01 May How to Pack a Fresher, Healthier Lunch
One of the biggest hurdles of everyday life is food prep. With school, or kids, or work, by the end of the day, food prep is one of the last thing you want to be thinking about.
With a little bit of discipline, though, having a solid lunch can really make a difference for your workday.
In addition to ensuring that you’re getting all the nutrients you need to stay healthy, you’ll also feel better after fuelling yourself with the proper food.
Here are some tips and recipes to help you beat that mid-day hump and 3 o’clock wall!
1. Consider investing in some cool (but functional) lunch gear
Nothing is worse than a soggy salad—except maybe a soggy sandwich. Making sure that you have the right stuff to protect your delicious meals is step #1 in arming yourself with the perfect lunch. Lunch bags and containers come in all shapes, sizes, and designs now, so you won’t have to compromise style for functionality.
2. K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, silly!)
If you’re already short on time, don’t bother with that 32-step beef bourguignon recipe. Try something that’s easy and transportable, like this pho jar recipe. All you need to do is add hot water!
Prepare ahead pho jar
From Minute Meals
Ingredients
100g Rice Noodles soaked overnight
1 Dessert spoon of Miso Paste (it’s available in most Asian stores, if you really can’t find it then you can sub with Soy Sauce)
100g Bean Sprouts
1 Dessert spoon of Fish Sauce
1 Spring Onion
1 Red Chilli (Omit if you can’t handle the heat)
1 Lime
10 Ready Cooked Prawns
Method
1. Stuff everything into a jar.
2. Marvel at your artistic creation.
Add as many vegetables and micros as you’d like to not only get the most nutrients, but also you’ll feel energized for the remainder of your workday.
3. Don’t carb-load
You know why you hit that 3pm wall? Carbs. If you’re relying on sugar and carbs, you’re bound to crash. Choose vegetables and proteins instead.
4. Build a better sandwich
A bad sandwich can really ruin a good thing for you. Sandwiches are easy to make, completely transportable, and have the ability to be incredibly delicious!
A few good ways to ensure that you can prevent sogginess is to use deli meats and cheeses as sog-barriers. Keep your fresh ingredients in a separate container and build it before you eat it.
5. Three words: Salad. Mason. Jars.
Mason jars are all the rage now for reasons other than making jams. Layer your salad ingredients for a beautiful lunchtime meal. The more vegetables, the prettier your salad!
6. Don’t sacrifice taste
You may be cramped for time, but don’t sacrifice taste for it! Imagine having a stressful day, looking forward to lunchtime, and then being faced with a bland, lifeless lunch. Not so great, huh?
Salads can be pumped up with the right salad dressing. Take leftovers from the evening before and use the office’s microwave, then add something fresh to it. Don’t think you’re only stuck with bologna sandwiches and limp caesar salads!
7. Grow your own food
Best way to ensure that you have healthy and fresh food ready to go on the daily? Grow your own, of course!
An Urban Cultivator Residential can grow a wide variety of microgreens, including broccoli, kale, radish, and arugula. This will cut your meal prep time down because you will have access to fresh food every single day!
In addition to the health aspect of Urban Cultivator-grown greens, you also get the most intensely flavorful grows. Say goodbye to boring, tasteless lunches.
Do you have any tips on how to build a better office lunch? Let us know in the comments section!