Tips for Packing Adult Lunches
Last week I focused on back to school and packing kid’s lunches. This week I am going to talk about adult lunches. There are so many sites out there that have you prep all your meals on Sunday in pretty containers or mason jars. If this works for you then keep it up. If you find it overwhelming or lacking variety, then the tips I have will help you pack your lunch.
1-Think about what you like to eat? Are you fine with eating the same thing every day or do you crave more variety. Do you like a mix of leftovers and sandwiches or would you rather have a quick yogurt and granola at your desk?
2-What are your refrigeration and re-heating capabilities. Does your office have a community refrigerator and/or a microwave. Are they clean enough that you are willing to use them?
3-How are you going to transport your lunch? Is using a recycled grocery sack enough or do you need/want a dedicated lunch box? Do you have a water bottle and a coffee cup?
If you are focusing on sandwiches, then make sure you buy all the sandwich fixings you prefer. If you are focusing on leftovers, you want to make sure you cook enough extra at dinner to plan for lunch leftovers. My husband eats leftovers every day at work, but he prefers to not have the same thing two days in a row, so I stock up leftovers in the freezer and he rotates them throughout the week.
When using a communal microwave and refrigerator, be considerate. Things with strong smells may make your taste buds water, but they can linger in closed spaces. I try to avoid strong smelling fish, heavy garlic and heavy onions. Also- cover your food when you reheat it to avoid leaving splatters in the microwave and if you do splatter, be considerate and wipe it up. Splatters are much easier to clean when they are fresh. Keeping this in mind, pack an extra napkin or paper towel in you lunch just for putting on top of your food as it reheats
When you are packing leftovers, it is wise to cut your food into bite-size pieces. You don’t want to have long pieces of spaghetti or a large piece of steak that takes a special knife to cut in your work lunches. The rule of thumb is if you need more than a butter knife to cut it, it is best to pre-cut before packing. I like to pack them in stack-able plastic container and then my husband transfers them to glass containers to take to work and reheat. Foods that have a sauce like Ginger Pear Chicken work best frozen. https://www.feedyourfamilytonight.com/2019/04/08/ginger-pear-chicken/
Just like the kids- I highly recommend getting a small set of metal silverware to use. It is so much easier to eat with a metal fork and spoon than a flimsy plastic one. Get a few inexpensive ones at the dollar store or an estate sale.
