I love lunch! (for Candace Walsh)

Really, I do. I sing songs about lunch, and how much I love it.

A good lunch has lots of courses, so that I can eat all day without noticing that I'm “dieting.” My photos are horrendous, but worse, I realize that I use WAY TOO MANY plastic bags. And I apologize. We've just bought some little tupperwares that are perfect for snacks, so hopefully moving forward...

Soup, Lunch Muffins, grapes(?), peanut butter pretzels, tomatoes

Mid-Morning Snacks

Ants On A Log are a good mid-morning snack. Apparently you're supposed to eat a little every couple of hours or so to get your metabolism going. If I don't pack a lunch, I'll notice that its 2:00 and I haven't eaten. JustAwesome sent me to work on Tuesday with these AOAL, made with chocolate chips instead of raisins. I love how creative she is! Or, celery and peanut butter is great too. Just a teaspoon does it. Or carrot and hummus. When I work from home I like banana with peanut butter.

Ants on a Log

Snacks

There is usually a piece of fruit (apple, pear), some snacky fruit (grapes), maybe a small salad, maybe some cut carrots/celery (throw some salt in!). Then I like a dry snack — some pretzels (pretzels with peanut butter inside!), or maybe a few crackers and a wedge of cheese, or a few nuts. I do 10 minutes of maintenance when I get groceries. Wash the fruit/tomatoes. Put it grab-friendly bowls. Cut up some carrots/celery and store with a little water. It helps all week with quick salads. For lunch and dinner.

random lunches — mini pitas are great! looks like a bag of cheese & basil for pasta

Mains (I like to talk like I work in a diner.)

Sometimes we make a big pasta for dinner, like Jamie Oliver's Baked Pasta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella. These work well for next day lunches. Or some butternut squash soup or something. This goes well with a favorite recipe we got from a free handout at Whole Foods: Lunch Muffins, they are pure genius. They suggest Cheddar-Broccoli muffins, though we throw in kale or collards or whatever we have from our Urban Organic box that week. They freeze well too and probably have about 4 WW points. Again, perfect lunch with soup.

Sardine Sandwich, partially assembled

Other mains: I like a (ezekiel) wrap with hummus and something crunchy - romaine lettuce or red pepper or even grape tomatoes (or all of the above!). So fast and easy to make and I always love it. Something we tried recently, which I'm sure we'll do again soon, starts with a round of apologies to your coworkers. Then I toasted my ezekiel english muffins, put on a piece of lettuce, some sardines that we mashed up with a little onion and topped with avocado. Wrap each thing separately (not in plastic bags!) and assemble later. Oh, and egg salad! I like my egg salad without mayo - with (the GOOD) olive oil, tomatoes, some arugula or basil, plus it however. And I like it wrapped in romaine leaves (assemble later) or maybe in a tiny pita. But the point is, you gotta switch it up.

Dessert

Whatever fruit is left over.

And finally, bring real silverware & a cloth napkin. I mean, really.