What to Make for a Healthy Lunch Using Egg Salad?

Egg salad is delicious on sandwich bread, in a pita pocket or on a bagel, but serving it rolled in a lettuce leaf reduces the calorie count significantly. Add a cucumber spear or slivers of avocado before you roll the leaf. Use whole grain breads to bump up the nutritional value and add fresh spinach, sprouts and shredded carrots. Reduce the amount of dressing you use when you make the salad and add flavor with chopped olives or capers.

Add nutrition and make a fancy presentation by serving egg salad spooned into hollowed-out green peppers or tomatoes in place of lettuce cups. Pack celery sticks for lunch accompanied by a container of egg salad for dipping. If your kids don't object to having "crunchy bits" in their traditionally smooth food, add chopped walnuts, bell pepper or crispy salad toppers. Mixing in mild shredded cheese, cubed chicken or lean ham adds protein. Adventurous eaters might enjoy the addition of chopped dill pickle and dill dip mix.

Egg salad lends protein and flavor to one-dish meals. Add all of the usual ingredients you use to make egg salad except the mayo to a bowl of cooked, whole grain pasta and toss it with light salad dressing. This dish is good warm or cold. If you have a family of seafood lovers, or if company is coming for lunch, layer crispy lettuce, egg salad and cooked shrimp for a cool summer meal.

Use a melon baller or ice cream scoop to place egg salad into a nest made from crushed nuts or make an egg salad critter by decorating a scoop of salad with bits of black olive for eyes and sprigs of spring onion for ears. Make a curly tail with a thin slice of carrot or cucumber. Encourage your kids to play with their food by having them help create the creatures. Warm egg salad may sound a little peculiar, but try serving it in toast cups to entice picky eaters. Mix chopped, hard boiled egg while it's still warm with a little light ranch dressing. Make toast cups by pressing slices of whole grain bread into the cups in a muffin tin and toasting them in the oven.