By: Hayden Thrasher & April D. Davis, RDN, CD, ACSM CEP
Nourishing your body with nutritious food is a key component to get through long, busy and perhaps stressful work days. Use this simple guide to create your own balanced lunch, and you may find you have both increased and sustained energy throughout the day. Check out more quick tips and recipe ideas below!
Other simple ideas:
- Utilize leftovers—repurpose last night’s grilled chicken into today’s stir fry, strawberry & pecan chicken salad, or shredded chicken tacos
- Snack prep—chop bell peppers, carrots, and cucumbers to make mixed veggie snack bags to keep in your fridge for the week. Keep granola bars and mixed nuts in your bag or desk for busy on-the-go days
- Try a themed Bento box, which is a new way to put lunches together other than the standard sandwich and sides. It is both fun to eat and sometimes only requires a toothpick or chopsticks as “utensils”.
- Italian-themed Bento Box: Kalamata olives, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, seasoned mozzarella balls, apricot slices, and halved grapes
- Japanese-themed Bento Box: cooked rice, hard boiled eggs and/or smoked salmon, steamed broccoli pieces, slivered cucumber and carrots, small container of ginger dressing and sesame seeds to sprinkle on top