--One of the best lunch boxes is salad. But think beyond lettuce when it comes to salads. Salads based on sturdy vegetables like carrots, corn, and broccoli travel well. And using rice or beans as a base adds nutrition to salad. Otherwise I might not make it through the work day. And try to add a protein item each time: some grilled chicken, a hard boiled egg, or a handful of nuts. (Here's a whole other post about making salads into a real meal.)
--Don't dress your lunch salad until right before leave for work. Even better, take the dressing separately and dress it at lunch time. This keeps your vegetables from getting soggy.
--Chop some extra vegetables in the evenings when working on dinner, then it hardly seems like a chore to construct your lunch box. You could hard boil an egg or two while your pasta is cooking.
--Plan your meals to include leftovers. And plan to incorporate leftovers from several nights. For example, make a bit more rice tonight and then tomorrow some extra veg, and voila, you have a rice bowl salad for lunch!
--Use the freezer to your advantage. Frozen muffins or scones (individually wrapped) can be taken to work and will thaw by lunch time.
--Work with the healthy options in your work canteen. For example, our refectory sells small pots of chopped veggies as a snack. If I grab a hard boiled egg on the way out the door, and have some bread at work for toast, then I can construct a meal when I get there.
--Puzzle sandwich! (Too funny not to include.)
Please share your lunch ideas with us as well.
