We’ve all been there. It’s been a busy morning, finishing a project and video conferencing. Now it’s time to have lunch and we open the fridge to stare inside and hope that a meal emerges! Unfortunately, this does not happen and we end up eating some crackers and cheese or weird combinations of whatever food we found – No doubt eating healthy while working from home can be a real challenge.
So, what to eat while working from home? How can we break the habit of eating that boring and innutritious lunch? Here are my top tips to get you inspired with healthy and tasty meals ideas.
Pin this post to read it later ↡
Easy Make-Ahead Components
Preparation and organization are the keys to healthy eating when we are working from home. Spare a few hours during weekends to prepare different components that you’ll mix and match throughout the week.
Here are a few examples:
- A pot of mashed veggies: sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, cauliflower…to serve with meat, fish or eggs.
- A pot of whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, corn…to make salads or eat as a side dish.
- A pot of couscous or pasta: They can be served as a side dish to pair with meat, or used to make salads.
- A jar of dipping sauce: hummus, guacamole, tahini…
- Chopped or grated vegetables: carrots, potato, pepper, zucchini to make salads…store them in a plastic bag or container in the fridge. You can also prepare some sauteed vegetables with herbs and garlic or simply roast them.
- Lean protein: prepare some fish or cubed/shredded chicken. If you are vegetarian, then make some lentils, mushrooms (keep them in the freezer), beans, peas or tofu.
- Some Hard-boiled eggs: keep them stored in the fridge. It is preferable to peel the eggs when you are ready to eat.
No-prep Components To Keep On Hand
Besides the components listed above, it’s a great idea to have some crudités and fruits:
- avocado
- Red or white cabbage
- Lettuce ( wash the leaves, spin them dry and store them in a container. Add a few paper towels to absorb excess moisture)
- Fruits
- Also, don’t forget to get some croutons, bread or tortilla wraps, salad dressing, nuts and seeds to pair them with your different meals.
Make Magic Happen
With all the components you made, you are now ready to create your custom meals. Depending on what you are feeling like each day, you can make sandwiches, salads, bowl meals, toasts, pasta…
↠ You might like: 10 Ways To Create A Happier Workspace At Home
Useful Tools To Help Prep And Store Your Meals
There are many useful tools to help prep and store your meals for the week. These are the tools I use for preparing and storing my make-ahead components.
- Mixer/ Blender/ Food processor: this item is my absolute must-have. It can be used to make soups, smoothies, dips sauces, and much more.
- Salad Spinner: you won’t find another tool that dries washed greens and other vegetables as quickly and efficiently as a salad spinner.
Tip: avoid buying bagged salads as they are washed in chlorine solution. - Chopper/ Slicer/ Dicer: I also highly recommend having a multi-function vegetable, fruit and cheese cutter/ slicer. This tool is easy to use and is a great time-saving gadget.
- See-through containers: It’s always a good idea to get a proper set of food storage containers. You can use them to store your make-ahead components. They should be see-through and come in a variety of sizes.
- Vegetable/ Fruit container: last but not least a good vegetable and fruit container prevents spoiled and wasted raw food. It can be used to store your raw vegetables, leafy greens, and fruits. This type of container regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide, helping food stay fresh longer.
Meal Planning Template
Here is a printable meal planning template to organize your meal plan and shopping lists.
I hope this post has inspired you to eat healthy while working from home and helped you to approach meal prep in a different way. I’d love to know how you mix and match your components. Let me know by commenting below!
Leave a Reply