Lunch on-the-go
Hello!! It’s so weird to be blogging in a new format! I blog out of Live Writer, so it looks much like the page you see. Definitely going to take some getting used to.
Today’s post was inspired by Lara, who mentioned I should write about packing healthy lunches for work. I’m going to do this in two parts: packing lunches for jobs on-the-go and packing lunches for the office. Today’s will be on-the-go, I’ll do the second part when I work my next desk shift :)
The most important thing I should stress about preparing foods to bring to work is that you need to make the time. It takes me almost 30 minutes to prepare my snacks and lunch. I’m sure you could cut that in half if you’re speedy about it. But the take-home point is, eating healthy at work takes extra time.
Depending on my schedule and laziness, I either do it the night before or in the morning. It also doesn’t help that I eat a lot. I pack a morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. I also often throw in an extra snack just in case I get caught up and have to stay late.
Parts of my job require me to be out at things like events, court proceedings, council meetings and announcements, often one after another. So not only do I not have access to a fridge or microwave, but I often have to eat in the car, or on a park bench between assignments. So many of the foods I pack are easy to carry in my giant bag purse. They also have to be easy to eat!
For snacks, I like things like homemade baked goods, fruit, veggies, hummus, cheese, bars, homemade trail mix, crackers, pepperoni slices and boiled eggs (if you don’t mind being smelly!)
I also try to limit myself to one bar a day, but some days (and grocery situations) force me to break that rule. The hardest part is getting protein in with my snacks, which is why I like the idea of protein bars, cheese, nuts, pepperoni slices or eggs.
You can also probably tell that I love pitas. I like that they can hold a lot more ingredients than wraps or sandwiches. I can basically fit a whole salad and can of tuna in a pita, and be able to eat it with my hands in the car.
Since I can’t heat or refrigerate anything, it’s hard to pack leftovers from dinner. Sometimes, like shown here, I eat it cold. But tupperware + fork is harder to pack and harder to eat when running around town.
Also a huge downside – I can’t pack yogurt! It’s always my go-to snack. I have yet to find a small cooler bag that fits into my much larger shoulder bag. Hopefully I will someday so I can add some chilled foods to my work eats :)
A typical day of on-the-go eating for me looks like this:
10:15 am – Luna bar outside the courtroom during a short recess
12:30 pm – Pita sandwich and an orange quickly eaten in a random cafe
3:30 pm – Baggie of trail mix eaten in the car while driving back to the office for the day
So there you have it! A lot of food to pack and cart around. A lot of time spent making it. But to me, absolutely worth it. Still easier than relying on whatever stores I’m close to for food, or even the catered events I sometimes attend. I much rather take the effort to pack healthy food choices to last me the day. :)
Eats!
I had my first crack wrap today!!
I happened to buy tortillas and Jarlsberg cheese yesterday, then remembered I had hummus in the fridge! Put together, they created an ooey-gooy mess of perfection. I enjoyed it with a PC soy burger topped with onions and mushrooms and the usual side of orange.
I should probably mention that those are white flour tortillas. I have an aversion to the regular dense and chewy tortillas. But these looked nice and flaky so I picked them up for a treat. Now I just have to find a way to get through the seven that are left…
I also tried out 90% Lindt chocolate.
Not gonna lie, it was bitter.
But as with most things, it was quite enjoyable with a little PB ;)
Much better!!!
Workout!
I finally sucked it up today and did a hill workout on my bike. It was a torturous 30k filled with rolling hills, gradual climbs and one really steep climb. It was a loop I went around twice, meaning I had to do that steep climb two times. Oh. Man. Towards the top, I was going so slow, I thought my bicycle was going to tip over. I need to learn how to stand up on my bike. I hear it’s not any easier than sitting, but it at least gets me off my seat and works a few different muscles. My quads were definitely talking to me for the rest of the day!
I gotta say though, it felt pretty sweet cresting over that steep climb. Every grunt (yes, I was grunting!) was worth the feeling of accomplishment after reaching the top :)
That’s all for today folks! But not without a question: what are some of your favourite on-the-go eats?? Doesn’t have to be just for work!
Coming up: Bodyweight exercises for all your summer travels.
Posted on July 15, 2009, in Uncategorized and tagged Bicycling, chocolate, crack wrap, lunch, pitas, snacks, tortilla, work. Bookmark the permalink. 20 Comments.
Great hill ride. I grunt and groan, too – and talk to myself LOL! My husband thinks I am talking to him sometimes on the hill (not!).
Hills get easier, although they are never really easy.
My favorite on the go eats are the bars, those bars! I can’t give them up. So easy to throw into a bag. I also like bananas if I don’t have to worry about smushing them.
90% chocolate is pretty hardcore to eat by itself!
I forgot – you might want something like this:
JanSport Lunch Break Lunch Box
It’s a small, lunch bag sized insulated bag. You can tuck it in your purse if it is big enough and have yogurt or even hot stuff!
Thanks Lori!! That’s exactly the type of little cooler I’m looking for. I’m going to hit up a few more stores in town, otherwise I’ll just order one online.
great post! when i can’t be near a fridge i tend to stick to pb & j sandwiches or vegetarian ones…and portable fruit like oranges and apples!
oh I love your new blog, and the title, and that cute pic of you “balancing” it all out! lol.
My fav on-the-go meal…Just a simple wrap! Or sushi, but not cut into little pieces…basically eat like a wrap! (which is what it really is)
Wow, you don’t stand up on your bike? I don’t know if I could ever make it up a hill without standing up, but I ride in a pretty high gear and I’m impatient with going up hills slowly.
It’s pretty easy to stand up on your bike, you just want to stay in position and pedal evenly with the bike moving back and forth beneath you. Of course, I probably just think it’s easy because I’ve biked that way my whole life and I don’t have a road bike.
i love this post :) youve given me some great ideas for when i go back to college! i love boiled eggs and would totally pack them as snacks if it wasnt for that smell haha!
i have the same problems as you with getting protein in as snacks which is why i love bars like lunas etc…10g protein AND they taste good? i love them :)
your lunch looks delicious by the way! im not a cheese fan, but those crack wraps look great!
Great ideas for packing lunch/snack! I’m like you, packing a lot of food!!! :D
favorite grab and go snack? fruits/breads/bars!
great post! I have a phobia of food poisoning so packing food to go isn’t easy for me- I have a sandwich box with a built in ice-pack, but generally avoid meat/egg/fish/dairy fillings. Fruit is good- I usually stick with bananas because they are the easiest to eat, or dried fruit…apricots are good. Bars, I like too- Clif are good because I they are bigger than a lot of bars and more durable so I can eat 1/2 for a snack and 1/2 later. Lara bars are also great but I usually opt for higher protein bars if my lunch is low (which it is if I am sticking to non-perishable fillings).
YAY crack wrap! I am not a huge fan of white tortillas, but I made some sweet potato and black bean burritos a while ago and they worked really well with the white variety. And were also good cold for the next day’s lunch-to-go ;)
Great lunch post! When I was in school I always packed my lunch.. so what if i was a nerd?? j/k haha. Anyways my favorite on the go snacks are bars (of course), nuts, dried edamame, muesli, pb sandwiches, and salads!
April, yes, I forgot to mention edamame!! Sometimes I bring the shelled stuff in a little baggie, or I buy pre-packaged containers of it in the pods. Another great protein-filled snack :)
I’m glad you finally had a crack wrap! I haven’t had one in ages but now I’m craving one ;)
Great tips for eating on the go! My favorites are the usuals: veggies/fruit and bars. Instant oatmeal is good in a pinch if you can get hot water.
Ya so guess what? I cannot make pita’s like you. Your pita’s always seem to “hold up” and mine fall apart like wet paper towels.
What type/brand of pita bread do you use!? I actually even BLOGGED about it, lolol…
Hey Nancy! I actually wrote a “pita tutorial” back in the day that you can see here: http://tryingforatri.com/2009/02/15/pita-tutorial/
It helps that I’ve worked in a lot of cafes and have TONS of experience churning out wraps, pitas and paninis at high speeds. I buy Mother Nature’s brand, but Fancy Pokket is pretty good too. Both are New Bruswick-owned companies, so I’m not sure of their availability in Ontario. If all else fails – President’s Choice always has great stuff! :)
Oh, and the key to the sandwich holding up is wrapping it in napkins or something similar. Otherwise you’re likely to get most of your sandwich on your lap :P
I like having nuts in my desk drawer for a quick snack.
I am lucky though, my office has a full kitchen, so I can make stirfrys for my lunch or grilled cheese! :D
SWeeeeeeeettttttt! Thanks Susan. Much appreciated :)
you are seriously the queen of eating on the go. i award you the crown, i don’t think anyone else will object. i have yet to find pitas as massive as the ones you use, i really want to though.. they have them at the pita pit but not in stores! what gives? oh don’t you adore jarlsberg cheese?! nom!! so good. i haven’t had a crack wrap ever, dont know why. probably because i am a protein fiend. go figure. my favorite on the go items include perfect foods bars (new fave, plus 18g of protein is nice) apple & single serving PB or AB, and i am with you on the hard boiled eggs or pepperoni thing! lucky for me i have a full kitchen at the office and i never go anywhere while at work, it is probably a luxury i take for granted at times but it is real convenient! love the new format of having tips and then eats! xo
Yay! I like this post : ) I am actually going to send it to my hubby, because he always packs the same exact lunch everyday, and I think you could teach him a thing or two ;)
You have hit many of my go to snack foods as well. I usually have some sort of rtd meal replacement…like an EAS protein drink for quick easy protein.
These are great! I am not a huge fan of frozen meals so I always have a hard time thinking of something simple, quick and easy for lunch and healthy snack options.
Thank you!!