Ditch the Brown Bag Blues

Staying healthy and satisfied during the work week is an essential component in ensuring that you are able to perform at the top of your game! It can be difficult enough coming up with a healthy, but easy menu at home, let alone coming up with ideas for what to bring to work for lunch. 

As we all know, what we eat has an immense impact on the way that we feel and function. With our busy lives, it can be tough to set aside time to make a healthy lunch every morning before work. And we’ve all had those days that, come lunchtime, that convenient fast-food cheeseburger and french fry combo seems like a great idea, only to find ourselves feeling like crapola almost immediately after eating it. Then again, nothing is worse than opening up your lunch box to see another boring, wilted salad or a sad little PB&J. I have spent some time coming up with ways to add some excitement to your lunch hour without compromising your time or health. 

Firstly, let’s talk about what makes a healthy meal. You need to make sure that your meals are balanced. This means including lean proteins, complex carbs and plenty of veggies and fruit. This is just my opinion, but I would choose “good carbs”, not no carbs. The idea is to feel satisfied and refueled without feeling like you’re going to bust a button in your sweet new suit. So I’ve experimented a little and have come up with some ways to make signature lunch staples more satisfying and exciting! I will be mentioning some recipes for spreads and dressings I’ve played around with that you can find at the very end of the blog.

First, let’s talk about the sandwich. The first thing you should do, is swap out the refined white bread for whole wheat or whole grain bread or wraps. Let’s get back to basics and kick overly processed foods to the curb! Next, consider the nutritional quality of what you’re putting in that delicious, healthy bread. Avoid highly-processed meats. I would opt for either chicken or turkey (preferably left-overs from that awesome dinner you made earlier in the week?). The key to a great sandwich, in my opinion, is the bread and the spread. Most grocery stores have bakeries where you can get fresh-baked whole grain bread that will knock your socks off. Next, think about condiments. Beside the fact that I believe that mayo is the devil’s condiment, it is just not good for you. Try mustards, low-cal salad dressings, salsas, or better yet...make your own spread! Whip up some home-made guacamole or relish that’s packed with flavor and nutrition! Throw some veggies on there (lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pickles, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, etc.) and you’re good to go! And if you haven't tried kale chips yet, you're missing out! See the end of the blog for some spreads you can whip up and store for future use! 

Now for the salads. First of all, chopping veggies every morning can be way too tedious and time consuming. I suggest making a huge, basic salad on sunday night that you can portion out for the week. If you make a basic salad, you can also prep some different combinations of other ingredients to toss in each day of the week for variety. Bringing the same old salad everyday is the worst; you’ve got to switch it up! One excellent idea is to pack up your salads in mason jars. Pour some dressing into the bottom and then add your salad. Make sure you put something dense like carrots on top of the dressing so your softer veggies won’t turn to mush. Then just shake up the jar or empty it into a bowl and enjoy! You can also rinse out an empty Mio bottle and pour your dressing in there. So cute and perfect for salad dressings. Swap iceberg lettuce for romaine, spinach, or mesclun greens (an exciting, spicy, delicious mix of different greens). If you buy a bag of greens, you will find that they begin to get slimy within days of opening the bag. Put them in a ziploc bag, gather up the top and breathe into it. Sounds gross, I know...but the carbon dioxide helps to keep you greens fresh and bright, saving you money and aggravation! 

Try incorporating some exotic flavors into your salads or dressings. (By the way, dressings are super easy to make; start with olive oil, a little bit of honey or agave nectar and some type of acid or vinegar, ex: lemon juice, lime juice or apple cider, balsamic, or rice wine vinegar...whatever floats your boat! Then, get crazy with spices and herbs.)  Like Mexican food? Add some south-western style flavors such as cumin, chili powder, jalapeños, fresh cilantro, lime, beans, corn and ancho chili (for a smokey flavor). Like Asian food? Add some soy sauce, ginger, lime juice, garlic, lemongrass, sriracha, five-spice, hoisin sauce, peanuts, sesame seeds and sesame oil. If you prefer an Indian flair, try incorporating yogurt, curry, masala, and paneer cheese. Like mediterranean style food? Try adding some lemon juice, mint, oregano, greek-style yogurt, dill, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Not only do these spices add flavor, but many herbs and spices can be considered nature’s medicine. Add some grilled chicken or some other meat leftover from a previous dinner. Vegetarians can add some beans or quinoa for protein. Another great contrast is mixing some grilled or sautéed vegetables ( zucchini, summer squash, peppers, asparagus, green beans)  with your raw veggies. You can also add some whole wheat pasta, brown rice or bulgar wheat to bulk up a wimpy salad.

Another go-to lunch staple is leftovers from dinner the night before. You can always pack up some left overs just the way they are, but if you’re looking for something different you can repurpose those ingredients and create something new! For example, leftover chicken or turkey can be used to make a sandwich, wrap, salad, soup or burrito. Just add some different spices to completely transform last night’s dinner. If you had spaghetti and meatballs, make a meatball sub. If you had steak, slice it thin and make a steak and cheese sandwich, or add it to a salad with some chimichurri sauce. 

One last thing. There is a drink that I am obsessed with that you can make in big batches at home and bring to work with you. You steep a few green tea bags in a cup of hot water and then refrigerate. Slice up and add 1/2 lemon, 1/2 orange, 1/4 cucumber, and a few basil leaves and add them to a jug of cold water. Once the tea is cooled, add that to the jug as well. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. It is delicious, refreshing and will provide a little afternoon pick-me-up. 

Call me crazy, but I find cooking and creating new dishes relaxing and fun (as long as there’s no time crunch and no pressure). Instead of thinking of cooking as a chore, try to get excited about it and try new things. Get a new cookbook or just wing it and hope for the best! Once you know the basics of cooking, you can create some pretty fantastic things on your own. Although I must admit that I have made some pretty disgusting things, you learn from those mistakes and you just don't do that again! So have fun, get creative and spice up your lunch life! 

For some of the sandwich spreads and dressings, I will give you the ingredients, but I am not sure of the measurements. ( I make things to-taste, and tend to like more in your face flavors so just play around until you get the taste you’re looking for. Vegans can swap out cheese for nutritional yeast flakes and replace yogurt with avocados or vegan sour cream)

Guacamole- 1 avocado, 1 chopped tomato, 1/4 chopped red onion, salt, pepper,  chopped jalapeños, fresh chopped cilantro, and fresh lime juice

Corn relish- 2 cups canned corn, 1/2 chopped red onion, 1 chopped red bell pepper, 1 chopped celery stalk 1 chopped green chili, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil

Apple-mango salsa- 2 chopped granny smith apples, 1 chopped mango, 1/2 red onion, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper

Pesto- 2 cups basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/2 cup olive oil, salt and pepper, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (combine in food processor) 

Salsa- 5 chopped Roma tomatoes, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 minced jalapeños, 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil, fresh lime juice, minced scallions, minced cilantro, chili powder, salt and pepper

Cilantro and avocado salad dressing- 1/2 ripe avocado, about 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt, 2 chopped scallions, 1 minced clove garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper, and honey- to taste (combine in blender or food porcessor)

Ginger-soy salad dressing- 2 tbsp minced ginger root, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 3 tbsp honey or agave nectar, 3 minced cloves of garlic 

Curry-yogurt salad dressing- 1 tbsp curry powder, 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt, 1 tsp minced ginger root, 1/2 tsp orange zest, 2 tsp mango puree, salt and pepper 

Red wine dijon vinaigrette- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dijon mustard, chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper

Kale chips- Preheat oven to 350. Remove kale leaves from thick, tough stems and tear into bite sized pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. You can experiment with different seasonings as well. Bake about 10-15 minutes or until leaves are crispy.