Vegetable slaw anchors a salad with hard-cooked eggs and radishes on buttered rye, vegetables and your favorite dip. (Ashley Moyna Schwickert/For the Minnesota Star Tribune)

Lunch is undeniably tough. I am often too busy or distracted to take that noonday pause: Trying to make and take time for a nutritious, delicious meal can feel like a battle.

But I’m old enough to know that a balanced lunch deserves to be a priority. When I skip it or indulge in a protein shake, my blood sugar dips and that zaps my energy, focus and stamina. Plus, I start to stress out. With only a short window in the day, I try not to eat the same dull thing in front of my computer. It’s a recipe for disappointment and a setup for chocolate at 3 p.m.

The best lunches are a balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. According to dietitians, about 25% of the calories consumed in a day should be dedicated to the midday meal, with the rest split among breakfast, dinner and snacks. Using these general guidelines, there’s no need to count calories or stick to a strict diet regime.

The options for grab-and-go fare — wraps, soups, salads and sandwiches — have improved, but when I pack my own lunch for the office, meeting or the park on the days I work at home, I feel cared for and in control. Sometimes I’ll indulge in simple childhood favorites, like snack crackers, cheese, grapes and carrot sticks. Other times I’ll go with dolmas, pita and hummus, or those mini-sweet peppers with dip and hard-boiled eggs. Nothing complicated, just colorful, fun and easy to eat.

The key to all this is, as with so much of cooking, a pantry filled with all the building blocks for good meals: beans, grains, roasted vegetables, lean meats, fish. These ingredients are a wonderful way to add substance and flavor to whatever you have left from earlier dinners, so be sure to save the odds and ends of a nice cheese, cured meat, smoked cheeses and dips you may have served with cocktails over the weekend. And they serve as the base for quick sides, too, from a snappy slaw to a classic bean salad.

No doubt, a pretty container — a bento box, tiered tiffins or a groovy REI lunchbox — makes that midday break especially enjoyable, whether sitting at your desk, the conference room for a brown bag meeting or a bench outside. Put the money you saved by bringing your lunch toward a special treat.

Get creative with lunches (clockwise from left): Dolmas and classic bean salad, pitas and cucumbers, eggplant dip and marinated olives all lend a Mediterranean twist. (Ashley Moyna Schwickert/For the Minnesota Star Tribune)

Classic Bean Salad

Serves 4 to 6.

Use any kind of beans you like — either home-cooked or canned — for this classic salad. It is great freshly made and tastes even better the next day.

3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
⅓ c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
3 c. cooked or 2 (15-oz.) cans beans, drained and rinsed (see Tip)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard, then slowly whisk in the oil until well blended. Add the shallot, beans and red onion. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Tip: To cook dry beans, put 2 cups of dry beans into a pot and add enough water to cover the beans by 4 inches, along with enough salt that it tastes like the ocean. Set over high heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer the beans until tender, about 3 to 4 hours, depending on the beans.

Easy Eggplant Dip

Makes about 2 cups.

Also known as baba ghanouj, this is one of the easiest ways to enjoy end-of-the-season eggplant. A wonderful dip, it makes a fabulous sandwich spread, too. From Beth Dooley.

2 lb. eggplant
3 cloves garlic smashed
¼ c. minced parsley
¼ c. tahini
¼ c. fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Spear the eggplants all over with a sharp knife. Set on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until very tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove and bring to room temperature.

Slice the eggplants in half horizontally and remove the flesh with a spoon. Transfer the eggplant to a food processor and pulse into a rough purée. Pulse in the garlic, parsley, tahini and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in a covered container for about 10 days.

Keeping pantry staples on hand will make for easy lunches. Smoked meat, cheese, vegetables, crackers and your favorite dip make a snacky yet filling midday meal. (Ashley Moyna Schwickert/For the Minnesota Star Tribune)

Veggie Slaw

Makes about 6 servings.

The beauty of this slaw is its clean, refreshing snap. It holds beautifully for several days in the refrigerator and tastes even better the day after it’s made. It’s a great side to grilled or roasted chicken, pork, steak and a staple in the lunch box repertoire. From Beth Dooley.

For the dressing:

1 bay leaf
1 c. red wine vinegar
3 tbsp. brown sugar
Dash Tabasco sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. caraway seeds
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ c. vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the slaw:

About 5 to 6 c. shredded cabbage, red or green or combination of both
1 red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the bay leaf, vinegar, sugar, Tabasco sauce and garlic, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Whisk the caraway seeds, mustard, and vegetable oil into the vinegar mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put the cabbage and onion into a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Adjust the seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Beth Dooley is the author of “The Perennial Kitchen.” Find her at bethdooleyskitchen.com.