Easy Office Lunches

Easy lunch ideas?

Lunch time! One of my favourite meals of the day. Also on this list is breakfast time, dinner time, nap time and Game of Thrones time. But lunch can be a tricky meal since it usually isn’t eaten in the ease and comfort of home. Our lunch break is precious time and you don’t want to waste the first three quarters of it just on prep. Alternatively there is the option to go down to the local café and wonder why a chicken wrap costs $15.

Happy Lunch = Happy Worker

We want our lunch to give it the most it can. We want to have enough food to keep us full and energized, preventing energy slumps later in the day (I’m looking at you 3pm). We also don’t want to eat so much that we immediately fall into a food coma for the rest of the afternoon.

Aim to have a plate which is half non-starchy vegetables (such as carrot, lettuce, tomato, pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower), a quarter protein (think egg, deli meats, chicken, fish, beef, lamb) and a quarter carbohydrate (try brown rice, wholemeal pasta, bread or wraps). The vegetables fill you up and provide fibre, vitamins and minerals, the protein helps with muscle function and repair and the carbohydrates provide fuel for the brain – important for those afternoon meetings.

Easy ideas

• Make a frittata or quiche with leftover roast vegetables or pasta, pumpkin, spinach and peas
• Savory muffins
• Cook more than you need at dinner and take the leftovers in a wrap
• Toss red kidney beans, with diced tomato, avocado, feta cheese and shredded iceberg lettuce, then pile into crisp taco shells or soft tortilla
• Bring in an avocado and a couple slices of bread and toast at lunchtime

Tips

• Keep salad dressing in a small separate container to prevent lettuce from going soggy
• Spend a little time on the weekend meal prepping to save a lot of time during the week
• Rotate through a couple different options to prevent lunchtime boredom
• Don’t eat at your desk. Take the time away to enjoy your meal and recharge ready to tackle the rest of the day

Emergency Supply

Keep some of these in your draw at work for the days where you realise you’ve left your lunch at home

• Canned or tetra pack soups (look for reduced salt options)
• Oat sachets, ready to be cooked with milk or water – super quick and filling meal that doesn’t have to be for breakfast
• Tuna meals (such as Sierra Tune Rice Salad or John West Tuna and Beans mix)