Are you tired of eating the same lunch everyday? Peanut butter and jelly, turkey and cheese, tuna, or egg salad sandwich are on your lunch menu rotation? Say Sayonara to these boring lunches and start eating delicious and nutrition meals by bringing your own lunch from home.
It is easy if you follow these simple steps:
1. Shop and prep your food ahead of time
When you get home from the store, wash, dry, cut, and portion your veggies and fruits. It makes your life so much easier if you also cook your veggies. Keep in mind that eating them raw is the best way to consume all the nutrients. But steaming, blanching and roasting are good too. You are going to lose some nutrients by prepping and cooking them ahead. But let’s be realistic – It is better to lose some nutrients and eat fruits and vegetables, than not to eat them at all.
2. Portion your meals
It is much easier to portion your snacks (baby carrots, fruits, nuts, yogurt, cookies) and place them in the refrigerator, so in the morning you just grab them, put them inside your lunch box and go. If you are environment friendly and do not want to have too many containers or use ziploc bags, just portion them by categories, such as one container for fruits, another for nuts, and so on. You can also use Mason Jars instead.
3. Cook double or triple the amount you usually do
Whenever you cook something, make more than you usually do, so you will have leftovers to take with you. I also freeze foods like beans, lentils, and stews. I make big batches and freeze them in individual portions, so I always have something to take with me.
4. Find containers and Lunch Boxes that keep your food cool and safe
To me, this is the most important part of packing my lunch. But nowadays it is really easy to find good quality containers and lunch boxes. They come in all shapes and forms. Salad bowls with plastic utensils and separate salad dressing containers, small bowls with two partitions to carry your granola separate from the yogurt, stainless steel containers, reusable sandwich bags, there are options for every taste.
These are my new favorite containers, they come with a ice gel pack which goes in the middle
There are four small containers that fit on top of the ice gel. Made by Rubbermaid, and bought at Target
Blue gel ice blocks help maintain the temperature of the food, and I always have a few in different sizes on my freezer.
I love this Lunch Bag. It has ice gel inside the bag, so I leave laying flat in the freezer for 12 hours before using it. Made by PackIt, bought at World Market
5.Do not forget your Lunch
It sounds funny, but I have forgotten my lunch many times, only to realize it when I was starving. Try to follow a morning routine where grabbing your lunch becomes a part of it. Leave notes to yourself until you get used to taking it with you, or keep your car keys in the fridge so you will not forget it.
Enjoy your yummy healthy lunch, and let me know what are your favorite snacks in your Lunch Box!
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