I know you don't like thinking about lunch. No one does. We're like, what the heck do we eat? No dairy. No gluten. No nightshades. No fun. Ugh. What about intermittent fasting? Maybe I will be super hot if I skip lunch. Yes?
No, dang it. You know better than that. Please eat food.
Let us consider this scenario: You eat a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Ah, the 80's. Bring it back, baby.
The peanuts cause a slight antigenic reaction in your body and the jelly spikes your blood sugar. You go from starving to pleasantly buzzed from sugar and wheat. But then your #bloodsugar drops, your white blood cells mobilize to increase inflammation, and your head drops with #exhaustion on your desk or homeschool table or seatbelt. You are so sleepy. But you are used to it. No big deal.
Girls, there is an alternative. Lunch, as I tell my clients, is not sexy. Lunch is truly a power meal, meant to fuel you until dinner time. The goals of lunch?
1. Energy
2. Regulated Blood Sugar
3. Satiety
4. Lack of Consequential Cravings
5. Optimal Micronutrient Assimilation
Instead of winging it every day and hoping for the best, I submit the following for your consideration:
A #MealPlan.
Lunch is necessary for everyone. It is the time to nourish, refuel, pause, give thanks, and feed the body. I guarantee you: if you skip #lunch, you will find yourself knee deep in crappy tortilla chips come 4 pm. Do yourself a favor and prepare a week's worth of #lunches for yourself. You do it for your children. Do it for yourself.
Make your #shoppinglist and prepare. I like to use Mason jars for salads. Grab a few 32 oz jars and put all of your veggies in it and store it in the fridge. Fasten the lid on tightly and the #veggies will keep until you are ready for your lunch.
On the day you make your salad, also prepare the Nourish and Reset Soup, Salad Dressing, and Mediterranean Lentil Salad. Batch cooking is a gift you give yourself.
Did it help you to batch cook breakfast last week? Do the same thing this week.
Batch Cooking Directions: Time Spent- 60 minutes
1. Shred all of the rotisserie #chicken. You get bonus points if you use the carcasses for homemade bone broth. Simply put the chicken bones into your dutch oven and cover with water. Add the apple cider vinegar and optional veggies. Bring to a boil and then simmer on the lowest stove setting overnight. In the morning, strain and discard the bones. Portion out the broth into quart sized ziplock freezer bags and place in freezer.
2. Saute your aromatic #vegetables and make your Nourish and Reset Soup. This will store in the refrigerator for a few days, but I like to make a double batch and when it cools, portion it out into quart sized freezer bags. It will be at the ready for you when you need lunch.
3. Clean out your #skillet and prepare to cook for the Mediterranean Lentil Salad. I promise, this dish gets better after it sits for a day or two. Make it and portion it out into Mason jars to get ready for lunch this coming week.
4. Wash and chop all of your veggies and get them ready for your Mason Jar Salads. Layer #lettuce and veggies into your Mason Jars. Since you have herbs for the Lentil Salad, why don't you throw a few handfuls into your salad jars? They will perk up your lunches.
5. Chop your lunchmeat and store in ziplock bags. Stuff into the top of your mason jars.
6. Make your RM Salad Dressing. Make a double or triple batch so you can use it for lunches and dinners. Play around with the ratios and herbs and vinegar types. Portion out into mini ziplock bags and store in the top of your mason jars as well.
Now you are ready for an entire week's worth of lunches. Great job, you!
To your lunchtime health-
Jennifer