Whole30 Day 22 Packed Lunches

I have talked about it before, but I cannot stress enough how making your own lunches or whatever meal you take with you on the go helps you stay on track! You know what's going into your meal and how much of everything you are eating.

I used to tell myself, I can't possibly pack myself a healthy lunch because there are so many components and that would mean bringing a ton of containers with me and geez it's so much work! Thank goodness for Pinterest and others who have felt my struggle! Ziplock has compartment containers but I am trying dwindle my plastic ware down and up my lightweight stainless steel or glass containers for easy travel.

Enter Ziplock's new glass compartment containers, my love of Pyrex and a find through Nom Nom Paleo- LunchBots. All BPA free, the stainless steel containers are non breakable. I find that the metal and glass containers are much easier to clean which is a huge thing for Hess and I- we usually flip a coin to see who empties the dishwasher. With the different compartments I find that I can bring a variety of food and don't have to worry about anything getting soggy before I'm ready to eat.

Packed lunches are a great way to cut your cravings and snacking habits during the work day. Pinterest has great ideas for mason jar to go salads and creative ways to pack foods if you don't have multiple compartment containers. And there are so many variations, it doesn't just have to be sandwiches and fruit. One of my favorite packed lunches (and it's an awesome picnic go to as well):

All paleo except the block of cheese and chocolate bars.

Curry Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
4 roasted chicken thighs, seasoned
2 tbsp paleo mayo (you can always add more if needed)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup sugar-free crasins
1 celery stalk small diced
1/2 white onion small diced
1/2 green apple small diced
1/4 cup walnuts
Romaine lettuce washed and leaves intact

Pull roasted chicken a part into a bowl and add all the other ingredients except the lettuce. Mix it all together, adjusting the seasoning as necessary. Cover the bowl and let marinate for a couple of hours. When you're ready, take a spoonful and wrap it up with a piece of lettuce or just eat it by the spoonful!

For packed lunches, I usually take 2 servings worth of chicken salad, the lettuce leaves, carrot and celery sticks and some sliced kiwis or berries. Having so many options is great, especially since I cannot eat sandwiches with hearty delicious bread. My job also does not always allow me the time to take a full lunch so it's nice to be able to pack it back up if necessary. Then I know I still have some food rather than telling myself oh I'll just grab a snack from the restaurant, which may not always be the healthiest.

And as far as making food ahead of time and thinking to myself that making my own lunch was such a time consumer, it actually frees up part of my day. Knowing that I have my lunch and dinner ready and packed up rather than thinking about it minutes before heading out the door is a time saver. And being on paleo I do a lot of prepping at the beginning of the week so it's easy to incorporate each meal.

Tip for the Day: Don't get bored with your food! If you roast an entire pork shoulder there are so many different things you can make- tacos, use it as a pizza topping, salads, stir fry it up. When you get bored with your food you regress to what is easy and may not as healthy.