Avoid Brown Bag Boredom: 8 Lunch Tricks We Stole From the Pros

By What To Eat

Published Sep 11, 2014

Who’s ready to #BrownBagit? Taking a step toward a healthier diet is as easy as ditching takeout in favor of a nutritious, homemade lunch. But are you letting an excuse — it’s too time-consuming, you aren’t sure what to pack, or you get bored with the same old sandwich every day — stand in your way? We checked in with our team of experts and got their insider tips on making packing lunch easy, healthy, and tasty. (Hint: it’s all about the prep work!)

Karen Zukowski/Corbis

“Get creative with ordinary ingredients. If you keep containers of Greek yogurt in your fridge, you have a high-protein, versatile ingredient for a lot of different lunches — there’s so much more you can do besides throwing it in your brown bag along with a spoon. I love it mostly for sweet applications, like creating beautiful parfaits for my kids using fruits and nuts or granola. But I also treat it like a cheese: Drizzle the top with herb olive oil and use it on crostini or with crudités, or make it a high-protein, low-fat topping for tacos.”
-Melissa d’Arabian, Celebrity chef and Food Network star of “Ten Dollar Dinners”
“Change the narrow definition of lunch as being a sandwich. Once you make this mental switch, the easiest thing to do is to plan to make more dinner than you will need so you can bring some for the following day’s lunch. Then, package lunch before sitting down to eat dinner: If you make more than you need and put it all out on the table, you will end up eating more than you plan on, which can prevent lunch from happening and cause needless weight gain.”
-Dr. Alan Christianson, Naturopathic Medical Doctor and author of The Adrenal Reset Diet
“Cook a bunch of grilled chicken for the week that you can add to a quick salad, dip in hummus for a snack, or put with frozen veggies. Frozen veggies are great because they last much longer (so you’re not throwing away vegetables) and are super easy to use. Cook the main dish (chicken) ahead and then add to side dishes (veggies) that are quick and easy to cook up!
-Derek Durkin, TRX Instructor at Turnstyle Cycle and Owner of Derek Durkin Fitness
“Spend some time navigating your grocery aisles in search of healthy whole grain breads and wraps. Try to mix it up! Fill your cart with an oat bran wrap, then a spelt flatbread, and maybe a multigrain low-calorie bread. Stock your freezer with breads consisting of a variety of grains, so your body is constantly being introduced to new ingredients, and is forced to vamp up your metabolism as a result!”
-Franci Cohen, MA, personal trainer and certified nutritionist
“Save time and money by cooking one big batch of food and portioning it out for the week. Keep it simple with a protein (chicken, beef, pork, fish), carb (quinoa, sweet potato, rice, pasta), and veggie combo. When preparing, only season with salt and pepper — then experiment with different low-calorie sauces (soy sauce, salsa, mustard, or hot sauce) on different days. You can prepare basically the same meal for all five days, while drastically changing the flavor profile, for very little effort.”
-Tom Duer, NSCA-CSCS certified personal trainer with a B.S. in Nutrition
“Instead of depriving your kids of their favorite foods (which is sure to backfire), aim for what I call lateral shifts, or healthier alternatives to these foods. Portability and convenience become huge factors with kids’ lunches, and you’ve got lots of opportunity for lateral shifts. Here are five of my favorites: Swap the bread for a gluten-free rice wrap; swap processed meats for clean, lean protein; swap the chips for nuts and seeds; swap granola bars for healthy trail mix; swap sugary treats for apple or celery slices with almond butter.
-JJ Virgin, CNS, CHFS, New York Times best-selling author of The Virgin Diet Cookbook

“Prepare several vegetable-based aioli spreads in advance and freeze in ice cube trays. The night before, simply put a frozen aioli cube in the fridge; it will defrost to a spreadable texture by morning. Some great aioli ideas include: Basil or Arugula Aioli (combine fresh basil or arugula in a blender with garlic, lemon juice, pine or walnuts, a healthy oil or avocado as a base, and some fresh herbs and seasonings) or Grilled Red Pepper Aioli (combine leftover grilled bell peppers with low-fat chipotle mayo, and a bit of raw oats to bind the mixture). Then, grab a bread, a protein, precut veggies, and your favorite aioli. Assemble in seconds!”
-Franci Cohen, MA, personal trainer and certified nutritionist
“Precooking staples makes eating whole foods faster than processed foods. Always have some pre-cooked healthy carbs like pinto beans, brown rice, quinoa, or sweet potatoes. Then cook a large batch of protein like wild salmon or organic white meat chicken. Last, prep several vegetables like broccoli, carrots, cabbage, onion, or bok choy. To make a meal, just combine the ingredients, add some seasoning like ginger, garlic, or turmeric, and heat up when ready to serve. Here is a great lunch recipe with no prep needed: Toss 4 ounces precooked chicken breast, ½ a cup of precooked brown rice, 2 cups mixed oriental vegetables, 1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil.