time and money saving tips for work lunches

In my last post I shared some ideas on how to get organised and save time and money in the kitchen.

So when it comes to work lunches, I want to be organised.

No. Strike that.

I NEED to be organised.

You see the problem is I'm addicted to anything not organic at the moment. And to make matters worse, my office is next door to McDonald's and adjacent to Southland Shopping Centre with two tempting food courts at my finger tips. And did I mention my office is next door to McDonald's?

Yes, organic eating is a huge priority in my life, but I'm still human. I still crave chips and I still buy a not so healthy lunch if I've forgotten to bring my own. 

So as you can tell, I NEED to be organised!

And this is how I do it...

1. Breakfast at the ready!

I love rolled oats and sometimes quinoa but like most people, don't have the time to make it fresh each morning. So on Sunday night I will make a batch and portion it into a few containers. Then during the frantic morning rush, all I have to do is add my milk, cinnamon and heat or take it to work and eat it while my computer loads. Simple! (This also works with the ready made fruit salad and boiled eggs I mentioned in my previous post) 

2. Prepare lunch the night before!

A couple of years ago I started preparing my lunch and snacks the night before. Because even with the best intentions, mornings can be frantic and it's easy to leave the house having skipped breakfast and forgetting to prepare lunch. 

3. Portion snacks once a week!

A few months ago, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, I had a mini meltdown while on the phone to my sister. Always the optimist, she suggested I continue to rethink ways I can cut back on my to do list to give myself more of a break each night. Her first suggestion was to portion my work snacks for the entire week rather than each night. She made a lot of sense this beautiful sister of mine! Now it doesn't sound like much, but remember I eat organically and organic rarely comes in single serve tubs or ready made packets!

Now every Sunday night I set aside 10 minutes to portion out my snacks. 

The yoghurt...

The nuts and seeds...

I also air pop dry corn...

And bake some muffins, muesli bars or banana bread...

One trip to the fridge and pantry. One spoon, knife and chopping board to wash. One bench to wipe. Much more free time of a weeknight and healthy snacks at the ready to curb unhealthy snacking! Then each night all I have to do is make my salad/sandwich/wrap or pack leftovers and I'm done!

4. Keep a stash of healthy snacks at work!
For days I've forgotten my lunch or ploughed through my whole days worth of snacks by 11am, I have a drawer stocked with healthy snacks. Extra nuts, wholegrain crackers, cashew spread, air popped corn, baked beans and extra fruit... Now there's no excuse not to eat healthy!

5. Carry a stash in your handbag!
A zip lock bag of nuts, dried fruit, popcorn, etc. is perfect for snacking on the run and saves you a fortune in trips to the vending machine when out and about. I also carry around my trusty stainless steel drink bottle filled with filtered water to prevent me from paying over $3 for a bottle of water or succumbing to the Coke temptation!

You see, being organised not only equates to health eating and more money in your pocket but also an extra 20-30 minutes to sleep in each morning!

Yippee!

Michelle xx