On today’s plate:
- Muenster cheese + raspberry jelly bagelwich
- Baby bell peppers
- Unpictured chicken leg nabbed from a leftover lunch event in the break room
Served on the side was some leftover birthday cake from the work fridge.
Now for some lunch packin’ talk…
Packing Healthy Lunches
As you know if you follow this blog with any regularity, I pack my lunch to bring to work almost every single day. This not only saves me money, but it makes eating healthy during the work day nice and simple and makes avoiding greasy downtown restaurant fare much easier.
Packing my lunch typically takes me no more than five minutes. I try to pack my lunch the night before while dinner is cooking. Multitasking at its finest!
When I pack my lunch, I go through a similar process each time:
- Select a vegetable. If I’m enjoying a salad, this is simple, but if I’m not, I make it a point to pack some kind of a vegetable (or two!) to enjoy alongside a sandwich or wrap. Carrot sticks, grape tomatoes, cucumber or bell pepper slices are often my go-to veggies when I’m looking for a side of something nutritious because they taste good raw and are easy finger-foods. I also love dressing up raw slices of yellow squash or zucchini with Italian dressing for a little extra flavor.
- Select a source of protein. It’s no secret that protein helps increase feelings of fullness, so I try to make sure my meals include some kind of protein, whether it be in the form of lean meats, cheese (my personal favorite), Greek yogurt, beans, whole grains or tempeh.
- Select a carb. This part is usually quite easy, as I am a big fan of sandwiches, bagelwiches, wraps and English muffin pizzas for lunch. I always try to include some kind of a whole-grain carbohydrate with my meals because they help me feel full much faster than any other food, even if that feeling dissipates quicker for me than the feeling of satiety caused by protein, fiber and fats.
- Select a fat. Adding fat to my meals can be rather tricky. I’m not as much of a stickler for this one and usually allow the addition of fat to my meals to happen naturally, whether it be in the form of an olive oil-based salad dressing or a creamy nut butter. If my lunch doesn’t have a hefty serving of fat, I don’t really worry about it because I snack on nuts, cheese and peanut butter fingers like it’s cool.
And there you have it! 😀
Of Possible Interest
- 10 Creamy Vegan Avocado Recipes (FitSugar.com)
- 20-Minute Fat Burning Workout (WomensHealthMag.com)
- Healthy No-Cook Meals (Health.com)
And some totally random…
- The Fashion page was updated with the pink cupcake dress info!
- If you are a bride-to-be and are considering a Priscilla of Boston wedding dress or Priscilla of Boston bridesmaids dresses, you need to check out the amazing deal on RueLaLa today!
Questions of the Afternoon
- What was your favorite packed lunch when you were younger?
- What is your favorite packed lunch now?
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