Planned Lunch

Even though my day has been super busy today, it’s definitely better than yesterday. The weather is better, my coffee has kicked in, and I’m on a roll today!

Plus, packing lunch last night was extremely easy since I finally did a little meal prep and planning this weekend.

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Even just a few months ago, I was doing really good with planning ahead and having foods ready during the week.

I guess between weekend trips to see family, the holidays, and our trip overseas, I lost my organizational skills in this area.

We always have food to eat, but I didn’t have extra lunch options ready like I normally do.

So – this weekend, I buckled down during our rainy Sunday afternoon and got back to it!

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While we often have dinner leftovers to bring for lunches, I love having something in the fridge just in case. Sandwiches just don’t do it for me (unless they’re freshly made) and having something as simple as a grain salad gives me a jump start on those days when we have no other options.

This weekend, I cooked 1 cup of oat groats in a mix of water and vegetable broth with some red onion, garlic, and carrot. After the grains were cooked, I stirred in some fresh parsley, salt, pepper, and 1 can of chickpeas.

So easy! Since I’m saving the pasta dish we had last night for leftovers tonight, I just grabbed a container of this for lunch today along with the green beans and peppers from last night’s meal.

While this was cooking Sunday afternoon, I also chopped up some carrots and celery so Nick and I could grab them in the mornings to pack with some hummus for lunch or snacks, too. Not having to chop veggies every night is great (mostly because I forget), and now we have fresh veggies for the whole week!

 

Do you meal plan or prep on the weekends? What are your best tips?

I love chopping veggies on the weekend. That can take up so much time each night, and it’s easy to just keep the cutting board out and do everything at once.

 

15 comments

  1. I love to roast a bunch of veggies on Sunday night. Makes for easier dinners and lunches throughout the week!

  2. You are the master at meal prepping. I’m so much more on a whim. I still cant decide what I want for lunch!

  3. That pasta dish sounds great!!! I usually have a general idea of dinners for the week but I go with what I’m craving for lunches.

  4. I usually plan what I am going to have for dinner for the week because it makes grocery shopping easier – and much less random! I like to wash and prep vegetables on the weekend too. It saves a ton of time later in the week.

  5. I’m terrible about meal planning! I tried one of those website where it gives your 7 dinners and creates a grocery list, but so many of the ingredients were processed that I stopped the service after just a couple of weeks.

  6. I love how planned out some of your meals are :) This looks great!

  7. I pull out stuff for dinners ahead of time. But since I can go home for lunch most days I don’t pre prep lunches.

  8. In the winter I often make a big pot of soup or stew on a Sunday for the week, and sometimes I cook up pots of grains to use for hot cereal. Plus I use a bread machine, so on the weekends I’ll bake bread to keep us all week.

    I also almost always make my lunches the night before, so I have one less thing to think about before work.

  9. I like giving myself a theme for planning – like using my magazines one week, or all cookbooks one week, or doing a week of our favorite meals. If I don’t plan we don’t do a good job of eating healthy.

  10. i really have to agree with the previous comment – if i don’t plan, i eat really unhealthy. I really don’t do the best job of planning ahead, it takes some time – buts its worth it because it makes meal-times throughout the week so much easier!

  11. I usually eat sandwiches for lunch. I usually save leftovers for the nights that I don’t feel like cooking dinner. I never prep meals on the weekend. I really should do that sometimes though, it would make things so much easier!

  12. I try to do something – like make one gigantic meal that’s easy to divvy up into containers for lunches, but they NEVER last as long as I think they will! We’re a greedy bunch I guess!

  13. I always feel so much better when I can plan out the entire week of meals. Some weeks, I even go as far as planning out breakfast and lunch too. I always feel so together when I know that at least have the option of healthy meals for every single day.

    This lunch looks wonderful. Totally filling and delicious! :)

  14. Good tip about cutting veggies all at once. Every time I need to cutting board, it’s sitting in the dishwasher waiting to be cleaned!

  15. It’s always nice to know there’s food in the fridge to grab–that way you know you won’t be grabbing junk food either!

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