My mother in law recently offered me a cup of yogurt. I had an instant, visceral reaction. Ugh. No. Absolutely not.
You see, I was an elementary school teacher for many, many years. If you are (or know) a teacher, you know that lunch is exactly 30 minutes. Let me break that down for you.
Minutes 1-3: Make sure everyone gets a lunch and displays proper manners. Try, at least.
Minutes 4-5: Check the mailbox, avoid the boss.
Minutes 6-7: Small talk with the office ladies, pick up any work from the copy room.
Scan the room for treats.
Minutes 8-11 Glorious. This may be the only time during the entire day that you can visit the
Ladies' Room. As is the case with most elementary schools, they were designed by morons. Primary Ed is largely a female profession; yet there is no accounting for the population on most campuses. So, prepare to wait in line, or dip into the Men's Room, as I did more often than I would like to admit.
Minute 12-16 Check your emails. Return the call from that helicopter mom.
Minutes 17-29 Eat, you glutton. Catch up with the ladies, swap the stories.
Minute 30 Quick step it to the cafeteria to pick up your sweet, sticky students.
As you can see, there is not much time to enjoy lunch. With that in mind, I ate about a billion cups of yogurt back in the day, and I can't even think about it now without shuddering. The rub here? Yogurt is good for you and crazy low in calories. I find myself (as always) trying to lose a few. We have been traveling so much; it is hard to be disciplined on the road. But when I am home, and The Doc is working those 12-hour days, I am in complete control of my lunchtime destiny. I am trying to keep my lunches under 300 calories, but I also want them to be delicious and easy. Here are my most recent favorites!
Comfort Food
I am not above a frozen entree. Before Spencer came along, Lean Cuisine was in my freezer more often than not. I am a big fan of the Vermont Mac & Cheese. I put a crap ton of black pepper on it and go to town.
Mexican Fix
I am just realizing that sounds like a bad movie title. Real Good Foods advertises low carbs and high protein. These enchiladas are also surprisingly delicious. And small. I always want more.
Simple Ingredients
Wildscape boasts, "A fresh take on frozen food". The Braised Brisket with Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, Sorghum, Red Rice, and Pickled Onions is my favorite. The only knock here is that they are a bit high in calories.
Spiralizing
I am a huge fan of the trickery currently going on in the vegetable world. Rice that is cauliflower? Zucchini masquerading as tots? I am all in if you fool me into thinking I am indulging when in fact I am not. My favorite is to mix sweet potato noodles with a package of tuna. So good and filling.
Please share your go-to healthy lunches with me!
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