Packing a healthy lunch for work may seem like a lot of effort when you can just as easily in most cases go out to eat at a local restaurant. Yes, you do have to prepare in advance and that is less convenient than slipping away from your desk. However, there are some ways to save yourself what may seem like burdensome extra work for how to pack a healthy lunch that may just surprise you. In this post, I will share some ideas that can save you money and excess calories while keeping you healthier, happier and richer just by making a few simple changes to your old lunchtime routine.
How to Plan and Prepare Your Healthy Lunch in Advance
Since many workplaces have a microwave, you can take advantage of treating yourself to a hot, home cooked lunch. One idea is to cook extra with enough leftovers such as casseroles to pack in a container to transport that is microwave safe.
If you don’t have leftovers to reheat, then start from scratch over the weekend to make enough for your week at work. For each recipe, you’ll need a base such as cooked pasta or rice or some form of greens, then protein such as some cooked lentils or garbanzo beans, a leftover piece of chicken, beef or pork with a few tablespoons of spaghetti sauce, ranch dressing, hummus, or lemon juice. Once reheated, this mix of base to sauce can give you countless options to heat in the microwave. You can even slice a zucchini, another squash, cauliflower to add or go with a big potato for a nutritious and delicious lunch in the microwave.
For those that prefer a sandwich, you can still pack a healthy lunch with healthy fillings. For instance, you can try experimenting with different versions of a bean spread. Peanut butter and bananas on whole wheat bread or toast are another idea for wholesome food. Roasted red pepper can be a substitute for a higher calorie and less healthy mayonnaise for a tuna in a tortilla wrap just is another example.
Hard-boiled eggs and tuna in ready to travel packets are also convenient and better lunches when monitoring your health while saving money. Soups are easy enough to bring with you in a thermos.
The Drawbacks of Eating Out or Skipping Lunch
There are those that can’t abide bringing a lunch from home often may try to skip that meal all together. This is a very bad idea to do. The reason is skipping a meal make you stressed out. You’ll be crankier around your co-workers or boss, which is not the best thing for advancing in your career. In addition, you will be slowing your metabolism down. This means that you will burn less energy, resulting in weight gain. You might even notice a headache or feel shaky so you won’t be as productive or creative as you normally would be.
Some people only get a half hour for lunch. Therefore, these tips are perfect for them as well as everyone else that wants to take better care of themselves and save more money. How to pack a healthy lunch for work is really not as challenging as you may think. It just takes a little thought for meal prep.
