Inside My Lunchbox + Carrying Food to Work

With all of my prepping for the week, I fully intend to bring my lunch to work 4 out of 5 days per week. I usually allow myself a treat on Friday, like a Chipotle bowl or a big chopped salad from the local market.

To be honest, I don't have much variety in what I bring to work. I typically pack up the following for the day:

breakfast - oatmeal, a make ahead burrito, an egg sandwich or frittata

lunch - a salad, an apple with a scoop of peanut butter and a string cheese

snack - a banana, cut up with a scoop of peanut butter

Usually this gets me through the day without a problem! But it isn't much diversity admittedly.

I cart it all to the office in my trusty little Built lunchbag.

I love this thing. It's a neoprene material and that means it's sturdy and stretchy. It usually fits all of my breakfast and lunch goodies. Let's take a peek inside at yesterday's lunch:

The only thing not pictured is a tiny Tupperware with about 2 Tbsp of peanut butter inside. I think the key for me is having lots of sizes of Tupperwares. I use at least 3 per day (for salad, dressing and pb) but sometimes more if I decided to bring carrots and hummus, for example. I love having some really small ones which take up very little space in the bag.

Sure, I probably look incredibly dorky toting a lunchbox down the street. In fact, I pass by a church preschool on my walk to work and sometimes I feel like I'd fit right in :)

But in all honesty, this totally works for me. It's usually not super heavy. The handle slides over my wrist so that I can still hold onto the handrail on the train or put my hand in my pocket while walking. And for those days when I want more of a shoulder situation? I simply pack up the lunchbox and drop it into a tote bag, like my purple Burberry sweetie:

I especially use this guy when I also want to bring a pair of heels to the office (though admittedly I keep like 3 pairs of shoes at work at all times...don't tell Shaun because he already thinks my collection is out of control :)). I simply throw in the lunchbag and heels and I'm good to go. Usually I don't find it to be too heavy to carry this on one shoulder and my purse (with wallet, kindle, lipstick(s), lip balm(s) and more) on the other.

So that's how I get my daily lunch done and my tips for getting it all to the office unscathed. So far, so good!

Questions of the Day:

Do you bring lunch to work?

How do you pack it up and cart it around?

The Big Salad

Oh hi.

My week is completely thrown off by being away all weekend. Here I was on my soapbox, telling everyone to spend time prepping for the week ahead (by planning, shopping and cooking), and yet here I am now, on a Tuesday morning with...ahem...nothing prepped for the week.

Yeah.

It happens.

Luckily, we now have stocked fridge and all of the components for my daily eats...they just aren't quite put together. It definitely makes me realize that the times when I do have everything prepped is...well...much better.

One of my new favorite items to prep for the week is The Big Salad. It's exactly that...one big ol' salad kept in a big ol' bowl that I take from each day for my lunch. Talk about a time saver. I load up a giant container with my salad full of goodies and it makes me excited to eat come lunch time. Not to mention the time savings in the morning. Love The Big Salad. Any Seinfeld fans out there?

Love it.

Anyhow, I wanted to show you how my big salad comes together each week. We've definitely been varying the salad extras each week, but the one I'm about to show you is my favorite to date.

It all starts with deciding what you actually want in your salad and adding those to your detailed grocery list.

My salads usually include mixed greens (lately romaine and baby spinach), protein (chicken or hard boiled egg), vegetables (red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, etc), cheese (feta, blue or goat), and fun extras (like crispy turkey bacon, olives, chopped apple or dried cranberries).

I start by roasting up some chicken breasts. I drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper...and sometimes paprika and thyme. Once cooked through, I let cool completely and dice.

Meanwhile, I start chopping up some vegetables.

I add them to a big red bowl. Next comes the extras. This time, it's olives and feta.

I load the lettuce on top. 2 pre-chopped, pre-washed bags. Easy.

On this particular occasion when I snapped the photo, I had split it into 2 salads because Shaun and I each wanted different kinds. When the chicken is cooled and diced, I add it to the mix. I cover the big bowl and shake what my momma gave me. Serious shakage happening.

I whip up a quick dressing and store in a jar. Usually vinegar (red or white wine), dijon mustard and olive oil. Simple and works every time.

When it's time to leave in the morning, I simply portion it out into a large, totable container. I bring some dressing in a separate container. If I'm adding an apple, I bring that with me and chop it up right before eating.

At the office, I pour into a bowl. Makes it feel a lil' special. Drizzle with dressing. Eat.

Now, I will say that after a few days, the salad does get slightly wilty. I actually like it this way! The flavor is fantastic. If you aren't so down with that, then I'd say to leave the cucumbers separately and add them in on the day of eating. Otherwise, it should be good to go!

So that's how I've been getting down with salad lately. Exciting times, my friends!

But in all seriousness, having a lunch that is delicious, healthy and carefully prepared makes me excited to eat lunch everyday...and when it comes to salad - and bringing lunch from home for that matter - being excited about my food makes all the difference in the world!

Questions of the Day:

Do you do The Big Salad?

What are your favorite add-ins?

Weekend Getaway

This weekend was simultaneously awesome and exhausting. I can't believe that Monday is already here. On Friday, I took a half day from work and took Shaun to Atlantic City as part of his 30th birthday present. We stayed at Harrah's for two nights. It was SUCH a great getaway!

Neither of us has spent much time in AC (as we call it 'round these parts) aside from super partying at bachelorette and bachelor parties. It was so nice to discover that it's a great spot for a weekend away with gorgeous hotels, beach, some drinking and gambling, great restaurants, and shows. Though we stayed at Harrah's, we also went over to The Borgata one evening, and spent Saturday wandering around the boardwalk, including checking out the brand new Revel Resort, which was simply A-mazing. I can't wait to go back!

On Sunday, we hightailed it outta dodge to get back and celebrate Mother's Day with the great Moms in our lives! Brunch with my family and dinner with Shaun's.

All in all, a fantastic weekend that has left me semi-depressed that Monday has arrived and exhausted from definitely not enough sleep :) Here's our weekend in pictures to give you a peek!

Harrah's in the evening time

Biggest cakes ever @ Sammy D's in Harrah's

Boardwalk lunch

Hanging @ Revel

Day drinks. Always important while on vacation.

Oysters. Yum.

Dinner, piano and drinks @ Dock's Oyster House

Mother's Day brunch @ McCloone's Rum Runner

So that's how we spent the weekend. Whew!

Hope you all have a great Monday and a great week!

Questions of the Day:

How did you spend the weekend?

Have you ever gone on a little weekend getaway? Where to?