Protective Diet Class #039

Lunch Packing

Learn tips for protective meals on the go and the tools to make it easy. You cannot rely on drive-thru, vending machines and concessions for optimal health. This class demonstrates lunches you can throw together in minutes using leftovers and pantry staples.

Announcements

• Join us in Protective Diet Living (PDL) to get support.
• Attend the Saturday Morning Live Coaching Hour to get personal guidance on the application of a Protective Diet.

Action Steps for Packing Lunch

• Make it Easy to Pack Food to Go
• Packing lunch will be an addition to your practice and may seem like more work at first.
• Benefits mindset–packing lunch will keep you on plan, reduce stress & save money.
• No Excuses–You don’t want to have any reasons why you can’t pack your lunch so set yourself up. Make it easy.
• Pack Enough Food–How long will you be gone? Pack all 3 meals if you are going to be gone all day.

Get The Right Tools & Give Them a Designated Place in the Kitchen–Have multiples of each on hand

– Insulated lunch box/lunch purse + Salad container that fits perfectly in your lunch bag

– Smaller lunch bag/Snack pack for if you are just packing a snack

– Large cooler for a day trip/family picnic/tailgate meal or if you work hours a day as a driver

– Food storage containers–Store them in an organized way to reduce hassle at lunch packing time

– Thermos—insulated to keep hot foods hot for 6-8 hours

– Jar Funnel—makes filling the thermos a mess-free task

– Cold Packs– Give them a designated place in the freezer so it is easy to find

– Reusable Water bottle–Stop using plastic bottled water; use Glass Water bottles or repurposed bottle

– Cloth Napkins & reusable utensils

Have PD Kitchen Staples & Leftovers on Hand for Easy Lunch Packing

– When you make a Recipe, think ahead and make extra for lunch packing

– Freeze small portions of what you make for dinner (see the Freezer Friendly Recipe category)

– Condiments: salad dressing, mayo, salsa (portion into small containers for grab & go convenience)

– Rice, Pasta or Potatoes—make extra for lunches

– Buns for sandwiches—individually wrap and freeze

– Baked Tortilla Chips–portion into smaller containers for grab & go convenience

– Notzzarella Cheeze—slice and store in a container in the fridge for quick sandwich assembly

• Assemble Cold Food the Night Before
• Include a side of chips & salsa, veggie sticks & hummus, fruit jar or a Breakfast Brownie

Salad

• Green Salad = prewashed mixed greens + starch (pasta/rice/corn tortillas/baked potatoes/potato wedges) + rinsed beans (chickpeas/kidney beans/black beans) + dressing in a little container on the side
  • Pasta salad = pasta + veggies + Daily Dressing
  • Burrito Bowl = Black Bean and Corn Summer Salad + Brown Rice + shredded Romaine Lettuce

Sandwich

• Defrost a bun the night before, toast, bring to room temperature, spread with mayo or dressing, cheese, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, optional onion & herbs
  • Wrap sandwiches in parchment for fun deli feel, write name or notes on the outside, then wrap in plastic wrap

Leftovers

• Cold BBQ Burger or Chia Seed Burger on a bun with all the toppings
  • Pizza—complete meal; pack with parchment between slices to keep toppings in place.
  • Potato wedges with Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce
  • Grilled Veggies on a bun

Breakfast for Lunch—puffed cereal + Plant Based Yogurt or soymilk + fresh or frozen fruit

• Assemble Hot Food in the Morning
• Heat it up at home instead of heating it up at work so you don’t have to wait in line for a dirty microwave

Soup or Chili

• Defrost a frozen portion of soup/chili on the counter over night
• Heat the soup/chili and use a funnel to scoop into a thermos, preheated with boiling water
• Cool your soup down by spooning out into a container at lunchtime or top a preassembled container of rice or pasta with chili toppings

Leftovers

• Baked Mac and Cheeze—reheat on stove with a little soymilk and pack in a hot thermos
• Sweet & Sour Stir Fry in thermos, rice in container

• Snacks

Driving/Commuting/Travel

• Air-Popped Popcorn
• Fruit Jars—bring a fork; make up to 5 days ahead; liquid gathers on the bottom keeping top fruit crisp
  • Veggie stick jars—veggie sticks with water and salt
  • Spicy Birdseed in a jar

Emergency Snacks

• If you didn’t pack food, the grocery store is your emergency option
• look for unsweetened applesauce in ½ cup containers, apples, grapes, berries, cherries, bananas, corn tortillas

• Kids Lunches (See the Kids recipe category for kid-tested recipes)
• Instruct children on how to use a thermos
• Pack 2 lunches in separate boxes if they are going to school and after school care
• Get feedback. Ask questions: What did you like about your lunch? What do you want on your sandwich?

Cooking Tips

• Julie describes how to make chili pepper chickpeas for a snack or salad crouton.

Student Q&A

Q: Do the plastic jar lids have a tight seal?

Q: Do you have a favorite container?

Q: Can you freeze the tater tots?

Encouragement

• Packing lunch will get simple. You will know the 5 things you like to bring in your lunch. You’ll know how much food to pack. You won’t have to make something special to take for lunch. You will get good at packing leftovers.
• There are so many recipes that are easy to pack up for lunch.
• Your lunchtime should be pleasurable and not something that you dread.

You are going to be packing the most awesome lunches

 that everyone is going to envy.

Recommended Recipes

Sweet & Sour Stir Fry	Perfect Brown Rice	Busy Day Chili	Chickenless Noodle Soup
Garden Pasta Salad	Popcorn	Spicy Birdseed	Guac Faux Mole	Potato Wedges
Cucumber Salad	Fruit Jars	Baked Tortilla Chips	Creamy Hummus	Flatbread Pizza
BBQ Burgers	Soft Burger Buns	Chia Seed Burger	Killer Ketchup	House Mayo
Italian Sausage Pizza	Burrito Bowl	BBQ Sauce	Baked Mac & Cheeze	Daily Dressing
Creamy Ranch	Zesty Italian	French Dressing	French Onion Dip	Notzzarella Cheeze
Chipotle Mayo	Grilled Veggies	Sloppy Jerrys	Black Bean Summer Salad		Tater Tots

Recommended Classes

#176 PD Picnic Packing	#095 Back to School Lunch Packing PD Style
#135 Packing a PD Picnic or Waterpark Tailgate	#088 Summer Holidays PD Style
#173 Fat-Free Salad Dressing 101	#139 Satisfying Salads

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Class Description:

Meals on the go, simplifying lunches and the tools to make it easy

Tagged with: 30 Day Detox & Taste bud Reprogram • 50/50 Plate • Calorie Tracker • Conscious Eating • Emotional Eating • Full & Satisfied • Mindful Eating • Physical Food Addiction Natural • True Hunger
Class URL: https://protectivediet.com/courses/foundational-kitchen-systems/lessons/class-39-lunch-packing/