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lunch

Lunch Hacks for Lazy People Like Me

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In order to achieve some balance in my life, I want eat a little better. I mean who doesn’t right. It is a new year after all. However, this doesn’t only apply to the kinds of food I’m eating, but also eating at regular intervals. 

Since I started working from home, I have to admit, I got into a really bad habit of eating lunch 2 out of 5 working days a week. This means that after a breakfast of coffee and maybe a bagel or a banana, I am waiting until dinner to eat and by then I’m famished from all the things that I accomplished that day.On the days that I was eating lunch, I was grabbing anything that was within my reach (ie donuts). This is not healthy, balanced, or a good example to set for my kids. 

Part of my struggle with lunch, is I am the only one home all day and I’m working through lunch, taking my lunch break to go for a walk, or take care of another responsibility. I am trying to maximize the time I have while the kids are at school, so that when they are home, we can enjoy each other and not spend it doing other things. 

Also, truth be told, I’m super lazy. To me it seems like a lot of effort to break out a bunch of stuff, dirty some dishes, heat something up, and put it all back again for one person. I know that is like the epitome of laziness, but I know I cannot be the only one who feels this way. Right? I hope. I mean, if that were the case, fast food restaurants and convenience foods would not be in business.

So, I made a list of Lunchtime Food Hacks for Lazy People Like Me that I think will help me get out of this skipping lunch rut.

1.) Make lunch when you make the kids lunches in the morning. Pack up a lunch for yourself too. Even though you may not be leaving the house, it is nice to just be able to grab pre-washed fruits and veggies and some cut up cheese right out of the fridge. 

 

2.) Make lunches a week at a time. If you go on Pinterest, this is a hot trend right now. Take a few minutes on Sunday night to wash and cut up veggies, fruits, make a pasta salad, or pre-measure things in a container to grab and go.

3.) Pack up dinner leftovers in smaller containers. When you’re putting away leftovers after dinner, put lunch sized portions in smaller containers or even mason jars to reheat the next day.

4.) When prepping dinner, prep lunch too. Sometimes when I’m making fajitas or stir fry, I cut up additional veggies and then put them in a container to grab and go the next day. I already have the cutting board and knife and all the food out, I might as well chop away to save time later.

5.) Keep foods on hand that don’t need any prep. Clementines, apples, bananas, and greek yogurt are some of my favorite whole foods that take no time prep. They are already grab and go!

6.) Keep small sized containers, snack size resealable bags, mason jars, and other food storage solutions on hand.

7.) Double up recipes. This is one of my favorite tricks to do for meals like chilis or soups. I serve some for dinner, and then freeze the rest in smaller containers to thaw and eat for lunch.

This hacks have already helped me keep some balance in my life. I’m eating lunch again!

What are some of your favorite lunchtime hacks?

Lunch on the Go: Summer Picnic Tips

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With the Memorial Day being the unofficial start to summer and kids getting out of school, it means that it is time for family vacations, camps, plenty of time outdoors, and day trips. With us out an about much more, many times meals and snacks need to be eaten on the go. While I do pull into the Culver’s drive through occasionally, this is not a regular occurrence. Also, I realize that packing lunches isn’t much different than the school year except I thought about it a little more and realized that kids at school are eating lunch sitting at a table, indoors, and come home right after school to a snack. Also, when you have picky eaters and kids with allergies, nothing ruins what is supposed to be a fun time like a hungry or sick child.

In the summertime, day trips often call for multiple meals on the road as well as sometimes eating on a blanket outside or if it is raining in the back of the car. With that said, planning for meals away from home takes a little bit more planning.

 

Here are a few tips I’ve learned:

– When I’m meal planning for the week (you can read more about that here), I make sure to plan portable meals for the days we plan to be out of the house and make sure to add portable foods to our grocery list.
– I think finger foods are the way to go, the less utensils you need for the day the better.
– I hardly ever bring napkins when picnicking anymore. I bring an extra container of wipes. They clean sticky hands and faces better, and they can be used to wipe down picnic tables before eating.
– Some things are better prepackaged like yogurt tubes, applesauce cups, or juice boxes. Typically, I don’t like the extra expense and waste of pre-packaged foods, but when you are on the go, it really is easier to just throw things away than have a bunch of dirty tiny containers or sippy cups to clean when you get home.
– I always pack for the meals we will be out for plus one extra snack. You never know when you are going to get stuck in traffic, make a pit stop, or decide to stay where you are a little longer.
– For long trips, we have invested in an electric cooler like this. We bought it five years ago, and I have to say it was one of the best purchases we have ever made. It was perfect for pre made bottles, storing milk when I was breastfeeding, keeps drinks cold, allows us to pack things like yogurt and cheese, and holds more than a regular cooler because we don’t need ice. Ours comes with an AC adapter for the car. We plug it in the car and we are on our way. When we get to our destination, we use an outlet there.
– I always make sure to pack everyone’s water bottles, and periodically refill them throughout the day. Hydrated kids (and parents) are happy kids (and parents).
– I often free grapes, berries, and yogurt tubes. I put them in the cooler and they are a great cold treat for a hot day frozen or thawed.
– Everyone at our house has their own “picnic” container. I found them at Target last year. They are just divided reusable plastic container with lids. Sometimes, I even divide them further using paper muffin cups. This is perfect because everyone gets the meal or snack made to their needs or wants.

 

 

This past week, the weather was perfect for spending the day at the zoo. I packed up lunches, snacks, blankets, and sunscreen, and we headed out for the day. For the kids I packed some assorted berries, cut up cucumbers, cheese sticks, crackers, yogurt tubes, and Goldfish crackers.

 

For myself, I packed some berries, some Mexican Quinoa Salad I had made the night before, and some tortilla chips.

 

We had a wonderful day, and got stuck in traffic on the way home. Thank goodness I had snacks and water bottles to hold everyone over until we got home.

What is your favorite picnic food?

I Think I Have a Caprese Problem

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If there was a Caprese Addicts Anonymous group, I think that I would immediately have to join. I know that it was only a few weeks ago that I shared with you my portable caprese salads, but I cannot help it. There is just something about tomatoes, basil and mozzarella that makes this gal think summertime.

Last week, in order to help out some dear friends of mine, I made lunch. With the help of another friend, I made a huge batch of Italian pasta salad, baked cupcakes, and put together a bunch of turkey sandwiches, ham sandwiches, and for the vegetarians, some Caprese sandwiches. To be honest, I could have made some pitas with hummus and veggies like I did a awhile ago, but with all the vegetable garden planning, I already had tomatoes and basil on the brain.

 

Caprese Sandwiches
1 loaf ciabatta bread
1 vine ripened tomato sliced thin
1 large bunch basil
3 or 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs balsalmic vinegrette
Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Slice the ciabatta bread lengthwise. Drizzle balsalmic vinegrette on both sides of the bread, spreading with a basting brush if necessary.

 

Arrange tomatoes, mozzarella, basil leaves on the bread, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 

Cut into slices, and serve immediately.

 

Brian who claims he hates tomatoes, devoured it. I cannot wait to bring this on our next picnic.

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No More Lunch Ruts: Hummus Veggie Wrap

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Lately, I have been in a lunch rut. I was getting sick of soup and salads and was looking for something healthy, easy to make, and something that could easily be altered. This is what I came up with.

 

Now let me start out by saying, I used to really hate hummus. I don’t know if it was a texture thing or just taste. It is super healthy, and I always wanted to like it. I even made my own a few times, and I didn’t even like that. I was at the super market this week, and I found Garlic, Tomato and Basil Hummus. Tomato basil anything is perfection in my book. Also, I totally fell victim to advertising. It was on sale, it looked delicious, it was on an end cap. So of course, even though I don’t like hummus, I decided to try it.

I brought it home and tried it on some red peppers, and loved it! Now that I knew I liked this particular kind of hummus, I was trying to think of all kinds of ways to use it. With that, It has become the perfect solution to my lunch rut.

I used some wraps that I always have on hand.

 

Layered up hummus, spinach, red peppers and mushrooms.
Rolled it up, and cut some apple slices. This is now my new favorite lunch.
Lunch has been saved!