The best packed lunch is the one you still want when the morning runs late and the office microwave has a queue. Plan around the lunch break you have, then choose the food.
Start with one of these three formats. Repeat it for a few days before adding more recipes to your week.
For a short break: a sandwich and a crisp side
Use the bread you enjoy with a filling such as cooked chicken, tuna salad, or cheese. Pack tomato slices, pickles, and wet dressings separately. Add them at lunchtime so the bread does not spend the morning absorbing liquid.
Bring cucumber spears, radishes, or another crisp vegetable in a small container. A sandwich is easy to pack, but it still needs enough filling and accompaniments to make a lunch that suits your appetite.
If you track carbohydrates, calculate the bread portion from the current label and include the filling, sauce, side, and drink. Two different products sold as low carb bread can have different serving sizes.
Without a microwave: a compartmented lunch box
Pack a protein food, two vegetables you like cold, and a small dip. For example, combine chilled chicken, pepper strips, cucumber, and plain yogurt mixed with lemon and dill. Keep the dip in a leakproof container.
A second option is hard-boiled eggs, cheese, cherry tomatoes, and a portion of nuts. Adjust the amounts for your needs instead of treating every empty compartment as something that must be filled.
With a microwave: a planned dinner portion
Before serving dinner, set aside the amount you want for lunch. A sauced dish often reheats more evenly than a dry piece of meat beside a large pile of vegetables. Keep crisp toppings separate until after heating.
Use suitable containers and follow safe reheating guidance for the food. If several people share the refrigerator, label the container with your name and the storage date.
Pack the storage plan, too
Perishable lunches need refrigeration or effective cold sources. USDA recommends an insulated lunch bag with at least two cold sources. Its bag lunch guidance explains how to transport and store the food.
Keep a fork and napkin with your lunch bag. At the end of the week, notice what came home uneaten. Replace that component before buying another container or writing a more ambitious menu.
Plan the other meals around the same ingredients with our simple low carb meal plan.
Photo: Katrin Gilger, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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