I Don’t Have Time on My Lunch Break to Get Something Healthy to Eat

Many people feel they’re too busy to eat well. Well- how important is it to you? If it is a top priority, you’ll find a way to do it. Regardless of whether you’re a working mom of three, a top executive at your company or a college student working two jobs, you can find the time.

For more than half my life, I’ve been using the following method which has served me quite well and has obviously become second nature: twice per week, I spend 30 minutes to one hour in the kitchen preparing simple, healthy foods. I’ll space out the cooking so that on each occasion I’ll make enough to last me for a few days.

Here’s an example of how one such cooking-hour might pan out:

Wash yams to bake (if you’re an endurance athlete) and put them into the oven to bake in a pan of water.
In another pan, lightly oil a pan with olive oil and place some skinless, boneless chicken breasts in it, then sprinkle with salt & pepper.
(Clean your work surface and wash hands thoroughly before switching from raw poultry to veg preparation!:)
Wash some broccoli, some cauliflower, some spinach and set to steam, one at a time, until lightly cooked. Set aside to cool.
(Check chicken and yams occasionally so as not to overcook).
Wash some apples, pears, oranges, grapes and set aside.
When the yams and chicken are done, take them out of the oven to cool a bit.
Place the veg, chicken, yams & grapes in separate containers and put them in the fridge; keep apples, oranges & pears on the counter in a fruit bowl (not only do they taste good, but they look pretty as well!).

Final result: You have prepared simple, healthy food and it is ready to eat in your refrigerator. Now you can:
-plan your meals for the next few days
-pack your lunch and snack in a matter of minutes
-come home from work and throw a few things together and add whichever spices, seasonings and such that you might fancy, without adding calories and unhealthy fat, and have a meal ready to go immediately
-avoid the dreadful look in the fridge to see lots of healthy, but uncooked things, and, as a result of having had a blood sugar crash after your 4pm scone and coffee-shop ‘milkshake’, decide to go for the chips instead, simply because they’re quick and ready

Try implementing this for a short period of time and, chances are, you’ll see that you don’t really need hours per day or a personal chef to create a healthy eating pattern!

ENJOY!