Weekly Shopping Essentials for a Healthy Lunchbox: Tips to Improve Your Office’s Working Lunch

 

Weekly Shopping Essentials for a Healthy Lunchbox: Tips to Improve Your Office’s Working Lunch

It is sometimes very hard to have a good meal plan when you are working throughout the week due to the bustling schedules that people have. Since I am a working woman, planning and stocking up my kitchen has helped a lot in addressing this problem of packing my lunch box and most importantly packing healthy meals. Here’s a suggested list of what you should always include in your shopping cart every time you shop so that meal prep doesn’t have to be a task that is dreaded.

1. Fresh Vegetables: Small and Large Components of a Balanced Diet
Fresh vegetables are very vital in the preparation of lunch in order to ensure that the lunch is very healthy for everyone. The best thing is to switch between the colors and the texture to ensure the meals are as exotic as possible.

• Leafy Greens: It is a rule of thumb for me to always ensure that I have both spinach, kale and arugula in my ref. These greens do not only indeed but also bring the color green to my salads and wraps.
• Crunchy Veggies: These are handy for me, the green and red colors of carrots, the green ones of cucumbers and the yellows and greens of bell peppers. I usually chop them up on Sunday evenings so that you can add them to salads or just have them as snack. Cherry tomatoes are another favorite as they’re red, juicy and great to add to a dish and give a burst of flavour.
• Avocados: This naturally enhances the palatability and also provides a myriad of nutritional benefits when the avocado is ripe. It can be used sliced on top of sandwiches or mashed in a guacamole which enhances a sandwich’s texture and provides the body with healthy fat. I personally am a big fan of avocado and I make toast with it by spreading butter and avocado and tapping some chili flakes.

2. Lean Proteins: Ensuring that You are Satisfied and Energized
Protein is important in maintaining fullness in addition to focus during wakefulness throughout the day. Here are some essentials I always keep on hand:Here are some essentials I always keep on hand:

• Chicken Breast or Turkey: I tend to always grill a few chicken breasts or turkey slices anytime I am bored during the weekend. They are ideal to be added to salads, wraps or can be consumed cold in form of sandwiches
• Boiled Eggs: These are really great to have! I usually fry one dozen eggs on Sundays and store them in the refrigerator. These particular works well for a quick breakfast or even if sliced and placed over a salad.
• Tuna or Salmon: Tuna or salmon packed in water that is canned is usually good to go and probably healthy too. I also relish it with some Greek yogurt, stir in some mustard, chopped celery and it makes a great low calorie salad, best taken with whole grain crackers or as a sandwich spread.

Personal Experience: In the past I still had a challenge with how to make my lunch variety, but all this changed as I adopted the habit of marinating chicken breasts in different sauces then BBQ them. Now I either have lemon herb, teriyaki or garlic parmesan ready to go every week and I don’t need to cook from scratch.

3. Whole Grains: How to Muster the Energy to Keep On-going
Whole grains provide long-lasting energy and are incredibly versatile in meal prepping:Whole grains provide long-lasting energy and are incredibly versatile in meal prepping:

• Whole Grain Bread or Wraps: These are essentials for me and I prepare meals in form of sandwiches with lots of vegetables and lean proteins plus a dressing of either hummus or mustard.
• Quinoa or Brown Rice: Anytime someone mentions grain things like quinoa or brown rice, or when they say that it is important to cook in bulk, that is a game changer. I serve grains in them or incorporate them into my salads to add more interest and more nutrients to my diet.
• Whole Grain Crackers: These crackers are great to accompany with cheese, hummus or even a slap of avocado, an ideal snack I can have in between meals.
• Unique Recipe Tip: To get your creative juices flowing, try preparing a Quinoa Salad Bowl; you prepare cooked quinoa, roasted veggies, protein of your preference and finish it off with some tahini sauce. This meal is very colorful and satisfying, and comes with loads of fibre, and protein.

4. Dairy and Dairy Alternatives: The Top Calcium and Protein Picks
Including dairy or plant-based alternatives in your diet ensures you’re getting essential nutrients:Including dairy or plant-based alternatives in your diet ensures you’re getting essential nutrients:

• Greek Yogurt: At home I always have 3-4 tubs of plain Greek yogurt within my refrigerator at home. It is ideal for breakfast as a breakfast cereal with some fruits and nuts or as a dip to some veggies.
• Cheese Slices or Cubes: These are perfect for placing on your sandwiches, WRAPS or even as a snack in-between. That was often gratifying to bear easily offer of the support I loved sharp cheddar or mozzarella slices.
• Almond Milk or Oat Milk: These plant-based milks are best for making overnight oats or mix simply with fruits in a blender. In a week, oats with milk is perfectly fine, so I sometimes prepare jars of overnight oats like the one above on Sunday night.
• Pro Tip: Take a portion of yogurt, one spoonful of honey, and some berries and have a healthy snack that will sustain you to the lunch time and is still rich in proteins.

5. Healthy Snacks: How to maintain high Energy Levels
Snacks are essential for keeping your energy levels steady throughout the day:Snacks are essential for keeping your energy levels steady throughout the day:

• Nuts and Seeds: In my kitchen there is always a supply of almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. They are best taken as a snack and they offer the best of everything; fats and proteins.
• Fruit: It cannot be emphasised enough how the simple, natural and sweet produce such as apples, bananas and berries are easily accessible in my kitchen. They are portable and contain natural sweetness that can help in fulfilling the urge of having takeaway food without the use of sugar.
• Hummus: It is my favorite for veggie servings or whole grain crackers. This one is already smooth, tasty and including the protein source into it.
• Personal Insight: One thing that I have done which has served me well is to pack a small chocolate in my lunch box as this will help me to look forward to it in the afternoon. It’s a little one that allows me to not give directly into the office sweets temptation.

6. Condiments and Extras: [How to] Use Seasoning to Spice Up Your Dishes Without Piling on the Pounds
Don’t overlook the importance of condiments and extras—they can elevate even the simplest meals:Don’t overlook the importance of condiments and extras—they can elevate even the simplest meals:

• Olive Oil and Vinegar: The following are essentials if one wants to whip up yummy, wholesome salad dressings in a jiffy. My favourite dressing is plain olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of mustard.
• Mustard and Hummus: These spreads are ideal to use in the sandwiches and wraps’ preparation without the addition of calories. For some extra zing, I actually recommended using dijon mustard.
• Herbs and Spices: It is good to use fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, and parsley but dried herbs are also available and are also useful in giving the food more flavors other than salt and fats. That is why I make sure that I always have a number of spices at my disposal so that I do not get bored with my meals.
• Extra Tip: You can just add a pinch of smoked paprika or cumin on roasted veggies to make your meals all the more appetising.

Conclusion
Lunch packing does not have to a tedious task, it is really simple to make a healthy lunch box. Keeping a well-stocked kitchen and taking some time in the beginning of the week will ensure that you are able to eat wholesome and yummy meals the whole of the week. No matter if it is a colorful quinoa salad, a crispy vegetable wrap or a protein rich yogurt bowl for breakfast these must-haves will help to make your lunches as delicious as they are healthy. Don’t scrimp over meals and you’ll see that your energy, work and health will be much better for it.