Weddingbee boards

Ah welcome to my world! I pack my lunch every single day. Generally on Sunday I'll make a few different meals we can eat through the week so we aren't just eating one thing or throwing unhealthy meals together at the last minute. Some of the easy ones are: Chili, meatloaf, chicken & noodles, any sort of casserole/soup. If you make them from scratch you know what's in them and can be smarter by adding more fresh veggies, etc. I usually put them in a few single-serving pyrex bowls so all I have to do in the morning is grab them from the fridge and throw them in my bag! I also have little bags of popcorn and cans of soup stashed in my office, in case I don't have time/forget my meal.

For me, the trick is to make it easy.  I spend about an hour on Sunday making my lunches for the whole week so I can just grab and go in the morning. 

For three of my lunches each week I pack salads with different proteins, like tuna, beans, chicken breast, leftover steak, whatever.  So on M W F I bring a container of mixed greens, a a contianer of protein to go on top, and some other cut veggies like carrots or red pepper or peas.  I keep salad dressings at work to add a bit of flavor.

For T and Th I either bring leftovers (we make extra of all of the dinners we make) with a side of greens or I make something moderately healthy and delicious: quinoa salad, whole wheat pasta and ricotta with tomatoes, cottage cheese or hummus and veggies, a simple soup.  The best way to think about it is to just prepare an extra "meal" during the week that gets turned into lunches.

As long as I follow this system I never have any excuses and we save a TON of money.  Plus, as long as I keep the veggie intake pretty high and the cheese intake pretty low, my lunches are generally very healthy.  Good luck!

@rachel_leigh: This is smart. My old roomie did the same thing with the salads--it's great because you can change it up everyday if you want, it's portable, and it's so nice to have fresh, delicious food at work.

I'm lazy in the mornings too so the key for me is being able to grab-and-go.

Usually what I do is on Sundays, after grocery shopping, take a little time to cut up, rinse, and store a bunch of veggies and fruit that I'll use throughout the week. I put them in those Rubbermaid locking lids containers and they stay fresh all week in the fridge. Then when I'm making lunch I take a single-serving size container and put whatever veggies I'll want throughout the day into it, a small container for hummus, a baggie of crackers and cheese, or bread for a sandwich. Throw in a banana/orange/apple/whatever, yogurt, and maybe a Hersehy Kiss or two for good measure. It doesn't take very long in the morning to throw stuff together, and sometimes I'll put it all together the night before so I can just grab it out of the fridge in the morning.

Leftovers are also great. Make dinner for 2-4 extra "servings" than people you are feeding, and you'll have leftovers for both of you for the next day or two. Large batches of soups are also great. I have a 5qt Crock Pot that I use to make soup about once a month or so during the cold months, and I fill it to the brim with ingredients and put a couple days' worth in the fridge, and the rest in individual servings in the freezer. I take one out the night before and set it on the counter or in the fridge to thaw, and by the time I eat lunch at work the next day it just needs warmed in the microwave. A full batch of soup will last me at least a month if I eat a bowl every couple of days.

Oh and for the warmer months, I like to make large batches of cold salads (pasta salad, orzo salad, quinoa salad, etc.). I take that with a spinach salad with strawberries and nuts, and yogurt and a piece of fruit for dessert.