[My sister, Nicki (read about her here), has completely revolutionized her life over the last few years, in large part due to slowly changing her eating and body moving habits. Food does not control her life, food fits her life. She works at an office full-time and therefore, eats most of her meals while at work. Below, she gives fantastic advice to packing and prepping food for a day’s and week’s worth of work.]
Office Food Prep Made Easy
Fresh off a baked goods exchange with my ladies and into a new work week, it seems like the perfect opportunity to chat about meals & snacks for the Monday-Friday schedule and tips on ensuring we actually follow through in consuming them.
As I sit here staring at the two super-sized containers of goodies Iโm about to put in the freezer, I could easily just pack up all the chocolate and shortbread into โbreakfastโ โlunchโ and โdinnerโ tins for the weekโฆ but I have this vision where I have to write hundreds of โIโm sorry – I was in a walking, hangry, sugar-induced comaโ notes and regret 99% of my life choices that past week. Maybe Iโll pass on that?
Prepping and planning out your nutrition is a fantastic first step in kicking the upcoming weekโs a**. My Mon-Fri work schedule is outside of my home, so that means lots of Tupperware-filled-cooler-bag-toting. Are you in the same boat?
Confession โ I kind of hate it.
Iโm way more of a โwhat do I feel like eating right now?โ soul, and like to be spontaneous with my decisions. When my only option is what Iโve packed, I sometimes get annoyedโฆ ๐
What’s a workin’ girl to eat to stay lean and energized?ย
To stay on track and be excited about my choices, here are examples of options I typically eat throughout the work week (I get happy over ALL OF IT):
Breakfast:
โขย Eggs, Sausage (or Bacon), Veg
โข Green Smoothies
โข Almond Butter Balls, Greek Yogurt, Fruit
Morning Graze:
โข Almonds
โข Veg, Hummus
โข Wheat/Gluten-free Crackers, Hummus
โข Canned salmon/tuna
โข Pepperettes, Mustard
โข Cheese
Lunch:
โขย Spinach Salads (with tons of fixings)
โข Chicken, Veg, sometimes rice
โข Quinoa Salads (homemade)
โข Soup (homemade)
โข Lettuce Wraps
โข Meat/cheese/veg/crackers/hummus
โข Eggs, sausage (bacon), veg
โข Chili
โข Shrimp/Veg Mix
Afternoon Graze:
โขย Greek Yogurt, fruit
โข Almond Butter Balls or Almond Butter Ezekiel Cereal Mix (homemade)
โข Celery, Natural PB, Raisins
โข Pumpkin Muffins
โข Choc Zucchini Muffins
I have dinner/evening snacks outside of the office, but here are some examples of what those meals often look like:
Dinner:
โขย Nachos, packed with veg and protein
โข Chicken/veg
โข Shrimp/Veg
โข Cauliflower Pizza
โข Zucchini Pizza Logs
โข Parm Chicken/Veg
โข Breakfast for din
โข Stuffed Peppers
โข Spaghetti Squash Bake
โข Burgers
My Best Food Prep Tips:
Luxuries like blenders, stoves or grills are not available to me during the work day so I heavily rely on pre-making and re-heating.
Breakfast โ There would never be enough time in my morning schedule (I like my sleep) to whip up fresh breakfast meats, so Iโll cook up an entire package of sausages in advance and store what I donโt devour right then in the fridge, readily available for packing/quick heating & eating. Cutting up fruit and veg in advance for morning smoothies and freezing in individual portion sized bags will save you precious zz moments in the AM also.
Snacks โ slicing & packaging your raw veggies the night before will make it so much easier to grab and toss in your lunch bag on your way out in the morning. Mixing up canned tuna/salmon with some plain greek yogurt & relish (and whatever else you want to add in) and storing in the fridge for easy next-day access is equally effortless.
Theย same can go for slicing or cubing up your favourite cheese and meats (or if you forget to the night before, just grab the whole block of cheese and hope your housemates donโt get a craving for mozzarella before you get home that night ;)). Whipping up a batch of protein bars/balls or your fav muffins on a Sunday will also save you baking time throughout the weeknights.
Lunch/Dinner โ Speaking of Sundays, what better day to get a pot of chili, stew or soup brewing? Storing in individual portion sized containers will make your lunch decisions less stressful throughout the work week. Cooking double the amount of meats/veg you might need for dinner throughout the week will also leave you prepared with leftovers for the next dayโs lunch (or even the following dinner).
Packing it up right after itโs cooked in a โlunchโ container is ridiculously stress-free. Mixing all ingredients for a killer spinach salad (minus the dressing) in a Tupperware container the night before lets you plate, dress & devour it the next day faster than you can say that sentenceโฆ.promise.
Plates/Silverware/Cups/Condiments โ To make the day feel more comfortable and less road-trip like, Iโll pack plates & real silverware along in my lunch bag (Note from Jessie: SUCH a fantastic tip!). Sometimes thereโs just something about eating with legit utensils and off real plates that makes the experience happier.
If you have the option, storing extra bottles of condiments (i.e. mustard, homemade salad dressing, etc.) at your place of work will help spice up your eats as well. Otherwise, allotting portions into small containers and packing in your lunch bag works just as perfectly.
Easy Access –ย I tend to corner off a space in my fridge/freezer designated to the items Iโm taking with me to work the next day, that way itโs all in one location and I donโt have to waste time searching throughout the shelves/drawers for the goods I need.
So, just in case you werenโt hungry from all this food chat, letโs look at pictures of it ๐
1. Cauliflower Crust Pizza โ For real, THE BEST.
2. Unmixable Spinach Salad
3. Chocolate Zuccini Muffins and Almond Butter Balls.
Eat with happiness, my friends.
Nicki (and JMG)
PS. Sign up for the JMG Fitness Newsletter HERE to keep up to date on all that’s to come for 2014!
