Every day I pack Scott’s lunch for him. He never gets anything too earth-shattering in his lunch.
But life isn’t always earth-shattering. Sometimes its just lunch.
And it’s always based on what I have on hand and can throw in his bag.
For instance:
Apples
Fresh pineapple chunks
No Bake Coconut & Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Homemade Trail Mix with whatever odds and ends I have to throw into it
Do these count as getting my Blue Food in for the day?
Leftover Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu
Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter and Oat Snack Bars
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bars
It’s so easy to make your own bars. You can customize them and save lots of money in the process. And keep out what you don’t like. And add more of what you do like. More chocolate chips maybe?And maybe if I’m feeling generous and don’t want to hog them all for myself, I’ll give him some of whatever baked goods I have on hand or is in rotation.
This week it’s been Magic Eight Bars but they are almost gone.
Must make more.
From my last post, Officially Summer, I’m glad you liked the discussion of why it’s customary to do 108 sun salutations in yoga when marking the Summer Solstice.
And it was fun to read what you like to do and eat now that summer is officially here!
Questions:
1. Do you pack your lunch?
I always pack food with me to work or even on errands. You never know when that granola bar is going to save the day. Having anything in my purse is key and of course, yes, if I know I will be out of the house over mealtime, I pack something because I am too cheap and too picky to rely on “finding something” when I’m out and time is of the essence and I need to be at work.
2. What do you include in it?
I am the queen of planned leftovers from the night before so that’s where things like leftover tofu or a container of Cheesy Taco Casserole come in handy.
I also put a lot of fresh fruits and veggies in lunches from carrots sticks and apples to cucumber slices and grapes. This isn’t rocket science or fine dining.
This is lunch that he can eat at his desk and it serves the purposes of:
keeping him healthy, i.e.not going out to restaurants or delis, and being able to control what he’s getting because I know I packed it and it came from home and my kitchen. He actually tells me he hates client luncheons now because he leaves them feeling stuffed with food that doesn’t make him feel good for the rest of the day and he would have never chosen had it not been a business lunch.
it saves tons of money. We both like this.
it saves time! Not having to chase out over the lunch hour is a major time savings for him and one that he always tells me he appreciates.
3. What makes you excited when you reach into your lunch and see it or did you used to get excited when your mom would pack your lunch about a certain item?
My mom was a no frills lunch packer. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, some fruit, a little box of raisins, maybe a baggie of chips (Doritos excited me!), maybe something she had baked like a cookie or a bar or a brownie <—exciting.
But seeing a Twinkie or a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie in my lunch was the.best.treat.ever. Not that she did it very often, but when she did, it was really a thrill.
I loved Oatmeal Creme Pies!
P.S. Thanks for the continued Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Giveaway entries. Contest ends Friday morning so enter if you still need to!
Great inspiration for packing lunches, it’s so pricey to eat out every day. If I could afford it, I’d have lunch at Whole Foods more, but that’s just not practical. :-)
1. Yes, I usually end up eating with my mom or sisters since they live near my job, but we’re always combining leftovers.
2. Usually leftovers from dinner, huge salads and lots of fruit. Sometimes a meal smoothie if I’m running errands.
3. Fresh, ripe fruit and maybe popcorn with coconut oil and a pinch of salt.
OMG, I kind of want Dustin to work outside of the house so I can pack him a lunch, LOL. I’d only want to do it for my own selfish reasons: Blog pics! hahaha Maybe I can pack it and make him eat it at home? :D He’d love it. He cooked his own eggs today. Oy. The butter was BLACK! The stove was splattered all the hell and then his oatmeal exploded in the microwave. :|
Scott’s lunches look awesome. I’d be excited about all of those foods! My mom rarely packed my lunch, I bought lunch in elementary school, then stopped eating lunch in middle school. All the cafeteria crap probably contributed to my tummy probs today. Ugh. Gross.
That pineapple is STILL in my fridge. Oof. I don’t think it’s going to be a pleasant reuniting.
black butter and a splattered up stove…oh, lovely. Which is why i dont allow scott in the kitchen!
And pack him a lunch-at-home for blog photography..classic. And not really even the farthest fetched idea. As bloggers, we’ve all done far crazier…lol
Me and the kids eat like this all the time BUT if I tried to send ANY of this to work with Todd he would have it in the garbage before he hit the street. How do you do it?
why would anyone throw out good food, i.e. fruits, vegs, homemade granola bars, or even chips? That would be wasteful and silly! If my hubs threw out food that would be his foolish choice to go hungry! :)
I used to pack lunch as well, mainly whatever leftover from last night dinner – usually contain veggies and meat and some healthy fat and little fruits. Hubby brought the same thing as well, plus some gluten like bread. Totally agree that packing lunch saves tons of money and also it makes me feel good b/c I know what I put in my own food.
I always have snacks on me. At any time, you can usually find some nuts, a Go Raw bar, and/or some fruit in my purse. My friends always make fun of me, but then say how they wish they were as healthy as me! All you have to do is pack your food! :-)
I actually just finished packing my lunch for tomorrow: grapes (red & green) + whole wheat sandwich w/ avocado, cuke, tomato, bell pepper, tahini, hummus, bbq! –> i love these condiments too much to choose between them ;-)
Looking forward to lunch!
I purposely don’t pack lunch bc I enjoy looking forward to buying lunch. It’s just something to look forward to in the middle of a long work day.
I am a total lunch packer. I pack mine and my husband’s. And will be packing my son’s when he heads to kindergarten and can’t get free lunch anymore. I generally plan way ahead. I hate buying lunch and I know what I pack is going to be MUCH healthier.
Lunches are leftovers or salads. Fruit.
I always get excited if I pack an avocado to put on the salad. My spouse works a block away, so we’ll split it.
Today for lunch at work I packed myself leftover curried lentils with brown rice, a grapefruit, strawberries, goat cheese, and a Kind Bar to eat later as snack. I pack my older kids’ lunches in a Bento style box for day camp and when my youngest goes to daycare 3 half days a week I pack hers too so they aren’t tempted to slip her any meat!
I think that’s so sweet that you pack your husband’s lunch!
I love those Terra chips with the kabocha!! so good.
I always offer to make Jason’s lunch, but he goes out a lot… (he has meetings and takes clients / employees to lunch…) but I always make him breakfast (a smoothie and juice, normally!) before we leave, and send him off with mid morning snacks (protein bars, CHICKPEA balls!) ;)
I always bring a lunch, have extra food at work, and always have food with me!! :D
What a good wife! I pack MY lunch, but Ari works from home a lot so he likes to get out for some air and get himself lunch. I often make us both dinner, though!
I’m so close to work (a 10 minute walk) that I never pack a lunch. I eat before I go, and if I’m hungry before I get home, too bad. I can wait till I get home for dinner. I don’t want to suffer through hours of food being stuck in my teeth, anyway!
you always make me laugh…thank you :)
I pack my lunch for work, but not for school or anything. I usually pack an apple for snack and carrot sticks with a granola bar or leftovers for lunch. Today I packed carrot sticks w/ peanut butter & pasta I made last night.
As a kid I was impossible to pack lunch for! I always got bored of foods & my lunch requests would change everyday. I was like a pregnant woman! One morning a sandwich would sound amazing then later on at lunch it sounded like the most disgusting food in the world. Eventually my mom just had me pack my own lunch! She would usually always include some kind of sweet though…who doesn’t get excited about that??
Sounds like our moms had very similar lunch-packing styles. That’s almost exactly what my Mom would pack for me.
My fave portable lunch lately is an Avocado Egg Salad: 2 sliced, boiled eggs with a sprinkle of spices and olive oil. Then when it’s time to eat, I bust out a small avocado and slice some chunks into the egg mixture. Really high protein and good, esp for people who like eggs (I know not everyone does ;-) )
your avo egg salad sounds great! i need to try that!
I ALWAYS pack my lunch for several reasons. 1. It’s way cheaper. I’m a student, here! 2. I’m very conscious of what I put into my body. I rarely eat out with the exception of weekends with the boyfriend (which we’re trying to cut back on…see #1). As a newish vegan and calorie/nutrition conscious eater, packing my lunch makes me feel good and give me peace of mind.
I cook all my food at the beginning of the week, so lunch is usually delicious leftovers! Way better than my old pb&j routine. I used to get excited when mom switched it up and gave me tuna instead of salami! Though now that doesn’t tickle my fancy, moms do make the best sandwiches.
I always pack my lunch for work and take snacks along for my young son and I on errands. I too am too cheap and too picky to try and find something while out! BTW the oatmeal pies reminded me of my grandma. She loves them and thinks they are healthy because they contain oats. When my oldest son was little he stayed at her house. One day at the store he told me he wanted me to buy “those hamburgers with icing” like my grandma had. It took me awhile but I figured out it was Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies that he was talking about!
great story! lol
I love packing lunches nowadays because I know I’m guaranteed to love whats in it! :)
My mom used to pack my lunches when I was in elementary and middle school. In first grade my mom didn’t pack my lunch and little did she know…I bought an ice cream every single day instead of the cafeteria lunch :) After that year she started packing my lunches.