14 Ways to Pack a Better Lunch
Tired of soggy salads?
Cracked tortillas?
Chewy pasta?
I’ve got just the lunch box hack for you! (Plus 5 other ways to improve your workweek lunch)
Pack soups and smoothies in a thermos. (For smoothies, put your thermos in the freezer the night before. That way it’ll be extra cold when you pour your smoothie in.)
Use shampoo bottles (cleaned really, really well, or buy new ones) to tote dressings and other sauces. (These work great because you can still squeeze and drizzle!)
Assemble your salad in a mason jar.
Here’s how to do it in 3 easy steps:
1. Start with your dressing (this way your salad won’t get soggy!)
2. Next, add your toppings (i.e. beans, veggies, grains, etc.)
3. Top off your salad in a jar with greens
Chill your salad until ready to eat, then dump the contents out on a plate.
A couple of tips…
Pack your ingredients well! You don’t want a ton of extra space because condensation will find its way in and could make your vegetables soggy.
You can also make your salads ahead of time so all you have to do during the workweek is grab and go.
If you don’t use a jar, you can also put a napkin or paper towel over your salad greens inside a container to catch the moisture.
You can also store the “insides” of your burrito or wrap in a mason jar and then let it plop out onto the tortilla when you’re ready to eat!
When reheating pasta add 1-2 tbsp of sauce or salsa (everyone keeps a jar of salsa at work, right?). You can also reheat covered with a damp paper towel to help lock in moisture.
No microwave? Get a lunch crockpot ($20) -- it’s like a lunchbox that plugs in!
Cook a big batch of quinoa and store it in a tupperware container in the fridge at home or work. Scoop some out every day as your side, or even serve your lunch over it (repurpose leftovers as a new “salad”). You can toss quinoa into soups, too! Unlike rice and other grains, you’ll find quinoa holds up all week. Plus it goes with everything!
Or cook a big batch of rice and freeze individual servings for grab and go. (Plus your rice will work as a cooler pack for your lunch--usually thawing by itself in time for lunch too!)
A bag of frozen veggies or fruits can also work as a cooler pack.
Store tortillas in the freezer. Pull out on demand, wrap in a damp paper towel and reheat for 10 seconds (5-10 more seconds if necessary). Steamed and fresh!
You can also keep a loaf of bread at work (in the freezer for max freshness!) to assemble there rather than toting and breaking up the components.
Of course the biggest hump of all is actually making your lunch :)
Dedicate time on Sunday to do lunch prep work (or double up dinner so you always have leftovers for lunch the next day -- a popular strategy with singles and couples using the family meal plans!)
You can also keep it super simple by simmering a big pot of soup you eat all week, or once a month making 30 burritos and freezing them, grabbing one each day. (Or store them at work if no one will complain -- that way you only have to remember one day a month!)
Speaking of remembering, set an alarm on your phone to buzz about the time you leave for work -- that way you’ll never forget your lunch.
If you found any of these tips helpful…
please leave a comment below.
Your comments and likes help me know I’m doing a good job :)
And if you decide to try any of these new tricks, leave a comment letting me know which ones!
Happy lunching!
P.S. To make a non-soggy PB&J, spread a thin layer of peanut butter on both slices of bread, then put the jelly on top. The pb protects the bread from getting soggy :)
P.P.S. According to TIME, you’ll save $2,500/yr if you pack a lunch. That’s a trip to Hawaii!
