Lunch tends to be one of those last-minute, throw-together meals for the whole family and when it comes to packing the lunch box, there’s often very little variety. Whether you’re packing for you or the kids, creating delicious and healthy lunches can happen with just a bit of prep work and you can easily have everyone’s lunchboxes filled with nutritious food in 15 minutes or less each day. It doesn’t need to be fancy or over the top, just nutritious so that you have all the support you need for a healthy, focused and energetic day. Read on for some tips and ideas for easy and delicious lunches!

• An ingredient list should be 5 ingredients or less.  The longer the list gets, the easier it is to hide the yucky stuff!  It’s like the “Where’s Waldo” game where there’s so much going on in the photo that it takes a while to find the star of the show!  Just take a peek at one of the “Lunchables” products or a frozen meal, the ingredient list is often longer than your arm!  Focus on whole, fresh foods and when needed, prepackaged foods with less than 5 ingredients.

• Create a picnic-style lunch for fun and ease. For sandwiches, select organic, whole grain bread that hasn’t been genetically modified, bleached and enriched. If it’s PBJ for the kids, buy organic strawberry jam; it may be sweetened with sugar, but the ingredient list usually ends there. You can buy all-natural nut butters that have only one ingredient: nuts!   You could peel an orange, throw in some edamame, and serve guacamole and corn chips as a side. These foods are filled with good fat, fiber, vitamin C and plenty of plant-based nutrients. Invite the kids to participate in meal prep and lunch packing to make it a family affair.

•Double Your Dinner: This is one of the easiest ways to create a healthy lunch. Double your dinner recipe so you have an extra serving for everyone to enjoy the next day. Soups, spaghetti, beans and rice, quinoa, veggies and chicken, and chili are all easy things to pack up for lunch in a thermos. The key is to heat up your thermos before you fill it with food. Pour boiling water into the thermos, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes while you’re warming the meal on the stove. Dump the water out and dish the hot food into the thermos for warm-keeping until the lunch break begins.

This week, challenge yourself to step away from convenience and eat whole, fresh foods. I promise you that once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy to accomplish and you’ll love the variety of delicious food that you get to look forward to each day for lunch!

Making time to pack your lunch during a busy week is an important step to creating long-term health.  Here are some tips to make it an easy habit to get into!

• The first tip is one to always live by: an ingredient list should be 5 ingredients or less.  The longer the list gets, the easier it is to hide the yucky stuff!  It’s like the “Where’s Waldo” game where there’s so much going on in the photo that it takes a while to find the star of the show!  Just take a peek at one of the “Lunchables” products or a frozen meal, the ingredient list is often longer than your arm!  Focus on whole, fresh foods and when needed, prepackaged foods with less than 5 ingredients.

• Create a picnic-style lunch for fun and ease. For sandwiches, select organic, whole grain bread that hasn’t been genetically modified, bleached and enriched. If it’s PBJ for the kids, buy organic strawberry jam; it may be sweetened with sugar, but the ingredient list usually ends there. You can buy all-natural nut butters that have only one ingredient: nuts!   You could peel an orange, throw in some edamame, and serve guacamole and corn chips as a side. These foods are filled with good fat, fiber, vitamin C and plenty of plant-based nutrients. Invite the kids to participate in meal prep and lunch packing to make it a family affair.

•Preparation is key! Before the week begins, create a meal plan for the week and shop ahead of time for the ingredients you’ll need for the weeks’ lunches. Think about putting together meals that balance fruits, vegetables, whole grains and some healthy fats. These lunches don’t have to be fancy or complicated; think simple whole foods without added ingredients and you’ll be on your way to a healthy lunch!