WHAT'S FOR LUNCH? Christine Boutross

WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?

Christine Boutross

The question pops up every day! Whether it's for you or your loved ones, we just have to figure this one out, don't we? Those mornings when we are trying to get out the door on time and finding our papers and books and planners and matching shoes and socks, food sometimes gets left to the last minute! A key to creating new habits is to set yourself up for success. Here are some tips to help you on your way.

Plan. . .Plan. . . Plan
Your food and nutrition are too important to let them be an afterthought. Take some time on a day off and think about all of your meals for the week and make yourself a menu.
Then, do your grocery shopping so you know you have everything you need for the week. Every evening, prepare as much of tomorrow’s lunch as you can in advance, so that in the morning you have as little work as possible.

Invest in a thermos. A thermos is the right hand to a good lunch packer. Boil some water in the morning and pour it into the thermos to pre-heat it for around 10 minutes. While that is warming up, pick out some leftovers from dinner earlier in the week that will fit in your thermos, and warm them up. Then dump out the water out of your thermos and put in last night’s soup or stew, and ta-dah! - hot lunch!

On a hot day, pack your thermos with ice for 10 minutes and then fill it with yogurt and fresh fruit, and there you have it, summer paradise!

Make things like big salads in advance, and keep them fresh in a salad spinner in your fridge. You’re going to be much more likely to eat salad with lunch if it’s already made and sitting there smiling and waving at you in the morning while you figure out your lunch!

Keeping a supply of cooked whole grains, beans, and greens can make for quick and easy assembly of a lunch. Splash on a little olive oil and vinegar, or liquid amino acids such as Bragg's and you have a simple, fast, protein packed lunch. You can get a stackable bento box and make a pretty assembly of food that will have everyone at the office wishing you would pack their lunch for them in the morning, too.