Lunch ideas for Long Covid altered taste and smell

Mozzarella sticks

I thought I would try some mozzarella sticks for lunch but wasn't sure if I would be able to eat them. However, I found they were really nice as they have a good texture despite having to serve them cold. I had some chilli jam at the side to dip the mozzarella in and I thought this went really well with them. 

At the side I had some vegetables. There is a tomato pictured but I have been finding that recently I have been struggling to eat them when not served blended in a sauce. Also, for vegetables I am only able to eat them if they have been cut up that day and are very fresh.

Overall, this was a quick and easy lunch which will be ideal if I ever need to have a packed lunch.

19/9/21- Aldi recipe Veggie Meatballs

These couscous meatballs were made using the Aldi recipe I have attached below with a few alterations to make them suitable for my parosmia. 

Instead of onion, my meatballs had some celery through them and we also swapped the frozen peas for some finely chopped green beans. Instead of mint leaves, I had coriander leaves which added a good flavour which I could taste. Finally, these were cooked in the oven and left to cool before being eaten. 

They contain some egg so occasionally tasted a bit strange to me but were overall really nice with lots of textures and some good flavours too. If you found that the egg was affecting the taste, you could try having these with a spicy dip to mask the taste. 

16/9/21- Cranberry and feta wrap

Since discovering I am able to have cranberry sauce, I have been using it in many ways as it adds a flavour to meals which I am able to taste. 

Today, I had cranberry sauce in a wrap with some feta cheese and beetroot leaves. This lunch would be great for taking as a packed lunch as it is quick to make and easy to eat

21/8/21- 'No chicken' burger

Although eating a cold burger may seem slightly weird, this lunch is great for me as it means I can have something very similar to what my family is eating and it also has no strange taste for me.

The burger was a 'no chicken' burger from Aldi which did not contain any garlic, onion or other trigger foods like many vegan and vegetarian options. 

I had the burger in a brioche bun with some lettuce and chili jam. The chilli jam was particularly nice as it added some flavour to the meal.

20/8/21- Spring Rolls

Most shop bought spring rolls contain garlic and onion and many are fried. Here is a homemade version which avoids my trigger foods and tastes good served cold.

The filling was made from some beansprouts, chopped carrot and chopped celery mixed with some hoisin sauce. Some filo pastry was then cut up into rectangles and the filling rolled up in them. The rolls were then brushed with some sesame oil and cooked in the oven.

Although I often find food smells very unpleasant, I have discovered that sesame oil is not too bad for me, although I was still unable to stay in the kitchen whilst these rolls were cooking. The rolls were then left to cool before being served. 

Although I have put these rolls in the 'lunches' section of my blog, they could also be served as a starter with one of my dinner ideas.

14/8/21- Mango chutney and jackfruit wrap

Jackfruit has served as a great substitute for meat for me since I started suffering from altered taste and smell. This wrap is the best lunch I have had since my Long Covid began as I felt I was able to taste most of the flavours🥳.

Recently I have been unable to have mayonnaise which I was having at the start of my Long Covid. Most foods with egg have a weird taste and I am unable to have egg on its own. However, I decided to try a vegan mayonnaise and this worked really well for me. 

The mayonnaise was mixed with some mango chutney (which did not contain garlic or onion), curry powder and jackfruit before being put in the wrap. I could taste the sweetness of the mango and the spiciness of the curry powder. If you are able to have these foods individually, I would really recommend this lunch😀. 

9/8/21- Halloumi cheese flatbread

I tried halloumi cheese for the first time since my Long Covid and found it was quite successful. We bought a mixed herbs halloumi as I can sometimes taste mixed herbs. However, I could mostly just taste the salt but this was still nice😂.

The flatbread did need to be toasted before being cooled which my Mum was able to do for me. This may not be ideal if you live on your own but if you can sit the toaster outside this could help.

7/8/21- Cream cheese, tomato and pine nut bagel

Bagels are a great lunch option for me at the moment as they involve no cooking, so no unpleasant smells, they can be eaten with a range of toppings and they are very convenient.

This bagel had cream cheese, chopped tomato and pine nuts but you could have smoked salmon, pepper or chilli flakes with the cream cheese instead. I also like having spinach and feta. 

I think that when I start University next month, this lunch will definitely become a go to as it would fit in a packed lunch box easily too.  

1/8/21- Happy Swiss National day!

I love visiting Switzerland for Swiss national day but due to flight cancellations and my Long Covid, my family and I were unable to visit this year. Usually, we celebrate the 1st of August with a brunch in Switzerland with cheese, meat, bread and fruit so we decided to recreate out own breakfast in Scotland this year. 

I was unable to eat any of the meats, the cheddar cheese, the brie cheese and a few of the fruits due to my parosmia but I was able to have the rest. 

On the bread platter, there was some fresh white bread, croissants and apple and walnut pastries. For fruit, I was able to have a nectarine or an apple but not the kiwi or plum. 

In terms of cheese, unfortunately some of the cheeses were not very Swiss as there is a limit to what I can eat at the moment. The cranberry wensleydale was more British than Swiss but is ideal for me at the moment as it has a good texture and I can taste the sweetness of the fruit. I was also able to have the vegan smoked gouda which surprised me as I thought this would not taste nice to me at the moment but it was fine. 

The four cheeses to the right were made by my sister and I and were inspired by cheeses we have eaten in Switzerland. We put scoops of cream cheese into four lined ramekin dishes and mixed one with chilli flakes, one with mixed herbs, one with black pepper and one with finely chopped and drained pineapple. After leaving the ramekins in the fridge, we then turned the dishes upside down to get the round cheese shape.  Around the cheeses is some dried apricots and figs which I was also able to eat. However, the dried apricots were a bit strange as the texture of the skin is slightly furry and that was all I could taste.

For drinks, we had a bottle of apple and ginger juice, a bottle of pineapple juice and some pink grapefruit juice (which has unfortunately been cut out of the photo, oops😏.) 

Although I was keen to still celebrate the 1st of August this year, I wasn't sure how much I would be able to have for the brunch but was actually able to find quite a few different things to eat. Hopefully next year I will have recovered my sense of taste and smell but this was still an enjoyable brunch.  

29/7/21- Feta and spinach triangle

This lunch is also similar to other ideas I have posted before. First, the pastry was rolled out and cut into squares. Then a thin layer of chilli jam was spread onto the squares. Next, some spinach and feta were placed on half of the square of pastry and they were folded into triangle shapes. Finally, the pastries were brushed with water, sprinkled with sesame seeds for extra texture and then cooked and left to cool. Some of the pastries were frozen for an easy meal another day. 

At the side is some nachos which I am loving at the moment as they have a great texture and are also quite salty so I can taste them. 

28/7/21- Salmon and cream cheese bagels

This dinner does not involve any cooking so is ideal if you are suffering from altered smell. The bagel was topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon. These foods are fine for me but I always ensure the salmon is cut up into smaller pieces as larger pieces don't taste very good to me. If you are unable to have salmon, you could have pine nuts, seeds, black pepper or chilli flakes instead. At the side is some beetroot leaves, carrot and celery and next to them is some nachos. Nachos are very good at the moment as I can taste their salty flavour.

Although I have put this as a dinner option, bagels can also be good for an easy lunch and can be eaten with many fillings.

25/7/21- Nectarine potato salad

This lunch may seem a bit strange but Long Covid altered taste and smell can make food very monotonous so I am willing to try any combination of foods at the moment as long as it tastes good to me.😂

This cold potato dish is similar to other lunches I have posted before but has a different filling. First, the potato was cooked in the microwave and then left to cool. The flesh of the potato was then scooped out, chopped up and mixed with some chopped nectarine, creme fraiche and mixed seeds before being put back into the potato. If you are unable to have nectarine, you could try this meal with apple or pineapple instead. This lunch has lots of textures and I could taste the sweetness of the nectarine too. 

21/7/21- Lentil hummus and carrot 

Here is another example of ways the lentil hummus from yesterday's post can be eaten. The recipe to make the lentil hummus was from Green Lentil Hummus From OhMyVeggies.com but was slightly altered to avoid cooking and garlic (see below for more details.)

Today, I had the lentil hummus in a ciabatta roll with grated carrot. Currently, I have found that ciabatta is a great bread for me as it has a good texture and is a bit different from normal bread. The carrot added to the hummus was great too as it also had a good texture.  

20/7/21- Lentil hummus with vegetables and breadsticks

At the start of my Long Covid, I found most shop bought hummus contains garlic and I am also unable to eat chickpeas at the moment. However, I have found really love this simple lentil hummus from OhMyVeggies.com, (https://ohmyveggies.com/green-lentil-hummus/) The hummus in this picture is slightly different from the recipe in that the lentils were from a can so there was no cooking involved.  The tahini was substituted for sesame oil as we had some of this in the cupboard and I have found that it I can actually taste it at the moment. There was also no garlic included.

At the side is some flatbread, breadsticks, green pepper, cucumber, carrot and tomato. I have found this hummus works well as you can eat it with a range of foods which have different colours and textures. It can also be made in batch so can be eaten for lunch the next day too. 

19/7/21- Pasta salad

This pasta salad could be served as a dinner idea but I had it for lunch today. 

First, the pasta was cooked and cooled, then the rest of the dish did not involve any more cooking. The pasta was mixed with some beetroot salad, chopped radish, chopped cucumber, chopped green pepper, chopped tomato, chopped celery, grated carrot, chopped feta and pine nuts. This dish had lots of colours and textures and I particularly enjoyed the feta as it was slightly salty so I could taste some of it. This salad could also be easily adapted to avoid any of your trigger foods which I am able eat.

16/7/21- Potato with pineapple cheese and pine nuts

This baked potato is quite similar to the lunch I had on the 26th of June only the recipe has been altered slightly and I think it now tastes better than before. 

The potato was cooked in the microwave and left to cool. The inside was then scooped out and mashed up with some plain yoghurt (which we didn't use last time) and pineapple cheese from Aldi like before. The mixture was then stuffed back inside the potato skin and some pine nuts were sprinkled on top. At the side is some vegetables for extra colour.

Overall, this lunch had some flavour as I could taste the sweetness of the pineapple cheese. There was also some texture as the cheese had some ground almonds mixed through it and  there was pine nuts on top too. The nuts also added some protein to the dish. 

11/7/21- Breadsticks and vegetables with cream cheese

This lunch was easy and did not require any cooking👍. In the yellow bowl is some cream cheese which had no unpleasant taste for me. If you struggle with cream cheese or are looking for something a bit different, you could put some chilli flakes or black pepper through the cream cheese for some flavour.

On the plate is some celery, cucumber, carrot, green pepper and tomato for dipping in the cream cheese. There is quite a lot of vegetables on the plate as my family were having this for lunch too. If you are cooking for others, this could be a good option as everyone is able to eat the same thing.

The breadsticks were a success too as they have a good texture and we also had the ones with salt and sesame seeds on them so I could taste some of the salt👍. 

At the moment I am unable to eat chickpeas but at some point I am going to try making hummus with green lentils. I will post any updates and think lentil hummus would go really well with this lunch idea if it has no unpleasant taste😀.

7/7/21- Indonesian buffet food

Before my Long Covid, my sister and I dedicated time once a week to cooking a meal based on the food of a country🗺. I used to love spending time in the kitchen and trying new foods but unfortunately this has been more challenging since my Long Covid😠. 

Today, we decided to give cooking a meal for family another go since my fatigue and brain fog seemed better this week. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to making more meals again. I did leave the kitchen when the fritters were being cooked and my meal was served cold whilst my family had the fritters and cauliflower hot, but today was a big improvement for me and it was great to do something normal🥳. As the pictures show, we decided to cook a buffet lunch for family based on food from Indonesia.  All of the food mentioned is based on recipes from 'Around the World Cook Books' which have been altered to avoid trigger foods and fried foods. All of my meals were also served cold.

In the first picture is some sweetcorn fritters, spicy cauliflower and spicy salad. The cauliflower was made by washing and cutting up some cauliflower, chillies and root ginger and then steaming this. The cauliflower was then tossed in a dressing made from soy sauce, lime juice and seasoning. The red chillies were particularly spicy which was not great for my poor Granny 😂 but ideal for me as I could taste them😁.

The side salad contained lettuce, chopped tomato, cucumber, green beans and beansprouts which were tossed in a dressing made from coconut cream, lemon juice, soy sauce, chilli powder and tomato sauce. This salad was great as there was lots of colours and textures and I could slightly taste the coconut, lemon and chilli flavours.

I made enough sweetcorn fritters for 10 people so I could freeze some for another lunch👍. First, I made a paste by mixing together 150g of plain flour, one egg, 150ml of water, 1tbsp of butter, 1tsp of turmeric, 1tsp of dried coriander and 1tsp of salt. Next, I finely chopped 3 sticks of celery, one green chilli pepper and 2.5㎤ of root ginger and mixed this into the paste with 300g of sweetcorn. Finally, I scooped out the mixture onto baking paper, making 20 fritters, and cooked them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180oC. I really enjoyed these fritters as they had a great texture and also had some spice which I could slightly taste.

The second picture shows an 'Asian Ginger Cake' which my sister made. Again, this cake contained spices so I could slightly taste it. Often, cake can have a weird taste to me but I really enjoyed this cake and am looking forward to having some more tomorrow. Both the cake and the fritters contained eggs which sometimes taste a bit strange to me but I found that today's lunch was fine, possibly because the spices covered up the taste. I really enjoyed being back in the kitchen and trying foods from other countries. I hope to cook food from another country soon and will post any successes or failures😁.

6/7/21- Banana and almond butter baguette

I know I have posted quite a lot of lunches involving almond butter or peanut butter and banana but it is currently one of my go to options. Especially at the start of my Long Covid, I found it was a quick and easy lunch that had no unpleasant taste and did not have to be cooked so was perfect for me.

Today, I had my almond butter and banana in a baguette which was quite nice for a change. The baguette had a good texture and no strange taste either. 👍 I think it would go well with any of the sandwich fillings I have mentioned below too.😀

3/7/21- Mozzarella, tomato and mixed herb flatbread

This is currently one of my favourite lunch options and it can be easily adapted for a dinner option as an alternative to pizza. The flatbreads were topped with mozzarella, sliced tomato and mixed herbs. They were then grilled and left to cool. 

Due to my altered smell, my Mum grilled them for me but I found that the smell in the kitchen after they had been grilled was not as bad as the smell when other foods like toast have been cooked.

 

2/6/21- Salmon, feta and cucumber sandwiches

This sandwich selection had lots of different textures and is another lunch option that had no unpleasant taste for me. The two outside sandwiches were filled with some cucumber and feta and the middle two sandwiches were filled with smoked salmon and cucumber.

Smoked salmon is another food I have been able to eat despite my altered taste and smell and it is particularly good to have in the fridge as I am unable to eat meat. It can also be used in many ways and I particularly enjoy having it on a bagel with cream cheese.

1/6/21- Spinach and feta pastry

I tried this spinach and feta stuffed pastry for the first time today. Overall, it had no strange taste so was quite successful. 

The lunch was made by rolling out some pastry and filling it with some feta and spinach. The pastry was then cooked and cooled before being served. 

I have found that spinach and feta are two great ingredients for me at the moment. The spinach has a good texture and also adds colour to the plate. Plus, it is a good source of iron. Feta also has a good texture and can be slightly salty so I can sometimes taste it. See my lunch from the 10th of June below for another way to use feta and spinach.

29/6/21- Chilli jam and mozzarella sandwich 

I have mentioned chilli jam in other posts but thought I would post this lunch too. Chilli jam is both spicy and sweet which is great as I can tell the difference between these two flavours. 

The sandwich was made using white bread which does not have as good a texture as the thick seeded loaf I used before but it is good to have once in a while for a change. Inside the sandwich is also some mozzarella which is another white cheese I have been able to eat. 

As with yesterday's lunch, this meal did not require any cooking which was a big plus.

28/6/21- Pineapple cheese sandwich

Used some more of the pineapple cheese from yesterday's lunch. This time I tried it in a sandwich and found that quite successful too.

The bread was a seeded loaf and went well with the soft cheese. It added an extra texture whilst the cheese has nuts through it so also had a good texture, making this a good lunch option. There was also no cooking involved which is a big plus. I think the cheese would also go well with crackers or oatcakes for another lunch option that does not involve cooking.

26/6/21- Pineapple cheese baked potato

Having a cold baked potato for lunch may seem somewhat strange 😕but I have found it is good if you have Long Covid altered senses and are limited to what you can eat but are looking to have something a bit different.

First, the potato was cooked in the microwave in the morning and then left to cool. It was then chopped in half and the flesh scooped out. The flesh was then mixed with pineapple cheese and stuffed back inside the potato. 

I have found that pineapple cheese is great for me at the moment as it is slightly sweet tasting and has nuts mixed through it so is good for texture too👍. I am unable to eat coloured cheeses such as cheddar at the moment but so far white cheeses have been fine for me. If you look in the shops, there is often a wide variety of flavoured white cheeses ranging from chilli flavour to apricot so it could be worth trying some to see if they work for you. White cheeses also go well with oatcakes so this could be a good option if you are suffering from Long Covid altered smell and wish to avoid cooking. 

At the side of the potato is some ice berg lettuce to add some extra crunch and also make the plate look slightly more colourful. For more information on having vegetables as a side, look to the last paragraph of the post below.😀

22/6/21- Cream cheese and pine nuts bagel with crisps

Here is another lunch idea which does not require any cooking so you can easily avoid having to face the effects of Long Covid altered taste and smell. 👍

This bagel contained cream cheese and I added some pine nuts to the filling too to give some protein and also add an extra texture. I also ground some black pepper over the top of the cream cheese to give it some flavour as I can sometimes taste black pepper.

At the side is some crisps. Often fired foods taste disgusting to me at the moment however, these crisps worked well for me. I am not sure if this is because they are quite salty but I am not complaining if it is another food I can eat. 😁

Although crisps are not the healthiest, I like to have them once in a while for a change. You could substitute the crisps for some vegetables instead but just ensure that your side does not contain any trigger foods for you. I have found I am unable to eat red, yellow and orange peppers and rocket. My vegetables also need to be cut up the day I am eating them or they have a very unpleasant flavour for me.👎 Long Covid affects everyone differently so this advice may not be relevant to you but it could be worth a go if your are struggling.

21/6/21- Feta, chilli jam and lettuce sandwich

For lunch I had feta and chilli jam again (see post below from yesterday) only this time I had it in a sandwich with some lettuce. 

The lettuce was a mix of a few different types of leaves. If you are buying a bag of mixed lettuce, ensure it doesn't contain any of your trigger foods. At the start of my Long Covid it took me a while to work out that I can't have rocket, which was in my usual salad bag and was making the rest of my meal taste very unpleasant.😒 

This lunch maybe doesn't look the most exciting but it doesn't require any cooking or much prep work in the kitchen. This sandwich was quick and easy to make and could be a good option for a school or work packed lunch. 👍

See below for more ideas for lunches or you could head to my 'Dinner ideas for altered taste and smell due to Long Covid' page which you can find on this blog. 😀

20/6/21- Feta and chilli jam potato

I have found that feta cheese has been a great option for lunches which can be especially difficult to make interesting when your sense of taste and smell is altered. Most vegan choices involve trigger foods such as onions and garlic and I cannot have meat or cheddar cheese either. However, this lunch involves a baked potato which was cooked in the microwave in the morning when I was out of the kitchen and then left to cool, minimising cooking smells.👍 The filling is some feta cheese with chilli jam which I have mentioned earlier in a post where I had it with bread and mozzarella. I can't taste much but can often define the difference between sweet, salty and spicy so this chilli jam is great as it is both sweet and spicy at the same time!😀

At the side is some homemade coleslaw, made from white cabbage, carrots and mayonnaise. I am usually not great with egg based products but so far, mayonnaise has been good for me.👍

At the side is a bit of salad for some extra texture and colour. I have found that sometimes vegetables can have a bit of a strange taste for me but I think this happens when they have been cut up the previous day and left in a tub in the fridge so cutting them up fresh seems to have solved the problem.😀

19/6/21- Almond butter and banana brioche roll

Here is an update to follow my first attempt at trying Almond butter, see my post below from the 7th of June. Overall, I enjoyed this lunch today and, as I suspected, the almond butter did go well with banana😀👍. Instead of a seeded loaf, this time I tried a brioche roll which was a nice change, although I could not fit all of the banana in the roll so there is some at the side 😂. Even if I couldn't really taste the roll, it had a slightly different texture from the loaf too!😀 As I mentioned in my last post, you could use peanut butter instead of almond butter. Feel free to comment below with any of your lunch suggestions as trying to find edible food when you have Long Covid altered taste and smell can sometimes be quite challenging.

18/6/21- Jackfruit and mango chutney wrap

I enjoyed today's lunch. This wrap was filled with jackfruit, lettuce, mango chutney and curry powder. 

Jackfruit is great as it is high in fibre, has an interesting texture and has no unpleasant taste for me.😀 However, it is not very high in protein so I wouldn't use it as a substitute for meat all of the time. The lettuce added some extra crunch whilst the curry powder added some spice. 👍

Mango chutney is particularly good to have in the fridge as I have to be careful that sauces and chutneys don't have onions and garlic in them but this one was fine for me. 😀It has a sweet but slightly spicy flavour and although I couldn't taste it completely, it left a nice aftertaste. I have also tried a similar lunch but with a Barbeque sauce instead of mango chutney which was quite nice, but again, always check the ingredients list to ensure these sauces don't have any trigger foods in them. Feel free to share any of your ideas in the comments section  below!😀

13/6/21- Mozzarella sandwich with chilli jam

As I have mentioned before in my 'Dinner ideas for altered taste and smell due to Long Covid' page, foods with a lot of spice 🌶are often the best option for me. Here, I had slices mozzarella, as I am able to take white cheeses, on thick brown bread 🍞 which had a good texture. I also had some chilli jam 🌶 on top which went well with the mozzarella. Overall, this lunch was quick and easy and did not need to be cooked.😀 As the jam was sweet but spicy, I was mostly able to taste it too which was a big plus.👍 

10/6/21 - Feta, Olives and Spinach Sandwich

Here is another lunch idea. 🥪 In the picture is my Mum's sandwich which had olives on it but I have unable to eat olives even before Long Covid so just had a spinach and feta sandwich. However, I included the olives in the picture as if your Long Covid allows you to have them, it could add another texture to your meal. Again, this sandwich was quick and easy and didn't involve any cooking which is a big plus.👍 I used a vegan feta 🧀 due to family allergies and found that I could actually taste some of it which is unusual considering most foods are inedible or have no taste for me. A normal feta could work too but I haven't tried this yet. Feel free to post any of your suggestions in the comments below!  

7/6/21- Almond Butter Sandwich

Today I tried an Almond Butter Sandwich for lunch. Due to my Long Covid I have not been able to eat any meat so have been substituting meat for nuts in order to have enough protein in my diet. I have also been focusing on foods that have a good texture as I can't taste much so this was great as I had the crunchy version. For previous lunches I have had peanut butter and banana sandwiches and I think banana would go well with this spread too. I will try it next time and keep you updated. I used a thick, seeded loaf for bread which also had a good texture. This sandwich was perfect as it didn't involve having to cook and my altered sense of smell means most scents have a rotten smell to them. I would also say this could work well as a packed lunch for school or work as it was very quick and easy to prepare.