Lunch It, Punch It

Snack Ideas by Jillian Michaels

2013-05-20T00:33:06Z

Each Monday I look forward to a new Jillian Michaels’ podcast. It’s not all about fitness and training, she talks about nutrition, too. In her April 1, 2013 podcast she ran down her list of snacks, although she mentioned she eats the same couple of options.

This site celebrates lunch packing, Jillian is big on eating organic so I didn’t list too many specifics and expect readers will make adjustments so her suggestions fit their eating lifestyle.

Jillian Michaels’ Snack Ideas

Any fruit
Freeze-dry fruit – if you want an option you can keep in your desk drawer
Vegetables with hummus, salsa, dip
Hard boil eggs – when her producer said no one in your office will like you, she said to devil them
Raw/dry-roasted flavored nuts – she likes chili almonds from her farmers’ market, but I’m sure you can find recipes online
Pop chips – I think she’s an investor in this brand
Yogurt
Cheese and whole grain crackers
Jerky – look for MSG-free, organic
Lunch meat

Kind Snack bars

2013-05-14T01:01:48Z

Every once in a while I stumble upon a product and I’m completely taken with it. The latest is Kind Snacks. I really like that they’re responsive on social media, too.

I was looking for something with fewer ingredients than the Luna bars. Since I could identify the ingredients in Kind Snacks and didn’t need a magnifying glass to see the whole list of tiny type, I bought some. My first time, I bought Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt and Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate and love them.

They’re not sold in boxes, just single bars and depending on your point of view the cost might be steep (about $1.25-$1.49/per bar) but they’re not something I eat every day. I’m sure you can find copycat recipes, if that’s your thing.

Edited to Add: check it out, I’ve posted my love of Kind Snacks and they noticed! The Cincinnati rep contacted me and asked me to meet her, I did and walked off with a bag of products. All flavors I haven’t tried yet, plus granola. For all those people who question why we share what we love on social media, sometimes we connect with other fans of a product and sometimes we connect with the brand itself.

Punching out for Lunch

2013-04-23T18:49:30Z

Admittedly, I forget that because I don’t always have the opportunity to punch out after packing my lunch ten times, doesn’t mean others are in the same boat. I’m of the opinion if you’re going to punch out, might as well get the most bang for your buck.

If you live in the Cincinnati area, April 24 you can get a small fresh-cut fry at Penn Station East Coast Subs. This tip is dedicated to The Lin and FM, who started this site with me, we used to take lunch meetings at our local Penn Station!

On May 3, if you dress up like, Big Boy, you can receive a free big boy sandwich when you dine in. Frisch’s offers a downloadable costume if you don’t think you can add red duct tape squares to your white pants.

While I’m on the topic of lunch out, I got an email about new salads at Chick-fil-a. I’m curious about them because the calorie count doesn’t look too outrageous for something with chicken and salad dressing, but I can’t tell the size. If anyone tries on after their April 29 debut, let me know what you think.

Core Bamboo Utensils

2013-04-11T15:15:09Z

During my childhood, my mom had a few watermelon decorations in our kitchen. Soon watermelons became the thing people associated with my mom and gave her watermelon knick-knacks for birthdays and holidays. The thing is, she’s not a fan of clutter, but she is nice so she felt obligated to keep and display all her watermelon kitsch.

In the few years I’ve written this blog, I’m associated with packed lunches. Friends let me know when they packed lunches, if they’re using a new product they love or found a new recipe. I love it!

I’m a bit like my mom in that I shun clutter, but luckily any lunch packing products I get are useful! This past birthday, my sister gave me a monogrammed lunch bag, friends gave my a lunch pot and salad dressing containers and my brother gave me Core bamboo utensils. while pretty, I cannot say I have used them everyday because I’m in the habit of packing silverware. On days I forget it is great to have backup in my desk drawer and not use single-use plastic throw away.

You cannot put bamboo in the dishwasher, but I don’t mind hand washing. From their website, I found Core makes many other kitchen and home products and seen these products in one of Cincinnati’s local, green shops.

I know in April, increased thought is given to how we can reduce our carbon footprint, when packing lunches or picnics, bamboo is a great alternative to plastic.

Meal Prep Help

2013-03-21T01:26:29Z

I often hear that lunch packing is hard and I agree if you don’t plan ahead. There are plenty of us who pack the night before, but who take it one step further and meal prep for more than one day maybe the week. This might be for packed lunches and/or dinners.

Some do it because of time constraints while others are working on fitness goals. Whatever the case the following posts can help you make the most of your time and resources so you can be a successful lunch packer.

Please do not be discouraged if the meals are not what you would like to eat. Make meals you will eat!

Prep Once, Eat Healthy All Week – provides a shopping list, prep tips and a list of recipes

How to Meal Prep Like a Champ – nice post that lays out all her steps to meal prep.

Side note: I follow her on Instagram and learned she was featured in Fitness so then I had to find the magazine. So cool to read her story, how she’s turned her life around and made good on a promise to her mom.

Sunday Night Prep to Eat Clean All Week – she talks about cleaning out the fridge, shopping to making and storing meals.

7 Step Meal Prep to Save Time – if you need a step-by-step guide this post might help

How I Prep Clean Eats for the Week – she lays out what she eats each day, but does meal prep twice a week

My fridge weekly!

French Toast Peanut Butter & Jelly

2013-03-18T00:04:03Z

I found a new light cookbook at the library and there is a whole section on sandwiches and while I haven’t gotten very far, the one that caught my eye was French Toast Peanut Butter & Jelly!

It is pretty much what you think, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Make french toast batter and mix the two. Warm, gooey and delicious!

Then I made more, sprinkled them with powdered sugar and packed them up for lunch. Of course, eating them cold meant they weren’t gooey and warm, but they were still delicious!

Quick Vegetable Frittata

2013-03-06T02:14:03Z

Did you ever have breakfast for dinner? Growing up and all the way through college, eating eggs, pancakes, syrup and bacon at a time of day other than first thing in the morning was a major treat and usually ended up being an ultra-indulgent meal. For some reason, eating breakfast at the wrong time of day tastes a dozen times better than eating it in the morning!

So who says this breakfast for dinner trend needs to stop when you’re an adult? There are plenty of healthy, easy breakfast recipes out there that you can feel good about making yourself for a wholesome dinner and that can be easily reheated for filling, hearty and healthy lunches that are a lot more memorable than your average PB&J. Breakfast foods are great at any time of day and are absolutely capable of being repurposed into portable lunch options.

This quick vegetable frittata is the perfect meal to make for a low-calorie dinner that translates into a great healthy lunch packed with protein to get you through your day. It’s made with egg substitute, a gluten-free food that is low in fat and calories, and incorporates lots of good-for-you vegetables. This frittata is a healthy, grown-up twist on the classic breakfast for dinner or lunch; feel free to add in other veggies, spices, or salsa on the top to suit your tastes.

Quick Vegetable Frittata

Prep Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min
Serves: 4 | Calories per Serving: 105

Ingredients
PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
3/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt’s® Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 carton (16 oz each) Egg Beaters® Original

Directions

Spray a medium skillet with an ovenproof handle with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add onion
and cook for 3 minutes until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in spinach, garlic and pepper; cook
for 2-3 more minutes or until spinach wilts. Stir in drained tomatoes and vinegar.

Pour Egg Beaters evenly over spinach mixture and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover skillet with a
lid and cook for 10 minutes or until the top of the frittata is almost set. Meanwhile, preheat your broiler.

Remove lid and place skillet under the broiler. Broil for 2 minutes or just until the top is set. Cut into 4
wedges.

This is a guest post on behalf of Egg Beaters®. For more healthy breakfast-for-dinner, lunch or brunch recipes, visit www.eggbeaters.com.

Lented Packed Lunches

2013-03-06T02:08:39Z

It’s that time of year, when Catholic school children are probably eating fish sticks, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese pizza or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Just because I pack a lunch doesn’t mean I cannot enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich. As previously mentioned, I microwave these babies for 15 seconds and forget that the bread isn’t crispy. To me, it’s better than a cold salad.

I checked in with my nephew who reported he is taking PB&J, apple sauce and a granola bar for lunch. I do believe that was the same lunch he was eating in September.

When it comes to packed lunches some of us are creatures of habit. He told me the best lunch he had recently was Valentine’s Day when he found a tiny chocolate bar in his lunch. I would be delighted with such a treat, too!

5B Blog Conference in Cincinnati

2013-03-06T02:08:44Z

For the next two weeks, I’ll be packing my lunch with a plan to lunch out on Saturday, February 16 at one of Cincinnati food trucks.

On that day, I will be presenting at 5B: Believers in Better Beer, Blogging and Bytes. The one-day blog conference in Cincinnati is set up with three tracks (beer, food, general blogging). The sessions should appeal to many: photography, working with PR, Google+, blog to book, beer reviews, social media and breweries and more (check the schedule to see what session I’m presenting).

Tickets for 5B cost $60 and you get admission to four events, yes they include beer:
*BeerFest Friday 2/15 – a beer festival to sample tons of beers
*5B Blog Conference on Saturday 2/16
*Lunch beer tasting + locals tasting from 4:00-6:00pm Saturday 2/16
*Connoisseur session Saturday 2/16 (reception area featuring appetizer bites from 12 local chef driven restaurants each paired with a rare/super premium beer and private restrooms)

I’ve recommended this conference for any blogger who likes networking, I’m not a beer blogger. I talk about pack lunches and my other blog is a hodge-podge of posts. My point? This conference welcomes me, so be assured you’re welcome too!

2012 was the first year and if you want a recap, you can visit my other blog, udandi, for the low down on the 2012 5B blog conference.

If you’re ready to meet me, er, you’re ready for a fun blog conference, visit the registration page and sign up! Note: If you’re a newer blogger where it says you need to have 8 posts, say you’re a friend of Lunch It Punch It and that will be waived.

I look forward to meeting you!

Lunch Packer Problems

2013-01-28T01:40:46Z

I’m talking serious problems here, my apple is stuck in the slicer and I had to get a *gasp* knife of all things to cut this giant organic apple, but it was worth it because it was a delicious honeycrisp.

If you want to learn all about honeycrisp apples, there’s a site for it. It was discovered at the University of Minnesota as part of an apple breeding program. I can only hope that’s is a trivia question one day.