Do you often “forget” to pack lunch for work? Or, you were just too busy the night before? Is it because you were feeling too lazy to pack it right before bed?
No matter the reason, not bringing your own lunch at work means spending money on buying junk food that’s bad for your health and productivity. And, who wants low productivity in the workplace? Exactly, no one!
It’s time to stop the excuses and improve your eating habits at work. Packing a good office lunch every day would benefit your health, wallet, and productivity levels. But, what is a good office lunch?
Here are a few tips for packing a good office lunch and three great examples to help you get started.
Sticking to the following three rules will help you pack good lunches for work:
Good office lunches should help you save money, and to achieve that you need to avoid recipes that require too expensive ingredients.
Besides keeping the cost down, you should also try to keep the cooking time as low as possible. Instead of spending hours every night cooking and packing your lunch for the next day, choose recipes that are easy to make.
What’s the purpose of packing office lunch if it’s not good for your health? Try to include as many fresh ingredients as possible by using bento boxes which allow you to pack a variety of foods without touching each other. Don’t forget your protein, grain, and dairy-rich foods.
To sum up, a good office lunch should be easy to make and consist of cost-effective, healthy ingredients including vegetables, fruits, proteins, dairy, and grains.
Here are three examples of easy, healthy, and exciting lunch ideas to pack for work:
What’s better than a tasty and crunchy salad? A salad wrapped in a tortilla! You can turn almost any salad into a wrap whenever you want to avoid using a fork and enjoy something handheld. This salad is full of protein and vegetables, providing the perfect balance you need for your afternoon refuel.
What’s more, it’s easy to make and you can make it in advance and store it in the fridge for a couple of days. Then, all you need to do is wrap it in a tortilla and your office lunch is ready.
Ingredients
(4 servings)
• 4 tortillas
• 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (you can use leftovers)
• 2 stalks diced celery
• 10.5 ounce can mandarin oranges, no-sugar added and drained
• 2 green onions, sliced
• ½ cup carrots, shredded
• ¼ cup almonds, sliced
• 1 cup finely chopped or shredded purple cabbage
• Shredded lettuce
• Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for Sesame Ginger Dressing
• 3 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp. fresh, grated ginger
• 1 ½ tsp. sesame oil
• 1 grated garlic clove
Preparation
First, make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl or lidded jar. You can keep this dressing in the fridge for up to a week.
In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients for the salad and add half a cup of dressing.
On each tortilla, place ¾ cup salad and add some shredded lettuce. Fold it nice and tight.
If you pack it in a bento box, you can put the dressing in a separate container and add it to the salad right before eating.
This sheet-pan meal is fast, easy, tasty, and healthy. It’s the perfect office lunch that will boost your energy and productivity levels at work. It contains protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and lots of flavor. And, it’s very economical. You can use leftover chicken if you have any.
Ingredients
(4 ingredients)
• 3 tbsp. half and half or coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 pound halved small potatoes
• 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
• 1 pound trimmed asparagus
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
Preparation
Preheat oven to 220°C or 425°F.
Place the halved potatoes and asparagus on a large sheet pan, leaving space in the center. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Toss to mix well.
Put the Dijon mustard in a large bowl, and whisk in half and half (or coconut milk), salt and pepper. Add the chicken and mix to combine. Place the chicken in the center of the sheet pan.
Bake until the internal baking temperature of the chicken is 165°F and the potatoes are golden, or for 25 minutes.
Pack the cooked chicken and the vegetables in separate compartments of your bento box. You can even add some fruit for a complete meal.
This satisfying, delicious meal is made with healthy Mediterranean ingredients. It’s fast and easy to prepare and it’s perfect for vegetarians.
Feta cheese and white beans add protein, chopped veggies provide crunch, and artichoke hearts give the meal a salty flavor. To make this office lunch even healthier, use whole wheat pasta.
Ingredients
(8 servings)
• 1 pound dry pasta
• 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 sliced or diced cucumber
• ½ cup black olives, pitted
• ½ red onion, sliced
• ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Ingredients for the Vinaigrette Dressing
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 1 tsp. mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 finely grated or minced clove garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Follow the package instructions to cook your pasta.
In the meantime, make the creamy dressing by whisking the vinaigrette ingredients together.
Drain the cooked pasta and toss with half of the dressing.
Add the cherry tomatoes, arugula, and red onion slices while the pasta is still warm and mix well. This will give them time to cook and soften a little while the pasta cools.
When the pasta is cool, add the feta cheese, olives, and cucumbers and mix to combine. Add the rest of the vinaigrette or pack it in a separate compartment of your bento box.
What is a good office lunch? It’s the one you bring from home without spending too much time or too expensive ingredients making it. A good office lunch should be easy to make and include healthy and available ingredients, like the recipes in this article.
Article Posted In: Office Lunch
Tags: office lunch, healthy lunch in office, healthy office lunch ideas, office lunch menu ideas
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Milena is an ESL teacher with over 7 years of experience in writing articles on her favorite topics - food and health. In her free time, she loves trying out new recipes, reading, listening to music, and walking in nature.
