Back to the Box.

[ofearthandstars]

I've decided that I need to get back to packing my lunches. I was doing really well at this for a while, then I started struggling to fix my lunch in the mornings, because my son is starting school at 8 a.m. now and we have to be ready to go that much earlier. Unfortunately, when I don't pack my lunch, I tend to go out at lunchtime, where lunch is always expensive, and (although I choose vegan fare) it's usually less healthy than what I'd make at home, and it's almost always too much food. I sometimes grab a tupperware/glass container out of the fridge of leftovers, but the problem is that I'm much more likely to want to eat food if it looks appealing/fresh. (I know, this is clearly a first-world problem). So, I think I should get back to packing the box, even if that means packing it in the evening.

The other reason I was hesitant to take my lunch is because my insulating case has gotten realllllly dingy, despite multiple washes/wipe downs. I suppose this is just a matter of being crammed in the communal fridge at work with other food, or in our fridge, where it is sometimes tucked against veggies. Since I don't really want people at work to give me the stink eye over the cleanliness of my bag, I decided to fix that and order a new one.



It was a bit pricey (as are all things Laptop Lunch related), but I figure since I've had the other bag for 6 years, it's okay. I will stick with my current container set because that's how I roll. I realize that I could have been more thrifty by simply moving my boxes to a cloth bag/tote, but since I tend to abuse my lunchbox with containers of salad dressing/dips that sometimes leak, and because I have a long commute, I figure an insulated bag is worth the cost, and if it lasts another 6 years, then it is worth it.

So, on to the packing!



Counterclockwise from top:
-A salad with baby greens, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and diced tofu (with sesame ginger dressing).
-The bright green bit is a spinach wrap with hummus, olives, sundried tomatoes, more baby greens, and a diced pepperocini.
-An apple to get me through the 3:00 slump.
-One of my recently made hemp protein bars.

This may seem like a lot, but it lasts me for a 10-hr day, because I'm a grazer, and I'm often starving by 4:30 p.m. and still have three hours to supper.

~o~
Anyway, if you have good ideas for simple/fast vegan lunches, or even just pretty lunches, let me know. I read bento_picnic but it's been a bit quiet lately. I sometimes dress up my lunches to be more bento-style (instead of stuff crammed into the box); maybe I will try to get back to that, too, to give myself a creative reason to get back to packing my lunch.

Comments

[pretty_panther]

I'm a grazer to so when I was at uni I was always wandering about with tiny boxes of chopped up peppers and apples and carrots and stuff. Eating too much at once makes me feel ill these days so little and often is the way for me. :)

[ofearthandstars]

:) I always feel like I am stuffing my face, but since it's little bits at a time, it works out, I think.

[pinesandmaples]

Ah, the laptop lunch kit! rooibos had one, and I used to pack her lunch every evening when I was putting up dinner things. I'm more of a one-dish person so I take one of our 2 cup Pyrex containers wrapped in a napkin and a piece of fruit.

[ofearthandstars]

I tend to find that the things I cram into one dish are less healthy (leftover pizza, lasagna, etc.) Something about tiny containers makes lunch more exciting. (Okay, so I might be a 10 year old in a 34 year old's body at times.)