Let’s face it. You’re busy busy busy! And sometimes you might default to eating in the quickest, easiest, most convenient ways possible. You’re just too busy for anything else! Unfortunately, quick, easy and convenient often translates to unhealthy when it comes to food.

Nobody’s perfect, and it’s understandable to make less than optimal choices from time to time. But if you operate from this mindset for more than a day or two, your health can really begin to suffer, no matter your age or occupation.

Digestion issues can emerge, and your appearance can become lack luster and sallow. Your ability to perform and focus on the task at hand can really suffer, and your moods can swing drastically from one moment to the next. Before you know it, your pants might start fitting tighter and your weight might begin to jump up the scale. It’s amazing that all of this can be the result of eating foods that lack nutrition and life force.

With a little bit of planning, and some creativity to boot, it’s easier than you might think to overcome the “I’m too busy” roadblock. Here are some tips for creating a Healthy Lunch Box for the busy person, young or not so young, on the go:

1. Wash your leafy greens and fruit in advance and store in green bags for easy smoothie and juice preparation and packing. Or, buy pre-washed greens and frozen fruit and cut your prep time in half!
2. Green smoothies and juices travel well. Buy a “shaker bottle”, use a mason jar or a thermos to pack a filling, nutrient rich green smoothie or juice with you for lunch or a snack. The leafy greens will fuel your body and brain for clarity and productivity.
3. Simple, blended, savory soups are as quick and easy to make as smoothies, and they’re just as filling. Use tomato, avocado, bell pepper or carrot, and blend with leafy greens, herbs, spices and salt. Add warm/ hot water and store in a thermos. This is a delicious way to eat while on the go.
4. Make a dip, pâté, or buy organic guacamole for the week and use it to dip chopped vegetables, fill lettuce leaves, or sandwich between cucumber slices, gluten-free/raw crackers or bread.
5. Kale chips, homemade or bought in health food stores, are a fantastic way to round out a lunch or snack box, and a much healthier and satisfying crunchy addition to any meal than traditional fried potato or corn chips.
6. Cook a pot of quinoa at the beginning of the week and top a lunch portion of it with salad fixings, steamed vegetables, cooked beans and/or fresh herbs and tomatoes. Pair it with olive oil and lemon juice or a homemade salad dressing, toss it in a travel container and voila! Lunch!
7. Shred veggies like red or golden beets, carrots, radish, red cabbage, etc. and store in containers in your refrigerator for the week. Grab shredded veg to top salads, fill lettuce leaves, and/or toss with cooked quinoa. Doing this step in advance helps save time during your busy week.
8. Travel nut butter packets are a great way to take a protein rich and satisfying lunch with you anywhere, even on an airplane. Pair raw nut butters with apple slices, celery sticks, or smear on gluten-free/raw crackers. The Artisana brand is my current favorite.
9. Take fruit with you- an apple, pear, orange, bunch of grapes, fresh berries or banana. Easy-peasy on-the-go food goodness.
10. Trail mix is another easy addition to a lunch box. I make my own once a month and store it in a giant jar. Add almonds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, raisins, goji berries, dried mango, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, cashews and more. Grab a handful or two and place in a small jar or baggie.
11. Buy pre-washed greens in bags or boxes for easy salad preparation. My current favorite pre-washed greens are the boxes from “Organic Girl”. The ‘Super Greens’ blend, baby kale box, or the arugula and spinach mix are fantastic ways to mix up a so-so salad lunch into something fabulous. Top with shredded veggies, tomatoes, raw nuts and seeds, homemade dressing, dip or pate, and a delicious lunch, you have!
12. Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go to stay hydrated and avoid misinterpreting hunger for thirst. Find one that you can travel with, that doesn’t leech plastic into your water, and that you like to drink out of. Drinking clean, purified or spring water throughout the day, and add a dash of lemon juice, a fresh mint sprig, or sliced cucumber for a little something extra special.

With all of these ideas, you may be wondering where you can get the recipes for these great ideas. Please check out the quick, easy and delicious recipes on my blog. You’ll be amazed at how easy yet completely gourmet they are, and how good you’ll feel when your lunches truly nourish and feed your body, your brain, and your heart.

Bon Appétit!!