Tips for Upgrading Your Work Lunch Experience

Eating your lunch at your desk or in your staff lunchroom doesn’t have to be a sad and boring affair. Keep reading for tips on how to better execute your midday routine.

Invest in your lunch experience

Have you ever heard the phrase: ‘You have to spend money to save money’? Well, it applies to work lunches too. One fundamental way to make your homemade work lunch seem as appealing as a ready-made or fast food alternative lies in the presentation. Investing in things like a quality thermos, containers in a variety of sizes, and a temperature controlled, leak-proof lunch bag can mean the difference between a mess of spilt soup and squished sandwiches, and a hearty, appetizing meal.

Invest your time in meal prep

I know it’s not the most popular way to spend a Sunday, but pre-preparing meals in large qualities the weekend before the hectic week begins can save you a ton of work later on. Preparing your meals ahead of time ensures that at the end of a long work day, you head home and relax.

Use a crockpot

If you’re not crazy about the idea of meal prep, a crock pot could end up being a game changer for you. With a crockpot, you don’t have to worry about cooking, you just have to prepare a flexible medley of raw ingredients. Then at work, you’ll have a hot and hearty soup or stew to look forward to.

Use real plates and silverware

Of course, lugging dishes back and forth from work everyday is less than practical, so consider leaving a set of dishware and cutlery at work. This way, you can skip the sad, flimsy plastic fork and knife, saving yourself the nuisance of picking pieces of plastic out of your chicken when your knife inevitably snaps.

Keep additional rations on hand

Let’s face it, there will be days when you simply aren’t nuts about what you’ve packed. Rather than tossing your tasteless quinoa in the trash and heading to McDonald’s, consider taking some extra measures to salvage your homemade meal using salt, pepper, lemon and other spices and flavorings that you can keep either at your desk or labelled in the staff fridge. Alternatively, you can keep meals on hand that don’t go bad and are easy to store and quickly prepare, such as this DIY instant noodle idea.

Supplement with snacks

But not just any snacks. Stay away from processed foods if you can, and opt for snacks that are filling and nutritious, and can be eaten in small portions throughout your day, such as almonds and cheese.