Lunchtime

A few weeks ago I promised a series of posts discussing what we eat throughout the week.  Once again we are not experts, but since you've been asking I decided to answer.  I've already covered breakfast so let's move onto lunch.  I've heard so many people say that lunch is one of the hardest meals to plan and I agree.  A lot of times it ends up being a hodge podge of whatever is in the fridge or pantry, a sandwich, or maybe even nothing at all.  I know moms are so guilty of the later.  By the time we get all of the tiny mouths fed we really don't want to make anything for ourselves.  We end up eating a hand full of nuts and calling it a meal.  Those of you that work outside of the home have a whole other set of challenges.  I'm sure packing a healthy, but yet tasty meal can seem daunting.  Not to mention those times your coworkers want to go grab a burger.  All of these reasons and more is why lunch is such a struggle for so many of us.  

Once again the solution is somewhat simple... plan, plan, plan!  I usually plan my meals for the next week on Saturday and we do our grocery shopping on Sundays.  I don't plan our lunches as strictly as I do dinner, but I basically make sure I have healthy and easy options to choose from.  Here are my go to meals for lunch.  Keep in mind that this is what Jonathan and I eat.  The girls eat your more typical "kid foods" for lunch such as peanut butter and honey (natural peanut butter, local honey, and whole wheat bread), homemade mac and cheese (not as hard as it sounds), and nitrate free, organic hot dogs with raw milk cheese.  They love to eat any type of fruit as a dessert after lunch.  Back to what Jonathan and I eat... 

• Chicken Sausage with Sautéed veggies.  HEB has several different varieties of natural chicken sausage that we really like are they are very low calorie.  Our current favorite is Feta and Spinach.  We like to eat this with sautéed onions and peppers.  It is so yummy it's hard to believe it's healthy!  
• Egg Salad - I like to boil eggs and make egg salad by just mashing up the eggs with some mustard, chopped dill pickles, natural ham or bacon that's been chopped up, and fresh cracked pepper.  I just eat it out of a bowl with a fork.  You could also eat it with pieces of bell pepper. That would be delicious and a good way to get your veggies in.
• Guacamole and turkey/ham roll ups - We make our own guac when we want it by mashing up an avocado with some lime juice and spices, but you could easily buy some freshly made from your produce section.  Just look at those ingredients and make sure it's all natural.  We like to put this on a piece of ham or turkey with a slice of bell pepper and sometimes some bacon.  4 of these with a side or raw fruits and veggies is an easy and very fresh tasting lunch packed with great nutrients.  
• Sandwiches - Every now and then we'll make a sandwich on whole wheat bread, but we really try to stay away from a lot of breads, pastas, etc especially at lunch.  Not that they're all bad we both just notice our bodies react better when we stay away from them.  Weight loss is so much easier without those things.  
• Leftovers - I've never been a huge fan of leftovers, but this really is a good one.  If you're cooking healthy dinners then eating that for lunch the next day is a wonderful option.  There are many options for meals that make wonderful leftover lunches such as soup and chili.  When we grill a lot in the summer we like to grill more meat than we need and use it the next day for salads or a simple meat and veggie stir fry. 

I feel like this is such a simple list, but we really do try to keep it simple around here.  I'm more likely to follow through with my plan if it's quick and easy.  I know I didn't address the eating out issue because I'm planning on doing that in a whole post of it's own.  Another thing I need to mention is that most of these meals seem fairly small or incomplete.  There are several reasons for that.  We live in a culture where lunch is not complete without chips or fries on the side.  This is such a dangerous thought process.  We should be thinking a meal is not complete without enough veggies.  With all of our meals we either mix our veggies in like with the sausage or on a sandwich, or we eat them on the side (sometimes with hummus) like with the roll ups or the egg salad.  The nutrients found in fruits and vegetables is essential to our health.  It is what allows our bodies to heal themselves on the inside.  Also, these meals are all quite a bit smaller and lower calorie than a typical American lunch, even more so than the ones that would be considered healthy.  We have been trying to space out our calories throughout the day, meaning lunch and dinner are a little smaller, but our snacks are bigger and more nutrient filled.  This is what is best for your metabolism, but once again it may not fit with all lifestyles and schedules so you really have to figure out what works for you and your family.  

I hope you all find this at least somewhat helpful.  Like I said before, the key really is in the planning.  Figure out some quick and healthy go to meals that your family enjoys.  Keep those ingredients on hand and you're one step closer to reaching your goal of a healthy lifestyle!