One of the best things you can do to set yourself up for success while living a healthy lifestyle is to pack your lunch! Not only will you make healthier choices throughout the day but you will save so much money! I actually love packing my lunch because it makes me feel organized and prepared. I’m so much less likely to run to a fast-food drive thru if I’m stocked up on healthy snacks.
My rule is anytime I leave the house for more than 2 hours, I make sure to bring food. Depending on how long I’m going to be gone I might pack a full meal, or just a few snacks. I eat every 2-3 hours so if I’m going to be gone for a while I need to make sure I have fuel that will keep me away from fast food! One of the ways I make sure to stay healthy and full is to stash granola and protein bars everywhere. They’re in all of my bags, and the glove box of my car, just in case!
Here are some tips to start packing your lunch.
1) Invest in a cute lunch box and water bottle.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m so motivated by cute, new stuff. If I buy a cute new lunch bag, I’ll be so excited to use it I’ll be packing my lunch for weeks!
I have the Vera Bradely Stay Cooler in Olivia Pink. It has so much room and is really durable! I also have a Vera Bradley Lunch Bunch in Watercolor. I’ve had it forever, it’s much roomier than it looks and is great for days when I don’t need to take as much.
I have a big pink 32oz Nalgene, and a super cute pink detox water bottle from blogliates. You can out fruit in the middle to infuse your water! So cute and fun.
2) Invest in lots of different sized contaniers, boxes, jars, bottles, ziplock baggies, and thermoses.
If you’re able to pack anything, you’ll be more likely to pack!
I love this salad container. It has a fork that snaps onto the lid!
Tip: Put your salad dressing in a ziplock baggy so your salad doesn’t get soggy during the day!
3) Leftovers are a must!
Every time you make dinner, purposefully make a little extra to use for your lunch for the next few days. So much easier than cooking a separate meal!
4) Pack a couple of snacks in addition to your meal.
Your day will be much more successful if you stay energized throughout it. And energy comes from fueling your body!
5) Buy pre-packaged foods made for lunches
Single serving containers of hummus, string cheese, 100 calorie packets of almonds, etc. The less you have to prepare, the easier packing will be.
6) Have a prep day
Kurtis and I try to have one day a week where we prep all our lunch food for easy access. We’ll bake chicken and fish to use for salads, hard boil some eggs, bag up veggies and fruits, etc.
7) Shake things up!
Don’t bring a sandwich and potato chips every day. Utilize your leftovers and try making new creative things so you don’t get bored and you look forward to your lunch every day!
For lunch ideas check out my Operation: Pack a lunch pinterest board! Found here:
http://www.pinterest.com/katielovelyy/operation-pack-a-lunch/
8) Pack it up the night before
I’m so not a morning person. I’m not gonna wake up 10 minutes earlier to throw my lunch together, I’m gonna sleep until the last possible second. Having it packed up and in the fridge the night before makes for one less thing I have to do when I’m scrambling around in the mornings!
9) Make sure it is balanced
Have fruits, veggies, proteins, and whole grains. For me my diet is dairy-free and very low carb. So I make sure I have a lot of protein and veggies and one serving of whole grains.
Here are some of the lunches I take to work!
I’ve been doing the MateFit 14 day tea detox for the past week, so you’ll see my tea in a lot of the pictures. I’ll do a full review of it once I’m done, but it’s going really well so far! I’ve also been off carbs for the past few weeks, so there are a lot of grain free meals. And, as always, dairy free.
Fuit, veggies and hummus, a salad, a larabar, snap pea crisps, and a suja juice.
Veggies and hummus, a coconut water, a larabar, snap pea crisps, and fruit.
carrot sticks, pita chips and hummus, orange slices, low-carb turkey wraps, dark-chocolate covered blueberries, and my metabolic boost MateFit tea.
Those low carb wraps are my go-to lunch right now since I’ve been off grains. So yummy and filling!
Turkey breast, low-fat mayo, vegan cheese, and avocado.
Leftover kale salad with poppyseed dressing (last night’s dinner!), low-carb turkey wraps, carrot sticks and hummus, orange slices, dark chocolate covered blueberries, and metabolic boost MateFit tea.
Share your pictures of your healthy lunches using the hashtag #operationpackalunch!
xoxo.