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Lunch in a box
Adopt a healthier lifestyle by tucking in to home-cooked food — even at work
One major resolution that seems to make to almost everyone’s list each year, is healthier habits in a bid to lead healthier lifestyles. In this busy world we live in, where we hardly have time to stop and really set about painstaking self-improvement, it is easier to make the goals than to find the time and motivation to reach them. The craziness of our hectic lives often leaves us drained or with no space to fit in those very things we desire most. If only there were 30 hours in a day!
Big lofty goals like eating well, losing weight and even major fitness feats, all begin with small steps and are reached with successive and consistent ones. They also take lost of planning, discipline and even a little self denial, but all for our own good.
One of the ways we can make those small steps towards better is by cooking our own meals. There are very good reason why nutritionists and fitness experts all agree on this, chief of which is being in control of what you eat and knowing what is in your food. This task may be less daunting for those who are home-based, but for others who work away from, it may be a logistical nightmare. However, if we plan ahead and work efficiently, it is certainly doable.
There is no reason to cook every meal individually unless you have all the time in the world. You can make large batches and reserve them in the fridge or freezer for later consumption. If you have been marred by tasteless boxed lunches and tiffins in the past, here are tips to ensure that you will have meals packed that you will look forward to all week.
Shop once a week.
Do your vegetable, fruit, meat, poultry and fish shopping once a week. If you stock up on pantry staples once per month, it will free you up for shorter market/supermarket trips to fill in the gaps with the perishables weekly or even bi-weekly. Wash and dry your veggies and fruit and pre-chop veggies into separate storage containers for easy access. Do not mix veggies as this will hasten their deterioration. This is the trick to having quick salad twice daily. For even greater convenience you can spend more on pre-chopped veggies if you desire.
Season and portion
This is my all-time favourite trick from my college days. If you season your meats and poultry and put them into portion-sized freezer bags, you will significantly reduce the prep time when you cook them at a later date. If you do not like leftovers at all, this is a way to make cooking daily much more practical. Simply defrost items for the next day’s cooking from the morning before in the fridge and they will be marinating in their seasoning while they defrost.
Cook once per week
For the greatest convenience, after chopping and seasoning, cook your meats and poultry and even some veggies for the week. Steaks, stews, soups, roasts, sausages etc are easy to make in large batches and if you cook a variety of meats and poultry, you will never be tired of eating the same thing everyday. Veggies like spinach, beans, carrots, asparagus, capsicum and onions store well. If you are cooking steaks for later consumption, stop the cooking a temperature below your preference because they will cook further when you reheat them.
Make condiments ahead
Pre-grated cheeses have no flavour. For the real deal, buy blocks of the cheeses you want like Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, cheddar, and Mexican varieties and grate them yourself with ease on a Microplane grater. Store grated cheeses in air tight containers for easy use during week. Make your salad dressings ahead in old jam jars which makes for easy emulsion and storage in the fridge. The vinegar-based ones will last for 2 weeks and the lemon/lime ones for a few days.
Get nice containers
Presentation is everything. Food presented nicely in stylish containers is more attractive and appetising than when thrown around in disposable foil and plastics. Furthermore, nice re-usable containers are environmentally friendly and most cost-effective in the long run. To keep soups, porridges and semi solid foods warm, you can get Alfi Food mugs, which are insulated. Brands like Tupperware and Dexam now do containers specific for salads on the go which have special compartments to store your dressing so you will never have to eat another soggy salad for the rest of your life. Containers with compartments allow you to separate food for optimal texture and taste. You may also look into glass ones for ultra-stylish lunch presentations and use different sizes to separate different foods. Also pick the right insulated lunch bag to suit your style in addition to guaranteeing food safety. There are funky ones from Sistema and ultra-classy ones from BeCool.
· Kari is a Dubai-based journalist and photographer of the food blog chefandsteward.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/ChefandSteward and contact her at:
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