Last Updated on January 1, 2020 by Karen
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WellYesMoment #CollectiveBias
Packing your lunch for work is a good habit to develop if you’re making steps towards a healthier lifestyle. Chances are you’ll have better control over what you’re eating, avoid unhealthy cravings, and save money too. Since I have a full-time office job, I like to bring my own lunch to avoid meal boredom and definitely keep that in mind when doing my grocery shopping at Walmart. When I don’t bring my own lunch, I more often than not end up eating greasy burgers, oversized chicken wraps or overpriced chopped salads.
I’ve got some tips and tricks for helping you pack a better (and more exciting!) lunch for work.
On my meal prep day, I like to make extra portions of cooked pasta, steamed vegetables, and sauteed chicken breast to be used for lunches that week. Whether you’re cooking for one, two, or the whole family, it doesn’t take much more work to make an extra portion or two of soups and stews which taste even better the second time around. Pack them in individual portions and keep them in the freezer so you have a couple of lunches ready anytime.
These new Campbell’s Well Yes! Soups are my favorites for days when I don’t have enough time to pack lunch — I keep a few different flavors stashed in my desk drawer. Made with nutritious ingredients, no artificial colors, flavors or ingredients, it makes a great mealtime solution I can feel good about. Minestrone with Kale Soup is a flavorful vegetarian option with Ditalina pasta and chickpeas, while Roasted Chicken with Wild Rice Soup contains corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, and chicken meat with no antibiotics. They’re both so delicious I can’t decide which one I like more!
When it comes to salad greens and toppings, some ingredients hold up better than others. Greens like lettuce and arugula tend to wilt, and toppings like croutons, hard boiled eggs, and tomatoes tend to get soggy and mushy. For greens, I like hearty vegetables like kale and radicchio. Toppings like shredded carrots, beets, roasted sweet potatoes, grains (brown rice, barley, quinoa), and chickpeas are some of my favorites. Another trick is to pack the salad dressing separately and dress it when you’re ready to eat. I’ll usually put the dressing in a snack size zip top bag, seal it, and tuck it in the salad — no mess, no leaks, it works every time!
Towards the end of the week when our fridge and pantry start running low on meal ingredients, I get creative and put together an assortment of snacks for lunch. Some ideas are: hummus with crackers, carrot sticks, cheese sticks, Greek yogurt, a handful of grapes and almonds. I actually prefer this type of snack assortment over a full lunch on busy days when I don’t have time to take a lunch break.
Instead of salads and sandwiches, I switch things up with breakfast dishes to avoid meal boredom. Some of my favorites are quiches or frittatas (reheat really well) with a side of vegetables, baked oatmeal, and avocado toasts with egg.
What are you favorite lunches to bring to work? Any tips or tricks you can share?
I was able to find the Campbell Well Yes! Soups in the soup aisle of my local Walmart. Be on the lookout for in store demos in select nationwide Walmart stores from February 16 to 19 and coupon available in Sunday papers on February 12 and March 12.
I definitely need to make more than I usually do so I have leftovers for lunches during the week. I get out of the habit of doing that sometimes but it really does help. #client