I am not a morning person…
This isn’t a trait that I chose for myself, it kind of just happened. I don’t enjoy getting out of bed, I am the queen of snooze, and I’m also not a coffee drinker. More often than not, the fight with the alarm clock leads to a somewhat rushed morning routine. Making a healthy lunch to take to work just doesn’t seem to fit! It used to be that I would shove items from the fridge into my lunch bag with one hand (can anyone say “frozen burrito”?), searching for my keys with another, while chewing on a piece of toast. My system was fine… I was surviving. Then, my gut health took a turn for the worse and I ended up changing my entire diet (more on that in another post).
All of a sudden, I was left staring at the fridge with 2 minutes to be out the door and no idea what to eat. But necessity is indeed the mother of invention… and after some trial and error I’ve found a few ideas that helped me stay on track with clean eating- without requiring me to be singing with the birds at the crack of dawn to make lunch.
Dinner for the Winner
The best advice I can give you is to form the habit of making your lunch for tomorrow while you’re making tonight’s dinner!
Odds are that you’re already chopping and slicing for dinner, so while those zoodles are cooking or that beef is sautéing and you have an extra minute, throw something together for lunch tomorrow! Even better-make a little extra dinner and save some leftovers in a small container for the next day. Then when you wake up in the morning you’ve got a grab and go lunch with no prep!
Grab Now, Chop Later
Okay, remember how I’m normally grabbing things as I race out the door? Sometimes the most time consuming part of a healthy meal is the time it takes to chop, slice and dice.
Veggies and fruit are awesome, but they can be somewhat high maintenance. So why not grab now and chop later? Here are some excellent things you can grab as you are running out the door:
Banana and pecans: make sure you have a butter knife and some kind of plate (I store some paper plates at work). At lunch time peel and slice your banana and enjoy a pecan with each bite! Super filling and totally satisfies that sweet tooth. If you want to get fancy with it, take some cinnamon along and sprinkle on your banana slices… you’ll think you’re having dessert for lunch!
Strawberries and almond butter: I usually have a small portable jar of almond butter (be careful of added sugar here and make sure you read the label!) and then I grab some strawberries on the way out. You can either chop your strawberries at lunch time and smear them with the almond butter or keep them whole and dip away!
Cheese and Crackers: Don’t go crazy here, but there are actually some decent crackers out there that won’t set you back in your health goals. My go-to crackers right now are the Blue Diamond Flaxseed Almond Crackers. They do have some empty carbs in them (rice flour and potato starch), but overall I can read and understand every ingredient and flaxseeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. Bonus-they are gluten free and delicious! I wouldn’t recommend taking a whole block of cheese with you, but I have taken a chunk of cheddar to slice at work or sometimes a Happy Cow soft cheese wedge is the way to go. Throw in some baby cucumber or carrots and you’ve got a meal!
Salad in a Jar
If you don’t want to chop on the go, or you are making lunch during your dinner then here’s a great idea for you!
Grab a mason jar and the contents of your crisper. Now stay with me… You might be thinking that a salad is not going to cut it for lunch, but I’m not just talking about some chopped lettuce. The key to a nutritious and filling salad is everything that gets added to the greens! One thing that makes this a bit tricky is that you’ve got to do some thinking ahead- luckily I’m going to give you some tips on what that looks like. The necessary ingredients will quickly become regular food staples on your grocery list, and with a little bit of strategy you’ll quickly become a pro. The great thing about this is how very customizable it is! Your going to build your salad like this:
Grains/Legumes (this will help you stay full longer), Greens (choose them wisely!), Nuts/Seeds, Extras (this is where we add flavor!), and Dressing. Here are some ideas for each category:
- Grains/Legumes: Brown rice, quinoa, black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, soy beans… you get the idea.
- Greens: Mixed greens, arugula (so flavorful!), kale, or spinach.
- Nuts/Seeds: Green pumpkin seeds, chia, pecans or walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds.
- Extras: Berries, apple, carrot, cucumber, tomato, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper… pretty much any fruit or veggie will do.
- Dressing: Combine lemon or lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Make ahead and store in a separate jar!
Wait! This is supposed to be a recipe for a procrastinator… This is sounding WAY to complicated. Don’t worry! It only seems complex when you think about taking out all those ingredients and chopping and slicing and mixing and dicing while you’re still rubbing sleep from your eyes… No my friend. What you’re going to do is prep your fridge.
What is prepping your fridge?
You see when you are thinking about making a salad, and all those fruits and veggies are sitting in your crisper or your fruit basket, it seems like a bunch of work. But, if you prep your things for the week then you can pull everything together really quickly before you make it out the door-or even better the night before. What does that look like?
Start by picking your base for the week. If you choose rice or quinoa then you’re going to cook a few cups of it and then stick it in the fridge. If you choose a legume then you’re going to open and drain them and put them in your fridge. Best of both worlds? Combine a grain and legume into one container. I usually do this when I’m making dinner on Sunday.
Next, the greens. If you’re really looking for good nutrition then you’re going to want to stay away from iceberg lettuce and opt for a more nutrient dense option. My personal favorite is kale- YES KALE!- and I normally try to get it pre-chopped. If you aren’t buying an already chopped option then the only prep work you have is to get to shredding. Store your prepped greens next to your base.
*Note: Kale is notorious for being high in pesticides so this is one area that it’s best to opt for organic. If that’s not possible then you are definitely going to want to prewash it for the week.
Okay time for the extras! This is the flavor packed section of your salad. I am partial to berries, but any added fruit or veggie will be an asset, I try to keep it simple and choose one or two for the entire week. Chop and store in a separate container from your grain. (If you are prepping your extras the night before then you can combine all ingredients in your jar for the morning!) My favorite and easiest is frozen blueberries. The night before I’ll just pour some frozen blueberries in a small container with some lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper, and oil. They will thaw in the fridge overnight and make the best and simplest dressing/topping on your salad. As for seeds, no prep necessary! Seriously, just go to the bulk foods section and grab some chia seed, pumpkin seed, and pecans or other favorite nut.
*Not all nuts are created equal. Peanuts are fine for some people, but avoid them if you struggle with candida as they contain mold and can make your candida worse. If possible, opt for raw and unsalted!
What other ideas do you have for easy lunches on the go? Tell me in the comments below!
