation recovery foods. Kale salads, green juices… that sort of thing. That is until Jack announced that he was craving bread. Which sounded good, so bread we had. This cozy little crostini turned out to be perfect for our lazy, rainy weekend. (Kale salad, on the side). This sweet potato spread – it’s halfway to hummus. It’s thicker and has a stronger tahini flavor, which was a nice contrast to the light & airy ricotta. It’s also a convenient way to use up a bit of leftover baked…

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Matcha Smoothie

This matcha smoothie recipe is easy to make with bananas, almond milk, and a splash of vanilla. It's a healthy, antioxidant-filled breakfast or snack!

This matcha smoothie recipe is perfect for a healthy breakfast or an afternoon energy boost! It starts with my go-to smoothie base—almond milk and frozen bananas. Then, I add in matcha powder for a kick of caffeine, antioxidants, and grassy flavor. Vanilla adds a touch of warmth that takes it over the top. I started making this matcha smoothie recipe after Jack and I traveled to Japan for the first time. There, we tried all kinds of bright green matcha treats—matcha ice cream, matcha doughnuts, and matcha cookies were daily afternoon snacks. This matcha smoothie is an equally fun—but healthier—way to…

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Grilled Veggies with Basil Miso

The “summer’s not over yet” recipe theme continues. Right now Jack and I are in Seattle for a few days before we head to Japan. I feel inclined to write about how we spent the last few weekends at home savoring the last of our local late-summer produce… But seriously, it was 104 degrees when we left so I’m sure there will be plenty of summer (and it’s veggies) waiting for us when we get back. With Japan on the brain, I’ve been in the mood for miso. Although, I realize nothing else about this recipe is remotely Japanese… the…

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Lemony Pea Pesto

My husband Jack can’t tell a lie. Not because he’s any nicer than the rest of us, he’s just incapable of it. For example, if he made this for me and wanted to hide the fact that it’s made almost entirely of peas, it would go like this: Me: yum, what’s in this? Him: um… well not peas, that’s for sure. It’s endearing, really. He’s the most trustworthy guy you’d ever meet because he doesn’t know how to be any other way. So now that this post is going up, the cat’s out of the bag and I have a teeny…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Welcome to Love & Lemons!

I'm Jeanine Donofrio, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer. I share fresh, delicious vegetarian recipes that celebrate seasonal ingredients and flavors.

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