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Appetites and Adventures

Packable, Healthy Lunches + WIAW

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“What healthy foods can I bring to work/school?”

 

That is one of the most common questions I hear.

The good news is: it’s not hard!  If you have some fresh veggies and dip, you’ve made a good start.  Add some fruit, a carb, some healthy fats, a protein…. and you’re in business!

 

 

One of the easiest sack lunches is leftovers.  Make extra of whatever you’ve had for dinner the night before.  Stick that in a container and take it into the office.  Simple!

 

Another option is a salad.  No, not another boring salad!  Think outside the box with toppings.  You can easily add items like:
  • Roasted veggies (ex: eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, squashes, beets)
  • Fruits (ex: blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, grapefruit sections, apples)
  • Seeds or nuts (ex: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, almonds, walnuts)
  • Other greens (ex: spinach, sprouts, arugula, shredded cabbage, kale)
  • Legumes (ex: black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils)
  • Herbs or spices (ex: cilantro, parsley, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, Chinese 5 spice)
  • Proteins (this is where leftovers really help – ex: grilled chicken, tempeh, tofu, lentils, quinoa, veggie burgers)

 

Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad (click for recipe)

 

Dressing your salad is another way to shake things up.  A few of my go-tos:
  • Use salsa to add some heat (really good with avocado and black beans)
  • Thin out hummus with apple cider vinegar (1:1 ratio)
  • Leftover pesto (like this beet sunflower pesto pictured below) mixed with a bit of balsamic or water to thin
  • Mash an avocado with lemon juice for a creamier dressing
  • Fresh lemon/lime/orange juice with a drizzle of olive oil
  • This low-fat Spicy Peanut Sauce


Sunflower Beet Pesto on salad (click for recipe)

 

Need your carbs?

Bring along a tortilla, pita pocket, or whole grain bread to eat on the side or stuff your salad into. Or have a healthier chip alternative on the side – I’m really digging PopChips and Pirate’s Booty.

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Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday this month is in the theme of green.  I wasn’t as green as usual… but it was a veggie-laden day for sure!

 

It’s also a “What I Ate at Work” WIAW.  I’ve been going to CrossFit right after work this week, so I’m eating more snacky things all day long so I am not starving before class ends.

 

 

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Breakfast:

My routine lately has been to get up, do a quick 15-20 workout (from Pinterest or BodyRock), and make a protein smoothie to cool off and refuel.  It’s an addiction.

 

 

This morning’s smoothie:

  • Spinach
  • Pineapple
  • Cucumber
  • Celery
  • Flax meal
  • Ginger
  • Maca
  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Ice + water

 

Lunch:

Post-cleanse my favorite addition is CARBS.  Peanut butter is a close second.

I brought my tortilla and the makings of a wrap to work.  These get constructed on-site so the tortilla doesn’t get soggy.

 

 

In my wrap:

 

 

See the container in the background?  I (once again) over-filled my wrap so half of the fillings were eaten with a fork on the side.  🙂

 

Snacks:

Yes, I snacked all day.  You might even say that I skipped dinner in favor of snacking.

 

My snacks:

  • Carrots, cucumber, and red pepper with raw sweet potato hummus
  • PopChips
  • Apple
  • Kombucha
  • Leftover airplane peanuts
  • Vegan jerky (Thai Peanut is the BEST!)

 

Dinner:

This is really 2 snacks eaten 2 hours apart.  I had the ice cream first.  Duh.

 

 

I’m still working on this one (it deserves its own post… and I’ll make one sans spinach so the pics are prettier 🙂 ), but let’s just say it was incredible.  The Vitamix continues to be the best purchase I’ve ever made.

 

Round 2 of dinner was a piece of Ezekiel bread topped with hummus, tomato, cilantro, and a vegan mozzarella cheese slice (which tasted nothing like mozzarella).  I stuck it under the broiler for 3+ mins… let’s pretend I didn’t forget it in the oven… burnt non-cheese isn’t too bad!

 

 

***

Crossfit #3 tomorrow.  I’m already sore from tonight.  Translation: I’m in love.

Annnnd another shameless plea: I am honored to have been nominated as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com.  If you’re so inclined, pretty please click here and vote for me. 🙂

What are some of your favorite items to bring to work/school for lunch?

What is your strangest/favorite salad topping?

 

Comments

  2. All your eats look delicious…I need to try the hummus/mozzarella combo- love both separately so can only imagine them together! Thanks for the salad ideas- can never have too many! I used to dread packing lunches but with a little pre-prep, it’s so easy to put them together! I try to make extra of dinz to re-use as leftovers or make a big batch of quinoa over the weekend and use that as my base over the week! Right now I’m on an ‘omelet with grilled veg, cheddar & turkey’ for lunch kick!

    • Hummus and cheese are always a great combo in my opinion. 🙂

      you’re so right about making a big batch of stuff at the beginning of the week. I do that with lentils, wild rice, grains… it’s a life-saver!

  4. I’ve seen those pop chips in my grocery store before but never bought them! Are they any good? 🙂
    I tend to over-fill my tortilla as well! but I always make the wrap ahead of time so the tortilla gets soggy..

  5. I used to despise leftovers, but now I eat them for lunch *all the time* and love it–especially in the winter when I want something warm. But I do love salads for lunch too. I often use hummus and salsa as dressing and the other day I used leftover peanut sauce (omg, yum!). My favorite is this blackberry balsamic my sister bought me that is fantastic. I haven’t purchased a premade salad dressing in several years!

    • Same here! Why buy pre-made when there are so many fantastic (and fast) homemade options?

  6. Those are all such great and helpful tips! People always think its so hard to pack healthy meals for on the go, but actually its not that hard..

    As always, all your eats look awesome! I want to take a bite out of that wrap! 😀
    Oh and, I voted for you in the Fitterati blogger awards! 🙂 <3

    Happy WIAW!

  8. Thank you for the tips lady! I work away from school three days a week now and have to bring my lunch each time… I run out of ideas all of the time! Enter this post, and yes, very welcome right now 🙂
    You certainly did well getting your greens in, everything looks tasty!

    • So glad it was a timely one for you! I love how we can all get inspired by each other – you eats always look fantastic! 🙂

    • How could I have forgotten soups/chilis? Those are GREAT to make in bulk and bring to work. Thanks. 🙂

  12. I bought those pop chips this past weekend and one bag is currently residing in my lunch box! I usually end up with leftovers for lunch. Last night, I actually made a veggie sandwich for today, which is sort of a rarity. Hummus avocado, tomato, lettuce and some other veggie that I am forgetting on ww bread.

  13. For whatever reason, I just hate having salads for lunch, no matter how good or filling it actually is, I’m always left unsatisfied. Crazy, right? That wrap, on the other hand, looks quite tasty!

  14. Your lunch ideas look delish. I don’t have to worry about packing lunch since I work from home now. When I used to work at an actual office I ate the same exact lunch for 3 years. PB on whole wheat pita, salad, and steel cut oats for breakfast. I never got sick of it… I think I could eat those 3 foods everyday for the rest of my life.

    • I love work from home days… always the most epic lunches (and I can use the natural light for photography. 🙂 ).

  15. I really have to make that raw sweet potato hummus…. and your other dressing suggestions sound great. I am leaning more towards salads with great dressings lately… super simple. And leftovers? I am all over those!

  16. Your lunches look so much like mine! For example today, I had pineapple and raspberries for breakfast, apple for a morning snack, lavash bread with lettuce, cukes, tomato, and hummus for lunch, carrots for an afternoon snack!

    I love popchips too. I can get them in the big bag at Costco now so I am really excited about that! That way I can portion out the chips for lunches or snacks of whatever it might be.

    Voted for you!

    • Great minds. 🙂 I wish I had some lavash though!

      Thank you soooo much for the vote. 🙂

  18. What an awesome info-packed WIAW… loved the lunch suggestions.
    I have hummus on hand so I’m going to try it today w/ apple cider vinegar. I love both so I’m sure I’ll love the combo. Can’t wait to find out what’s in the green ice cream.

    • Let me know how you like it! I love any other way to get more of the cider in – it’s so good for you!

  21. i love your tips on how to make a salad exciting. my boyfriend always turns up his nose when i say i am goign to make a sald. and then ends up being jealous because i add so much stuff to it and it is so great! his idea of a salad is just lettuce and dressing. that is boring and worthy of a turned nose. adding toppings makes it filling, and more healthy. love it.

  22. I love wraps and once I can have wheat again (post cleanse) I know I will enjoy incorporating them back into my diet.
    In your smoothie is that a glass straw? If so I seriously love those things.
    All your food looks good and fresh just seems so much more appetizing…I have been wondering about the vegan mozzarella so thanks for clearing that up (I have yet to find a substitute that I enjoy…maybe I’ll just give cheese up all together and not try to find something for it).

    Hope you have a great Wednesday!

    • It is a glass straw! I love mine. I also have some stainless steel spoon-straws for thicker smoothies.

      The shredded Daiya is better than what I used. It was some slice… can’t remember the brand.

  23. I looove popchips – but aren’t some of the variety not vegan? I see whey on there. I tend to have lots of small snacky meals all day and not lunch per se, so there’s fruit, granola bars, eggs, Greek yogurt etc. 🙂

    I don’t think I’m too odd in the salad department, though I do like plain mustard as dressing!

    I am excited for your ice cream post, by the way!

    • I know the original is for sure vegan. Maybe some of the flavored options aren’t? I’ll check next time I’m at WF.

    • That sounds delicious! I have been really into beets lately, and I love them with balsamic. 🙂

  25. Although my desk drawer is sadly empty right now, I’ve been filling it with LaraBars & SeaSnax recently. Love that vegan jerky – I don’t think I could pick a favorite, I need more tasting to make that decision. 🙂

  27. Great looking food going on here as usual. Love it all. BTW, I tried using a jar with cheese cloth for sprouting but the sprouts kept sticking to the cloth so I opted to purchase a sprouting jar from the healthfood store. It has a wire mesh lid so you can easily rinse them and then drain upside down throught the lid. How are your sprouts doing, the garbanzos take a few days. Have a good one.

    • That’s too bad about the cloth! Mine worked well, but I wonder if it’s the tightness of the mesh? Mine was pretty loosely woven.

      The garbanzos were awesome… and long gone by now. 🙂

  28. Great tips, Laura! I want your wrap– looks delicious! I often graze all day and hardly have room left for dinner! I do better when I’m taking pics for wiaw. 🙂 I’ll go vote for you!

  29. Love this post- especially your salad dressing options!! I also think it is genius that you added cucumber and celery to your smoothie. I don’t think my blender could handle the celery but cucumber is a definite must try!

    • Definitely on’t try celery in a regular blender! Did you know you’re not even supposed to put it down the garbage disposal? The Vitamix is a beast. 🙂

  31. I love the ideas you have here–I pack my own lunch, but it’s always a relatively boring salad with some protein and homemade dressing, not an awesome, colorful chopped salad like you’re showing! I have lunch envy.

  32. There are some wonderful tips and ideas here – I am constantly taking a salad wrap to school so changes like these are fantastic 😀
    Thank you!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  34. Congrats on the nomination!
    Wow- you and I have pretty much identical taste buds! I bring a huge salad every day for lunch at work. Sometimes I bring an Ezeikiel sprouted grain wrap (looks like you had that?) and love that I have so much “filling” that I end up having a side salad also. I’m big on making an extra portion at dinner so I can bring it for the protein in my salad the next day. I mashed up a cup of cooked chickpeas with a cup of smashed black beans and cooked them with some chopped onion, mushroom and taco seasoning to bring for lunches this week (to go on top of a salad). SO good!

    • Thanks Lauren! 🙂

      Ezekial wraps are my go-to as well. Your bean mix sounds fantastic – I have some black beans that need to be cooked up. Do you use canned to dried?

      • I use dried legumes- always! I have an “emergency” can of chickpeas and black beans just in case I forgot to soak them. But I buy them in bulk (for cheap) and soak overnight and then boil the next day as necessary. Not that canned beans are that expensive, but man- buying them dried is next to FREE!
        And that reminds me- I still need to sprout some chickpeas!

        • I do the same thing…. though I did find a way to cook the black beans in under an hour without soaking. It worked perfectly!

  35. I love bringing chickpeas and whatever fresh veggies I have around for snacking during class (especially tomatoes) – it makes a great meal during class, and I don’t have to worry about wilted lettuce (for some reason, I can never make my lettuce travel well)! I also eat the 2-serving size portfolios of Nancy’s Cottage Cheese – perfect for protein!

    • I love that you down the cottage cheese. I used to not like it, but recently fell in love. It’s good in oatmeal too! I am missing that on this vegan challenge!

  39. I buy that brand of jerky for bb! I’ve never tried it though. I should.
    Hummus is always on my salads. We’ve been really digging the wraps lately. As for strange toppings – I don’t think it is strange but some people do – cottage cheese.
    Your day of eats looks fabulous!

    • If it was more smooth/liquid-y it would have been a smoothie. 🙂

      I’m playing with it, but the recipe will be up soon (aiming for next week).

Trackbacks

  1. […] few weeks ago you were all asking what this ice cream creation […]

  2. […] Turn salads into meals by “eating the rainbow” – add colorful veggies like beets, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, sugar peas, raw yellow squash/zucchini, etc. (Check out these lunch salad ideas!)  […]

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