Nutritioulicious Meals at Work
By Jo Bartell
A friend of mine who has been working from home for the past year recently started working at an innovative startup company. She was telling me that while the transition to working in an office from 9 to 5 is a welcome change, she is finding it difficult to keep her eating habits and meals on track. So, she asked me for some ideas for healthy at-work snacks and meals that will keep her satiated throughout the day and help her avoid the dreaded 4pm slump and subsequent mindless munching of high calorie treats lurking around the office. Luckily, her new office has a large refrigerator and kitchen, and as an added bonus, the company stocks the fridge full of nutritious and delicious sounding groceries. I asked my friend for a list of foods she sees in the company kitchen from week to week and here is a sampling of what she found:
Fresh fruit
Hummus
Laughing Cow & part-skim string cheese
Deli meat
Oatmeal
Whole wheat crackers, bagels, & English muffins
Baby carrots & cherry tomatoes
Almonds
Natural peanut butter
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Olive oil
Here are some nutrtioulicious ideas I came up with for the workday:
Satisfying Breakfast:
- Oatmeal with a small handful of almonds, cut up fruit, and a tablespoon of Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 whole wheat English muffin or one slice whole wheat bread topped with 1-tablespoon natural peanut butter and sliced fruit (save the other half of the English muffin for a mid morning snack)
Light Lunch:
- Hummus on whole wheat bread or crackers with 1 cup of baby carrots
- Laughing Cow cheese on a slice of whole wheat bread or crackers and a few cherry tomatoes drizzled with olive oil
- 1 slice deli meat and Laughing Cow on whole wheat bread or English muffin
Afternoon Snack:
- Any available fruit is a great snack at any time of the day but add some protein, such as one tablespoon peanut butter, a small handful of almonds, or a piece of string cheese to stay satisfied.
- Small handful of raw almonds (about 10) with a piece of fruit or some grapes
- Apple with 1 tablespoon natural peanut putter
- Pear with string cheese
- Greek yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon peanut butter, small handful of raisins, and cinnamon
What are some of your favorite healthy meals and snacks to bring to work?
