If you are tired of eating take out or the same store-bought sandwich or salad, the same tired microwaved rubber meal or just tired of the outrageous price you pay for a small salad everyday at work, maybe it\u2019s time to start packing your own lunch. Chances are you are already doing it for your kids, and if not, and you think you don\u2019t have the time, think again. It\u2019s easy, saves money and it\u2019s way healthier for you. Here\u2019s some easy ways to get into the habit.<\/p>\n
Plan Ahead:<\/strong><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have any, get containers for the lunches. You can get sturdy containers with sections to add several items in one convenient package.<\/p>\n Plan your lunch menu, for yourself and if you have kids. Buy things you need for lunches and make anything you can ahead of time.<\/p>\n Packages things are handy and don\u2019t need to be unhealthy. Single-serving packages of nuts, or trail mix are healthy and fill you up and give you energy to get through the day. Cheese and crackers,<\/p>\n If you set aside a day to cook some of the major dishes in advance, lasagna, casseroles, stews and hearty soups, you can portion them up, freeze them and they are ready to just take along with you.<\/p>\n Muffins, chopped vegetables or fruit, layered salads are easily put together the nght before. Boil up a dozen eggs and drop one in the lunch bag for an extra protein treat.<\/p>\n Roast a chicken or turkey and portion it out for use in salad, sandwiches, or a side snack. It\u2019s amazing how far one will go. Making up rice, quinoa, pasta and other whole grain and filling staples will make it so much easier. Pasta salad, salads made with grains and fresh vegetables, you can make your own dressings, as well. Adding nuts or a hard boiled egg will add protein and flavor.<\/p>\n Make them up the night before. No one needs to be rushed about in the morning, have the sandwiches, salads, veggie or chicken stir-fry, and beverages all set up and ready to go. Nut butter is a good item to have around for a quick lunch fix and a healthy protein.<\/p>\n You can also take individual containers for snacks or a lunch to put together later, bagel, chicken salad, fruit, all in their own containers so they are fresh. Pita wraps make a nice alternative to bread and travel better.<\/p>\n Fruit and vegetables can be taken as is in many cases and are a healthy choice over the food court meals which may be ladened with sodium, fat and other chemicals and additives that you don\u2019t want.<\/p>\n Making your own lunches is a healthy, inexpensive way that allows you more time in the morning, saves you money and keeps you healthier. Making your own allows you to know what\u2019s in it and gives you the peace of mind you are eating better. You can even go out and get yourself a funky lunch box, with a rockstar or a superhero on it and make all your coworkers jealous!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you are tired of eating take out or the same store-bought sandwich or salad, the same tired microwaved rubber meal or just tired of the outrageous price you pay for a small salad everyday at work, maybe it\u2019s time to start packing your own lunch. Chances are you are already doing it for your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/familyfitnessfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}