Packing a Real Food Lunch

One of the hardest things about a "whole/real food" diet is eating when out of the house.  When you're home, it's easy enough to control the food in your environment, but when out at the office or running errands, it's too easy to succumb to the vending machine or impulse purchases at the checkout.  In fact, in my first couple of weeks back at work, I totally gained a couple pounds.  I would head down to the cafe, grab a coffee and a pastry and head back to my little corner of campus.  Not good for a real food diet, not good for the wallet, not good for the waistline.

So now that I'm starting to get into a better routine with my schedule, I'm better able to plan ahead. I've made lunches for my husband to take to work for a long time to save money, so it's really no big deal to just make one for me too.  For a long time, I was just packing a sandwich and apple for Hubby, but he's recently decided to go gluten "lite," so I've changed his lunch routine too.  

This week, I've been packing both our lunches in these super cute little Bento boxes.  The sections make it easy to add variety and control portion sizes, something that the average American diet needs a little work in.  I've been able to pack us each a variety of fruits, veggies, protein and carbs thanks to some inexpensive hardware.  The blue one was purchased at BJs as part of 17 piece for about $13.  The red one I grabbed on sale at Target for $4.99.

Hubby's lunch: Applegate Farms salami, gluten free crackers (it looks like a lot, but it's one serving), baby carrots, cucumber slices, a cheese stick, a clementine and dip for the veggies inside the covered dish.  

My lunch: Cucumber slices, baby carrots, Applegate Farms turkey, half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple sprinkled with a little cinnamon sugar.