Fueling Workouts While Working - Doesn't Meant Relying on Shakes & Protein Bars

After racing to work, you slug down a smoothie and coffee while tackling meetings and emails. Before your lunch time workout session, you gobble a protein bar. Your hour workout leaves you refreshed and energized, but with low blood sugar. You grab a turkey wrap and plug away for the next few hours before leaving work to pick at the grocery store hot bar or order take-out. The cycle rinses and repeats. Does this sound familiar? Whether you’re a 6am spin class or a 5:30pm BootCamp follower, does your nutrition suffer? Does your work?

Successful weight loss, strength building, and whole body wellness happens by addressing BOTH exercise and diet. Eat well to feel well to work out harder for more energy and improved productivity. Exercise rigorously leads to clearer thinking, improved digestion, thoughtful food choices, decreased cravings, alleviated physical pains, increased energy and thus, improved productivity at work. Work efficiently, improve self-confidence and relationships, decrease stress, advance career and thus, self-fulfillment. Work, exercise and diet are integrated and interrelated; they synergistically improve each other.

So how does one balance the demanding priorities of work, exercise and eating well? One of these aspects usually falls to the way side – typically eating.

What’s the solution? Mindful Eating.

Mindful eating is being aware of our body’s cues in relation to hunger, cravings, energy levels and more. It means eating with intention, purpose and an increased consciousness of the foods we are putting into our bodies. Mindful eating can range from chewing your food 20 times to just saying a brief word of ‘thanks” before eating. It can become second nature with practice to ensure optimal nutrition to fuel your workouts!

Here are four strategies to integrate mindful eating between work and working out!

1)      Simplify: It’s easy to get caught up in the fun or ease of packaged food. But it can’t replace real food which regulates your bodies’ hormones, eases digestion and provides sustained energy. Have little time? Simplify your week night meals, check out my “Not Your Tues night Meal” blog. Cook once and eat twice. Cook dinner and repurpose for lunch ensuring a protein, a carbohydrate (rice, quinoa, barley), vegetables, and fat (avocado, full fat cheeses, nuts, olive oil and yes, butter).

Ensure your “go to” snacks are on hand for easy consumption. Leave the fun food for the weekend, when you have time to fully “enjoy” versus eating quickly, mindlessly at your desk, over emails, or on the road. Budget time to savor one meal a day, maybe two on the weekends.

2)      Manage Expectations: Inform coworkers, family and friends of your focus to eat mindfully AND exercise. This may mean you need more time or help in the evenings to prepare food. Or maybe you need 15 min more minutes added to the end of the day for an extended lunch. Or encourage health focused “happy hours” – activity focused, not those focused on alcohol.

3)      Have Adequate Resources: Balancing work, nutritious eating, and exercise requires some planning and preparedness. Take a weekend to acquire the right resources to pack your meals and snacks. Find a few reliable recipe resources for your dietary needs – 20 min or less, protein based and more. Need more planning tips? Check out my “What’s Your Excuse to Packing Lunch” blog.

4)      Listen to Your Body: Are you really hungry at 3pm? Did you have a glass of water or take a quick walk around the building? Often thirst is confused with hunger and boredom ignites those cravings. Be mindful of WHY you are reaching for a snack. Did you have enough fat at lunch to satiate? If you are hungry, then focus on energy filled foods – green based smoothie, nuts, peanut butter on apple, or hummus and seed based crackers. Make sure your desk drawer is stocked like this….

Not like this….

Overall, remember the old phrase “think before you eat” and “chew your food”.  If you want to embrace mindful eating, check out “6 Ways to Practice Mindful Eating” and master ONE tip each month.

Need help implementing this tips for yourself or your employees, contact Your Wellness Scout for a full plan with practical tips and strategies.

Loose Weight, Reduce Cravings and Add Gratitude with just 6 Simple Mindful Eating Tips!

While you are reading this are you nibbling on an energy/granola bar or sipping a smoothie? Or shoveling the salad or sandwich into your mouth during a lunch break? Even as a health coach, I find myself mindlessly eating food while I multi-task. We live in a multi-tasking world; it's expected and applauded. After having our first child, a new style and meaning to eating took place! Whether it was eating food cold, or inhaling it before our toddler's attention span waned, or even picking throughout the day because I just didn't have the energy or desire to make myself a meal! 

Honestly our life isn't one in which we CAN mindfully eat EVERY meal. That would be ideal and I applaud you if you can achieve this, however, a majority of us are trying to keep our head afloat between families, work, to do lists and more! That said, don't give up on incorporating at least one aspect of mindful eating into your daily life. Be it giving gratitude before you dive in, to checking in with your body's hunger levels before ordering.  Thinking before you eat, before your blood sugar crashes. 

Often we are eating out of boredom (3pm slump), stress (attacking that pile of M&Ms or having one drink too many), thirst, energy needs and more. Often drinking a glass of water, taking a walk or even doing some deep breathing exercises help with soothing the perceived "hunger pains". Evaluate what your body really needs.

Why do we care about Mindful Eating? Because it can lead to weight management, reduced cravings, portion control, and an overall appreciation of our food - gratitude! It's easier to just eat for pleasure, rather than eat for sustenance. Remember for true wellness and less food obsessions, eat to live, don't live to eat! 

Check out these 6 Ways to Practice Mindful Eating! 

I challenge you to incorporate just one today! I will....turning away from the computer while I enjoy a Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond KIND Bar. 

What about you? 

Meal Preparation for 1, 2 and Eventually More!

Meal planning for one or two is a learning process. Add a baby or two to the mix and it becomes a JOB! However, there’s a juxtaposition between the care we have for what’s in our food and the value of the time food preparation takes.  With our busy schedules, easy access to take-out, prepared and restaurant food, there is little time left in the day to adequately prepare “interesting” food. Meal planning varies in scope and experience; it can be as simple as having an idea of what you will cook every night to knowing how to re-purpose food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is an essential tool for any individual wanting to save money, time or wanting to improve health with home cooked meals. All of these factors intensify with the biggest life changer-- a kid. Thus, planning is essential regardless what stage of life you are in - busy professional, juggling parent, road warrior, or multiple family caregiver. I’ll outline tips for those pre-family wanting to get a head start and those who are in the midst of the family chaos. Just know it’s never too late to start!

First, let’s outline some meal planning basics pre-family:

o     STORAGE EQUIPMENT: Ensure you have the right equipment to store food in the fridge and on the go. Have a variety of sizes for smaller items such as nuts and smaller quantities such as proportioned full fat cheeses. For those homemade soups, casseroles and larger items, have at least a 4 cup size. For on the go containers, don’t let finding the perfect container delay your efforts. I use plastic Tupperware for on the go and the glass containers for home. If you have eaters that don’t like their food to touch, purchase a few with container with built in dividers. U-Konserve is a great link for finding many sustainable based products. Lastly, make sure you have more than enough. Nothing is worse than having cooked food but no place to store it! For brown bag lunches, have enough Tupperware for 5 days of lunches for 1 – 2 people unless you are vigilant about hand washing each night.

o     COOKING EQUIPMENT: Invest in some basic cookware if you are new to home meal preparation. The following are "must haves".

§  Sharp chef’s knife.

§  Cutting board (several – one for raw meat, vegetables and then smaller items).

§  Several utensils for stirring, flipping and breaking up food.

§  Invest in a two to three quality saute pans (Calphalon is one of my favorites and lasts for years!), a small sauce pan (2 cup), and large soup pot (doubles as a pasta pot). Contact me for a full list and guidance on kitchen preparation.

o     MEAL RESOURCES: Here’s the tough part – what to cook! First of all, pick dishes that serve as lunches for the next day OR can be re-purposed for those who dislike “leftovers”. I tackle many of these aspects in my “10 Tips to Tackling Lunch Packing Challenges”. Need meal ideas? Check out some of my recipes. Resources I love are Cooking Light, Boston Organics, and for richer, more intensive cooking occasions, Food & Wine. Sometimes I just google the ingredients I have on hand. Find a few sources you like, then rotate between these. I save the recipes I've tested to ChefTap. It’s an easy to use app for quickly accessing trusted recipes. I can search based on food or the meal designation  (brunch, dip, entree etc). Best of all, the screen stays lit while the app is in use so you don’t have to keep unlocking the screen with messy hands.

o     ROUTINE: A habit takes 90 days to develop, so find a routine and rhythm that fits your life style and needs. There are so many ways to meal plan beyond just the logistical tools. I work with clients to determine the best methods for them, so please reach out if you need assistance. Otherwise, try some of these tips: pick two nights to cook multiple meals, start by packing your lunch one day a week, then three days a week, to eventually packing breakfast. Review your schedule to determine the best time to chop, shop and prep! Remember to give yourself time to adjust to this new routine so that it becomes second nature.

o     ENLIST SUPPORT: Make sure other family members are on board. Have them pitch in with chopping one night or measuring ingredients, or maybe explain dinner will be a little later in order to shop and prepare at night.

o     SOURCING QUALITY FOOD: Spend one hour researching local farmer’s markets, or maybe a fruit and veggie delivery service.  BostonOrganics is one of my favorites as it ensures we have PLENTY of vegetables. I have to find reasons to use them up, which means we are eating more than enough veggies.

Your Bundle of Joy has arrived. Everything has been thrown into chaos.

• SCALE BACK: Don’t try to achieve everything listed above. Reduce the amount of cooking in the first few days back in the meal preparation game. Stick to good eating habits, but don’t stress about eating perfectly every day. Even if you are reading this with a 9 month old and navigating feeding the little one solids while preparing meals for yourself, think about what you your family needs simply and don’t overachieve.
• RESPONSIBILITY SHIFT: If your spouse did all the meal prep, see if he/she can handle the little one while you prep the meal. This may lengthen the process, but that’s better than 2 juggling two jobs – entertainer and cook. Or maybe leave vegetables out during the day for the other to chop if home sooner.
• EFFICIENCY: Chop more than enough vegetables for salads, roasting, soups, scrambled eggs, fajitas, pizza toppings and more. It’s draining to think about chopping EVERY night for a new meal. The same goes for protein. I buy about 2 - 2.5lbs of chicken. 1.5 lbs I designate for a recipe (for 2 – 4 servings), the other pound I chop, season and marinate. I then cook and add to lunches, breakfast or snacks. I learned the hard way of not having food on hand in the fridge.
• VEGETABLES FOCUS: Focus on vegetables and adding protein, not the reverse. This is less daunting then having a main meat meal, expands the options and ensures you are getting more than enough vegetables. Remember vegetables in pretty much any dietary theory constitutes the largest % of your daily intake.
• “I AM NOT A SHORT ORDER COOK”: Repeat this mantra even amidst the screaming. If you are having vegetables, the baby can have vegetables. Mash and puree what you have with some yogurt and/or hummus. Over the age of one, bake green beans for adults leaving the beans for the little one in the oven a few minutes longer. Make soup and puree it. This will also ensure your little one is eating a balanced diet and understands the value of eating a home cooked meal with everyone – not separate. They won’t starve, so be careful about giving into the snacks and treats in the fear they will go hungry!
•  PLAN PLAN PLAN: Plan ahead even more. Think about the meals a week in advance. It seems daunting, but remember that one hour in advance saves hours on the end. Or plan to have a simple dinner and focus on grain based sides for lunches. Have a place to list recipes you randomly find – either a manila folder, a note pad, or a running notes list on your phone/device.  Review when you need ideas. This is ideal for any type of parent - SAH, working, part time. When at work, use brain breaks for making grocery lists or finding recipes.
• DIVERSIFY: Remember to be open to diversifying. Don’t get too caught up in the ease of packaged goods. Wholefoods is great, but they are increasingly pushing us towards pre-packaged foods. It’s a wonderful complement to your meal planning, not a supplement.

The following are two points to remember pre and post baby.

1. CHOOSE WISELY: (This could be an entire blog topic, so feel free to contact me for further tips on nutritional choices). Remember to fuel your body. Not deny. Don’t hold out for those desserts, decrease your meal sizes, or succumb to the “scone syndrome” – I used to eat a scone for lunch thinking this would somehow negate the calories I wasn’t eating for lunch and thus could apply them towards the scone. This equates to an afternoon crash, little energy, and nutrient deficiency.
2. NOT YOUR TUES Night meal – Don’t be overly ambitious on week nights. Remember that food is about sustenance and not always about entertainment. Check out my tips in “Not Your Typical Tues Night Meal”

This is a lot to digest, so reach out to yourwellnessscout@gmail.com with questions.

Most of all the three most important takeaways:

• Pick the tips that work for you - Prioritize
• Give yourself time for trial and error.
• Focus on quality food. 

Have You Caught the "Being Too Busy" Bug?

Are you too busy to read this? Are we becoming a world of proficient failures? This is definitely a negative spin on the basic idea that we are tackling too many skills, too many projects, too many life goals simultaneously while not being present. Does this lead to half-finished projects? Does this lead to the inability to complete a project, a goal, a milestone; thus ultimately failure? Tackling too many projects, tasks, events, jobs – trying to do what may not be feasible does affect our goals, our relationships and ultimately our health – physically through stress.

These thoughts first originated from the following questions, occurrences and articles. Do any of these ring true for you?
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Why is it we are supposed to work and pursue a passion on the side? When I say “passion”, I’m referring to an endeavor that’s like a starting a small company. This doesn’t mean hobby, this means something that consumes you, infiltrates your work time, your family time, and your self-care time.

Why does being “busy” become a badge? IS this a disease? A wonderful article on “Disease of Being Busy” opened my eyes to what I had increasingly sensed with actions such as having to schedule “appointments” to talk with my friends on the phone. What happened to just picking up the phone and calling? Also, when I was at my mom’s house she called up a friend around 11ish to ask to stop by in the afternoon. I, in awe, questioned this tactic’s ultimate success and even so far as to suggest rude as this friend probably wasn’t available. Her jovial reply was “Kirsten, my friend is of a different generation. We can do that.” Yeah…why do we think everyone doesn’t have a free moment spontaneously?

Seeing my mom and others above 60’s grapple with the lack of connection in REAL life. I am even sensing this remoteness when I see EVERYONE on phones, laptops, devices vs talking.  And grew up in the 80’s.  Recently discussing and learning about mindfulness as a stepping stone to developing an identity, focusing energies and increasing self-awareness. Being present. I’ve still got a lot to learn.

Pressure to have that ideal healthy body, workout more – and be proficient at it. Have ultimate skin and hair health. Half the time and I am texting, google mapping without gloves, that my fingers have frozen off and my hands looking cracked and worn. I’m flying out the house to the next engagement juggling family and work, that I forget the scarf to buffer my chin and neck.

WE are supposed to know everything about our food and what’s in it. Have the ultimate places to shop, eat at the tip of tongue or know what farm it came from or the best farmer’s market.Oh and afford it ALL – gourmet, local, organic, nitro, dripped, steeped, grass-fed, allergy-free etc.….

Own a house, or rent a sizeable apartment AND take care of it. I wonder why I seem to have a film of dust and dirt unless I vacuum every other day. But we don’t have a cleaning person. I realized that more and more people have cleaning people – it’s becoming the norm. Not a luxury it once was. The new expectation is a “clean –crate & barrel-appearing” house.

Have not just one, but two plus kids! This adds a whole complexity to this proficiency of it all described above. Add another layer of – best daycare, best activities, sleep, eat, play, shuttle, and interact.  The anxiety just increased.

Well versed in all the travel destinations or activities around your city, kiddo activities, beer festivals, music events. Oh wait, where’s that app and my login info for all this info?!

Have a blog.

Start a business. Create an app. Spin-out a company based on an idea. I find this ironic since everything can be found online thus reducing the novelties of ideas.  

Well-read in the latest NY Times best sellers, leadership and management books, potty training or sleep books or self-development. Have the time to finish books.

Amidst all this, watch the latest T.V. series, sports and news.  Thanks to DVR we no longer sequester off time to watch as a collective whole – family, friends. We don’t race to watch our 8:30pm show. Instead the on demand capability has allowed us to watch T.V. when it fits our busy schedules. I miss those days in college, when we would specifically sit together and watch – we made our schedule fit the external needs, not adhering the world to each individual’s schedule. The latter is a lot more challenging to arrange.

Even my business is about “FITTING Wellness IN” – because that’s the amount of time we have for anything anymore.  

Proficiency is achievable when we make the time, choose and be present. When one person worked the other focused on family. When someone had a family, they focused on the family. They put aside some activities and pursuits and focused on raising that family. When someone worked, they worked, when they went home or met with friends they were with their friends, not on their phones being elsewhere – or caring more about updating followers of their present location.

Life was slower, maybe we weren’t as ‘connected’, but maybe we were more fulfilled, less harried, not feeling we were all at loose ends racing for proficiency in too many areas.

We have become those resumes of people who put their kids into every activity, but excel at none.  As a kid I was proficient in piano. It shaped and formed my identity. I learned many life skills from it – balance, perseverance, dedication, commitment, failure, accomplishment and most of all a skill. I also dabbled heavily in theater in high-school. Piano suffered. That was the beginning of the end of piano for me, which was fine as my life had move another direction. But I CHERISH I became proficient in something and now find myself pulled in several directions like so many in this post-postmodern world. I was present with piano and in return, it gave me multiple life –long gifts.

So I encourage you to re-evaluate what you find most inspiring, joyful, and necessary at this PRESENT moment. Pick. Focus.

There will be time for everything if you focus at one thing at a time.

Efficient At Home or Office Workouts That Won't Bore You! (Trust Me! I don't like working out at home.)

There was “blizzard” earlier this week and it’s mid-March! It’s supposed be the time of crocuses popping up under remnants of snow. Not a full on blizzard. But hey, we must all roll with the punches of life – rearranging schedules, appointments, social outings and more. However, the one thing blizzards don’t have to do is derail your workouts and movement schedule, unless you succumb to the strong desire to cuddle up under the blanket to watch movies, read a book or sleep – which by all means do, if that’s what your body is craving! We all need some rest and recharge. However, if cabin fever is at an all-time high, then I strongly recommend adding some movement to your morning, mid-day or 3pm slump.

I hate or rather hated, working out at home. Despised. I never thought it as good as the gym. Before having our daughter, I needed the gym to work out. Period. I loved the social atmosphere, organized classes, and the accountability from a paying monthly fee. Albeit, to make life work, we sometimes need to compromise. So I began working out at home especially after a friend said “Look at this space you have to work out”.  So I got over getting sweaty in my living room and the need for “machines” and embraced the videos as workout classes. Here’s a couple of my favorites for home or work!

Jessica Smith TV. – Approachable, fun workouts with varying intensities, duration and muscle groups. She touches on everything from walking programs, H.I.T. (high intensity training), yoga, strength, cardio, flexibility and stretching. And who doesn’t love, Peanut, her “active” French bulldog. She adds humor and intelligence while staying focused. She is ideal for those who are new to working out at home and has convinced me to slow down and focus on full range body movements for healing and integrated techniques versus the hamster wheel of the treadmill.

Fitness Blender – These are results oriented quick workouts, that are easy to follow with varying intensities; focused on one body part or total body. I worked up a sweat unexpectedly with a 5 min leg workout. They are efficient, with minimal talking and get right to the point. Best of all, the site has an easy to use search function for finding workouts based on duration, intensity, style (yoga, strength, cardio, HIT), body group (arms) and equipment. Pick your workout to start the day! I look forward to exploring their site more and interchanging with Jessica Smith T.V.

For those in the office, I provide a presentation on D.I.Y. Wellness Tips, in which I discuss how to incorporate movement at the office in various ways from unused conference rooms, to your desk, to even your stairwell. Otherwise, check out the following two sites.

Activity Bursts Everywhere – A.B.E. – These are 10 minute videos focusing on various parts of the body using your chair, your desk or by standing. If nothing else, watch for a good chuckle and you might find yourself partaking in the exercises. Don’t underestimate how just a few moves and deep breathing exercises can help curb cravings, refocus energy and provide that extra boost of focus to power through an hour two. I did these routinely at 11am at my desk vs reaching for those snacks. Worked every time.

Yoga – For a free version, try Yoga with Adriene. It's a six minute video for the desk stretch break. Otherwise, Desk Yogi, is a paid program with reminders, playlists, competitions and more for a virtually integrated at your desk wellness program.

Although I still prefer the gym, I knew I needed to continue these videos when my toddler joined the fun! 

When Snack Attack Hits, What’s in Your Desk Drawer?

11am hunger pains. 3pm boredom and energy fix. Does this sound familiar? When you open your desk drawer, go to the vending machine, or meander by your colleagues snack wall, do you see this…

Depending on how you feel, do you dive in with carefree abandon? Do you say “TODAY I need this treat!” or “I’ll do “better” tomorrow” or “It’s just one piece”.  Does the stress, hunger, boredom, tiredness or need for energy drive you to make decisions that may not be the most beneficial for your body? Do you even know if these options are harmful or helpful?

A recent article suggested that desk drawer snacks are an over rated office perk that should be removed in 2017 corporate wellness plans. I agree if used unwisely. However, rather than eliminate the desk drawer snacks, I say make it over. Take your current vending machine, desk drawer or maybe that shared group of snacks and give it a make-over with two simple points in mind:

Is this snack HARMFUL or HELPFUL for my body?

Rather than use “good” and “bad” – let’s move away from the punitive terminology and towards a mindset of nourishing the body; a perspective of self-reflection and thought; and a solution model that is tailored, not prescriptive.

Below I provide some options for making over that snack drawer with “HARMFUL” and “HELPFUL” in mind. This approach can be applied to vending machines by working with your vending machine company or check out ones that provide healthy snack/meal alternatives – LeanBox, Berkshire Natural, or Healthy You Vending as examples. This can also be applied to a shared snack wall or corner stocked in one employee’s area from pooled funds.

Before I suggest some options, let’s first define HARMFUL and HELFPUL

HARMFUL: Snacks that….raise and crash blood sugar, have too many unpronounceable ingredients, the first ingredient is sugar, corn syrup or another additive, added sugars is above 15g per serving, contain too many artificial ingredients, additives or oils. They make you jittery, bloated, cramped, or sluggish.

HELPFUL: Snacks that….are in their natural form (with packaging just to contain the item), have 5 or less ingredients OR have all natural ingredients such as apples, figs, brown rice, honey etc…all things we eat in their original form, have less than 15g of sugar roughly per serving. They satiate, are calming, energizing versus hyper and jittery.

Would a “HELPFUL” to your body snack drawer look like this?  (on the left are organic wild rice cakes)

Along with what’s captured in the pictures, below I’ve listed some ideas for what a HARMFUL and HELPFUL snack drawer might contain.

In an upcoming blog, I’ll discuss how to tackle the “WHYs” behind choosing your snack drawer options in the heat of the moment. But for now, consider the following: We all have those stressful, over tired days; hopefully not most of the time. We all have cravings and needs. Indulging 10% of the time – not every day - is beneficial for balance and to ward off the issues that come with denial. So allow yourself that 10%, but make sure that 10% isn’t a death by a thousand cuts. Meaning 10% every day. Crowd out that 10% desire and craving with the 90% helpful. Keep the helpful items within reach while also keeping moderation in mind.  

Craving strikes? Drink water, take a quick walk, stretch, talk with coworkers – DISTRACT yourself from the need to reach in that drawer for reasons other than an ENERGIZING SNACK.

Snack wisely.

Remind yourself of the drawer’s purpose.

Stay tuned for more tips when the snack attack hits!

HELPFUL

—  Nuts – preferably raw (lightly salted if so)

—  Whole fruit – preferably organic

—  Dried fruit

—  Full fat plain yogurt

—  Hummus

—  Lentil/bean based chips

—  Carrots, peppers – veggies – preferably organic

—  Pre-portioned cheese – full fat or raw milk

—  Organic rice cakes

—  Coconut, seltzer water or tea.

—  Nut, seed, low sugar bars

—  Pickles, olives, kombucha (fermented tea drink)

HARMFUL

—  Candy Bars & candy – high sugar or low % chocolate

—  Chips – especially those baked in corn, palm oil

—  Buttery packaged popcorn

—  Sugary cereal

—  Animal Crackers

—  Yogurt or chocolate covered pretzels

—  Pretzels with multiple flavorings

—  Juices – less than 90% fruit

—  High sugar energy/power bars

—  Pop tarts

  Cookies with high fructose corn syrup or artificial ingredients

NOTE: These are only recommendations for snacks based on Your Wellness Scout experience. This is not an endorsement or critique of any items specifically listed or pictured in this blog.

What's Your Excuse to Packing Lunch!? 10 Tips to Tackle Lunch Packing Challenges

School has started. The 4^th Quarter is underway. Both equates to more projects and longer hours, thus less time at home. Preparedness is key especially with meals such as lunch! It is the second most important meal of the day and can be problematic for busy employees and children. Am I really equating children’s lunches with executives, managers and worker bees? Yes I am, because they have two problems in common – time and what to pack. Parents packing kids lunches have numerous conveyor belt of projects dominating their minds with lunches often falling to the wayside. Plus, picky eaters don’t help. Employees, tired after long days and unmotivated to creatively fwhip up something interesting, often leave packing lunch to the morning, which 90% of the time leads to no lunch.

Employees at least aren’t picky eaters, sometimes :-).

Below are 10 tactics for packing lunches whether for your child, your spouse or yourself. The biggest difference between these groups is the types of food. Although these tips focus on adult lunches, they can be applied to packing kids’ lunch especially if your kid is eating variations of your own food. Just remember that making food entertaining is for your kids…not you.

1. The Lunchbox: Scrambling for a container to pack your lunch in doesn’t ease the already time sensitive situation. Buy one or two lunchboxes that keep the food cooler, are easy to insert in your work/school bag and are leak proof. There are so many options out there. I love U Konserve for their eco-friendly and durable packs. We use the REI Lunch bag (currently unavailable but they have other options). 
   
2. Tupperware/Containers: Form fits the function, but don’t let finding the perfect lunch container delay your efforts. I use the plastic Tupperware we store our food in at home (the glass ones are too heavy) and designate three sizes that fit into our lunch boxes. My husband doesn’t mind if his food mushes all together – he likes, as it adds flavor. However, if you like to keep your food separate, pack separate smaller containers or invest in portioned Tupperware.
   

Okay NOW you are ready to make lunch!

3.  RE-Purpose food: I have several clients who just aren’t into leftovers. I sigh. It’s challenging to eat and cook economically if you refuse to eat left overs. However, second best is “re-purposing” cooked food. Before cooking chicken for dinner according to your recipe, portion out some for your lunch the next day.  Add a simple pesto sauce, cheese, or cooked vegetables or even wrap it up in a tortilla. Cook a casserole or shepherd’s pie type dish for dinner. For lunch, break it up and top a salad, wrap up in a tortilla, or even as a quesadilla. Or top a piece of the casserole with a fried egg. Whenever you are making dinner, take some of the main ingredients to make your lunch with the next day. How?

4.   Simplify: Don’t make it fancy, or complex. Simplify. Lunch typically is never more than an hour and sometimes at your desk or in a rush, so don’t make it a gourmet meal. The goal is energy, sustenance and fulfillment. Also simplifying makes it easier to repurpose from last night’s dinner. Fill these requirements: protein, veggies, and carbohydrates in grain form or whole wheat tortillas. So if you cooked fish last night, save some of it and mix with some mayo/yogurt, capers and relish for a fish salad. Save some of the cooked chicken (seasoned or unseasoned) from dinner and top a salad, fold up in a wrap, toss with some broccoli, beans and feta, drizzle pesto or stir into cooked quinoa. Add a piece of fruit for sweet otherwise dark chocolate. Need help with cooking efficiently in the kitchen? Contact me for my simple 3 session program!

5.  Finger foods: As mentioned in #4, keep it simple by also making foods that do well as grab and go with little mess. Cook once, eat up to three times. Meatballs, bean and veggie patties, hearty dips – these are finger foods that everyone even the kids can eat. Make a batch plainer for the kids and for the adults add a sauce or condiment to spice up the flavor. Often I add a fried egg over bean/vegetable patties with the runny yolk as the sauce. One of my favorites is Quick Quinoa Pork Meatballs. For vegetarians, omit the pork and add mashed beans or tofu.

6. Dietary restrictions: For vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, gluten free or any other dietary restrictions, follow the steps above and focus on the finger foods. Homemade fish salad (tuna or cod with ½ and ½ yogurt and mayo for the base). Salmon patties or burgers; omitting the bun and topping mixed greens or couscous for variety. Smoked salmon, bean patties, hummus are just a few options. Don’t forget nuts, seeds and dried fruit – they are the superfood snack with lots of energy and can even be used in lunches. Envision your lunch as a meze or tapas meal! Use grains such as farro, amaranth, quinoa, couscous, as your base and add your salad bar of toppings from frozen peas, corn, and edamame to almonds, walnuts, cheese and arugula. A chickpea salad is versatile, tasty and easy as a main or side dish.

7. When to pack? From the first few steps, you can infer that I will suggest packing your lunch in the evening. Although tired from the day and not even thinking about the next day’s meal, having your lunch ready to go in the morning will lead to a higher success rate. I’ve done it both ways and even as a “morning person”, packing the lunch in the morning leads to a more chaotic and an “oh crap, I need to make lunch” morning. Even if you pack half of the lunch – an apple, a yogurt, a pack of hummus, some nuts or cheese - you have SOMETHING for the next day. Also, if you follow steps 3 and 4, creating lunch from dinner reduces helps the clean-up process.

8. No Refrigerator at work! Don’t let the lack of a fridge stop you from bringing a lunch. Many foods don’t need to be cooled until lunch time with the exception of fish as the smell may not go over well with coworkers.  This also ensures foods aren’t too cold and instead at a savory room temperature. If you are really concerned, don’t pack foods that require fridge storage such as yogurts, fish, and yogurt/mayo based items OR add a cooler ice pack. Note, if you end up not eating your lunch make sure you finish it that evening or promptly put in the fridge at home.

9.  Plan ahead: It’s challenging to plan ahead. I know. I find myself at the grocery store more than I would like. I keep a running list in a draft email. A notes app on your phone or even a piece of paper works. When you find some idea or recipe you like, write it down and refer to it when making your grocery list. Set aside a consistent time weekly to make that grocery list. Doing so will save you time later and make your stomach happier. Start small.  Plan to bring your lunch two times this week no more.

10.  Offensive on mindless snacking: Don’t add chips if your downfall is 3pm mindless snacking. Add bean or lentil based chips, carrot sticks, popcorn, roasted chickpeas, for that craving time.  Don’t hesitate adding a snack if it will prevent you from eating that 3pm cookie or oversized Frappuccino. Always have a “staples” list as part of the grocery list so that you can supplement your lunch with health snacks. For kids, the snack time can be the treat time. Maybe a packaged health bar such as KIND, 88 Acres or Larabar for kids especially. These packaged treats can satisfy the desire for their friends’ foods.

Lastly, there are numerous sites with information on Bento lunches. What’s a bento lunch? Check out my recent newsletter highlighting Bento lunches. Remember you don’t have to follow these exactly; instead, use to spurn food ideas and simplify with the steps above.

Overall, lunch should be the most nutrient efficient meal of the day. It replenishes you from the morning rush and re-energizes you for the rest of the day. Contact me for more habit changing methods. And stay tuned for an online meal planning “Pack Your Lunch!” program to learn grocery tips, cooking efficiency and more in four easy weeks!

Here's lunch with last night's grilled balsamic vinaigrette chicken with polenta squares. Complemented by grass fed ground beef sauteed with peppers and onions and a raw veggie salad.