Packed lunch ideas for adults.
All these lunches (and dinners, and breakfasts, and snacks!) for these kids! It's a wonder I have time to eat too! Honestly, I don't always have time - it's often a few bites of what's left on somebody's breakfast plate before I head out door. Or I roll up a piece of ham to eat in the car on the way to school. Sometimes I finish their lunches when I pick them up at school. I know, it's a little sad - but what mom doesn't do this? 'Tis the life I chose!
When I do manage to think ahead enough to pack food for myself too, it sure does make my day easier. If I know I'm going to be out running around all day I will try to pack something to take along for myself. Sometimes it's just a bag of nuts and raisins, sometimes I throw a few slices of ham and cheese and apple in a bag on my way out the door. If there's scrambled eggs left from breakfast I might throw that in a container with a little mayo, and a few crackers in a bag. So, usually, simple stuff.
But sometimes I pack myself an actual lunch. My lunches are usually some kind of leftovers. I eat leftovers for lunch at home practically every day, so when I pack my lunch to take it along it's usually the same kind of stuff, just served up in a nice tidy box and eaten cold (sometimes out of my lap in the car!). Whatever protein I cook for dinner, I always cook extra. It's really easy and quick to whip up a healthy lunch for yourself if you've got cooked chicken or fish in the fridge - and I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have a nice curry chicken salad, or a salmon & kale salad, versus a boring old sandwich! The rest of my lunch is often the same as what I've given the kids - I might fix a salad for myself and a quesadilla for them, but we're all getting the same carrots and apples, or crackers and cheese, or raisins. I'm not making an entirely different lunch, just keeping the main part more grown up friendly.
And as much as I love our Easy Lunchboxes for my kids lunch, I have to say I might love them even more for mine. I don't know about you, but portion control is seriously my biggest food problem. I eat healthy food - I just have a hard time knowing when to stop. Having it all portioned out into this tidy box definitely does help me. It's plenty of food, planned out ahead of time, and it keeps me from going back for more.
Here are just a few of my lunches for you, for a little change of pace from all the kid stuff! (I swear I eat more often than this - I just don't always take a picture of mine - I'll try to be better at that!).
Egg salad - I like it simple, just mayo, salt, pepper. On top of lettuce, with slices of pepperoni, a roma tomato quartered, slices of jack cheese, apricots. The pink container has some extra salt for the tomatoes.
The left is my breakfast - an egg scramble with polish sausage, onions, mushrooms, and spinach. Middle is my lunch - salami, cheddar cheese, boiled egg with salt.
Chicken salad, with leftover roasted chicken, mayo, tarragon, red onion, celery, salt & pepper. Asian pears, rice crackers, cucumbers & guacamole.
Meatballs with sausage, mushrooms and kale. Boiled egg, pickles, almonds, raisins.
Summer roll wraps made with leftovers from a Vietnamese dinner out, with some carrots, apples, and rice crackers.
Tuna salad (albacore, mayo, chopped celery, celery salt, shredded cheese), cucumbers and tomatoes on a bed of iceberg lettuce. Cheese, crackers, oranges.
A quick and easy kale salad - just quickly tossed with sesame oil and Bragg's aminos. With diced tomatoes and bites of a leftover salmon burger. Melon and cheese on the side.
Mine is the one on top. Curry chicken salad again (my favorite!), half an avocado, sliced tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and pears.
Curry chicken salad: leftover roasted chicken, mayo, curry powder and salt. With sliced yellow cucumbers, tomatoes, rice crackers, raisins and macadamia nuts.
Dinner leftovers - seasoned ramen noodles with peppers, carrots and cilantro, a few pieces of baked fish, red peppers, apple, blueberries and grapes.
Little sandwich boxes are the perfect size for a small meal. This was a protein packed, low carb, power lunch. Slices of ham spread with cheese and rolled around a pickled asparagus, with boiled egg, marinated olives.
Homemade crepes leftover from a weekend breakfast, with cream cheese and jam, sweet red peppers, kale chips, apples
I hope seeing some of my lunches helps give you a few ideas. It's important to take care of yourself too!
If you're wondering where I get the stuff I use to pack my lunches with - look no further, I've gathered them all up in one easy place for you.