Back-to-School (or Take-to-Work) Lunch Ideas

Back-to-school season is officially upon us. And in the nutrition world, this means everyone is talking about fun & healthy ways to create back-to-school lunches.  But, packing a lunch isn’t just a good idea for kids – it’s great for adults too! We’re big fans of packing our own lunches and snacks at home because we can rest assured that the food we'll be eating is delicious, nutritious, and completely satisfying.

Whether you're heading back to school, need ideas for lunches to take to work, or... are going on a one hour car ride and have a tendency to be overly prepared (note the picture below), here are some of our favorite back-to-school (or take-to-work!) lunch ideas.

#1. Be creative with leftovers! Make last night's roast chicken into a chicken sandwich, and turn roasted veggies into a roasted veggie salad.

#2. Raw veggies are nature's perfect finger food. Include a dipping sauce to make snacking more fun. Ideas include avocado smashed with Greek yogurt, hummus, or a cucumber-yogurt dip.

#3. Try making your own whole grain pita chips. Cut up whole grain pita bread into small triangles, cover with a little olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Cook in the oven at 350 until they come out crispy.

#4. Homemade trail mix. Need we say more? Some of favorite ingredients: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate chips and dried tart cherries.

#5. Take a spin on the classic PB & banana sandwich. Spread some nut butter on a whole wheat tortilla and wrap up a banana. Its way more fun to eat this way. You could even cut this into slices for some cute PB & banana “sushi.” Kids will love it.

#6. Thirsty? Brew some homemade iced-tea. Freeze lemonade in ice-cube trays the night before and toss the frozen cubes into your tea. It helps keep the tea cold while also adding a hint of sweetness.

#7. Cookies are A-Okay occasionally, but don't forget fruit as a dessert! Super sweet fruits like strawberries, mangos, and peaches make a delicious end to lunch. You can even dip them in dark chocolate for a special treat!

#8. Candied ginger is our other favorite way to end a meal. It's just the right amount of sweetness and also helps with your digestion.

#9. Consider packing your own cloth napkin and reusable plastic ware. It's good for the planet (and you'll look so sophisticated).

#10. Don't forget about snacks throughout the day either. Pack some homemade granola or muffins for snacks in-between meals.

Market Basket

We talk a lot about the benefits of eating seasonal, real foods and of preparing simple, delicious dishes that allow you to be fearless in the kitchen and enjoy your own party—like this Blackberry, Peach and Hazelnut Crumble.

This weekend, I headed to our community food co-op without anything in mind for dinner, ending up filling my basket with what looked good—fresh wild sockeye salmon, juicy, local peaches and tart yellow tomatoes, crisp swiss chard and heirloom cauliflower.  The basket inspired this recipe.

Seared Salmon with Grilled Peach Salsa

Serves 2

1 peach, halved

1 red onion, peeled and thickly sliced

1 jalapeño, halved

1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

3 – 4 fresh basil leaves, torn

Zest and juice of one lemon

2 filets of wild sockeye salmon, 4 – 6 ounces each

Zest of one lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat an outdoor or indoor grill to medium high.  Drizzle the peach, onion and jalapeno with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the peach and jalapeno just until grill marks appear.  Grill the onion slices until onion is tender and starting to char.  Remove from grill, chop peach and onion into medium-small dice and add to a bowl. 

Be careful with chopping, because the vegetables will be slippery!   

Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno, if desired, and add to the bowl.  Add halved cherry tomatoes, torn basil leaves and the zest and juice of one lemon.   Stir together.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

For the salmon, heat a grill, cast iron skillet or salt block over medium-high heat.  Season salmon with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest.  Cook eight minutes (four minutes each side) for medium and nine minutes for medium-well.

I served this with sauteed swiss chard and roasted cauliflower, because that was what looked good at the market.  Change your plate any way you like!

All dinners are more delicious eaten outside with someone you love.  And candles and flowers don't hurt either.

 

You can easily alter this recipe, using whatever looks good at the market that day.  Salmon not in season? Use a pork chop.  Peaches not in season? Use mango and avocado.  Don’t like basil?  And cilantro.  The recipe is more of a method for using seasonal foods than an actual recipe.

Also, the salsa is delicious the next day.  Add feta or goat cheese and turn it into a salad.  With a slice of good crusty bread, that’s lunch.

Blackberry, Peach & Hazelnut Crumble

Whenever we're together, times flies.

Our days are usually filled with checking work projects off our list (we love lists), followed by good, long mind-clearing walks, and finished with a delicious dinner in the company of good friends.

But not all the meals we cook together are elaborately prepared. In fact, few of the dinners or recipes we prepare at home for the people we love are overly complicated. Our secret? Using good quality, fresh ingredients.

Disclaimer: turning up the music a little bit louder and having a dance party in the kitchen always adds inspiration.

That’s why we love this recipe we developed for a summertime fruit crumble. While making this crumble is incredibly simple, it always turns out delicious. And no dessert looks more beautiful or is kinder to your body than a fruit-based dessert. When fruit is heated, the natural sugars caramelize making for a effortlessly healthy and delicious result.

Next time you're on "dessert duty" for a dinner party, pull this recipe out of your back pocket. It’s an absolutely yummy and guaranteed success.

Blackberry, Peach & Hazelnut Crumble

Ingredients

5 ripe peaches, sliced

2 pints blackberries
1 lemon
¼ cup all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup hazelnut flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup oats
¹/₃ cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F.

For Fruit Filling:

In a large bowl, combine sliced peaches and blackberries with all purpose flour, zest of one lemon, juice of half a lemon, and pinch of salt. Set aside.

For Crumble Topping:
In a medium sized bowl, combine softened butter with hazelnut flour, brown sugar, oats, and hazelnuts.

Spread fruit into a deep casserole dish, and sprinkle with topping.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

Wanderlust

We’re still beaming from the afterglow of Wanderlust.

We returned home yesterday, after spending two days in one-on-one nutrition consultations with the attendees at the California festival who were there to practice yoga, enjoy great music and revel in the incredible beauty and serenity of the California mountains rising around Lake Tahoe.

It was the last of the three Wanderlust festivals we attended on behalf of LUNA, working with the incredible LUNA team to promote the power of positive snacking, helping to keep women (and a few men!) on their power curve. 

All of the Wanderlust events were equally amazing--we were also in Vermont and Colorado.

When we first launched NourishRDs—almost exactly one year ago!—we made a conscious decision to be thoughtful and intentional about the companies and products with which we align ourselves.  LUNA was the first company we called. 

LUNA bars are all made from organic and wholesome real ingredients—we can pronounce every single item on the ingredient list and understand where it comes from.  The company does not promote the LUNA bars—designed specifically for women—as meal replacement bars, but as a healthy snack and convenient treat to help keep your energy up and your mind focused as you’re running throughout your day.  It’s not a diet bar.

Plus, the LUNA team is made up of fun and inspiring women.  We like them a lot.  What’s not to like?

At the Wanderlust festivals, we met with attendees one-on-one for 20 minute nutrition consultations.  We got lots of questions about gluten-free diets and how to transition to or maintain a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.  But most of all, we got questions about sugar cravings and how to avoid the mid-afternoon crash that often leaves us cranky and with a glazed look in our eyes, headed for the coffee or snack machine. 

This is what we told them:  Nourishing your body throughout the day is important.  Skipping meals always backfires.  You think you’re “saving up” for a great dinner, and then you overeat—usually because you’re famished.  Eating small, regularly-spaced meals and snacks throughout the day helps to maintain your power curve, prevents brain fog, or worse—irritability and grumpiness—and gives you plenty of energy to keep up with your kids on the playground, complete your work project in record time, or master that yoga pose you've been practicing.

Click here for our advice on healthy, balanced snacking.

Because women are so hard on themselves, and always trying to live up to an unrealistic expectation of perfection, we also got a lot of questions about guilt and shame around eating, food and snacking.  Here’s our advice.

It’s time for us to…

-     put aside unrealistic expectations of beauty.

-     stop dwelling on the number on the scale or the size of our clothes and start embracing our own unique bodies and individuality.

-     choose to engage in activities we enjoy because it helps us feel good—not because we think we have to log a certain number of minutes on the treadmill or trail.

-     fuel our bodies with good quality nutrition—that fulfills our cravings—so we can live our fullest and best lives.

-     treat ourselves with the love and respect we deserve.

That powerful message resonated with the women—and the men!—we met with in our sessions.  We helped them to come up with a daily affirmation for themselves, a mantra to help them look at themselves in the mirror each morning and before bedtime to say, “I am beautiful and strong, just the way I am.”

A few of our new friends agreed to share their daily affirmations with others.  Like, "I will stay on the course that makes me happy." 

Or this one.

Or this one.

Or this one.

At the end of the day, after speaking with dozens of inspiring women (and a few men!), we went back to the LUNA house and practiced what we preached--creating balance in our life by enjoying good food and lots of laughter with our new friends.

combining our love of all great things -- pizza, yoga & each other!

We would like to thank the team members at ALL of the Wanderlust events for making us feel like a part of the LUNA family.  You are each inspiring.

Raspberry Chia Overnight Oats

Oats are pretty much a dietitian’s dream food. The soluble fiber found in whole grains, such as oats, can help with blood sugar control – that is, soluble fiber helps to prevent you from getting one of those short-lived bursts of energy (that's often the result when we eat refined carbohydrates) followed by that immediate and miserable crash.

I love overnight oats for so many reasons. They taste ah-mazing, they're fun to make, and they're so nutritious, too. And the best part? Overnight oats are a perfect on-the-go breakfast. Just set aside 5 minutes the night before, and the next morning, you'll have a healthy, balanced breakfast at your fingertips. You can easily eat it when you’re in class, on the bus, checking emails at your desk, on a hike, or sitting in the sunshine.  

Overnight oats are simply oats that are soaked overnight to absorb whatever liquid you choose to put them in.

The basic formula is to combine equal parts oats to liquid, such as 1/3 cup oats with 1/3 cup milk or a milk alternative. We also like to stir in a heaping spoonful of Greek yogurt for an added dose of protein.

Recipes for overnight oats are floating all over Pinterest, but we’ve found the best recipe is one where you experiment with flavors you love. After experimenting a little bit, here is our go-to recipe:

Raspberry Chia Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oats

1/3 cup milk or milk alternative (You may also want to add a little bit more liquid depending on how thick you like it.)

Heaping spoonful of nonfat plain Greek yogurt (For those of you that like precise measurements, it’s about ¼ cup)

½ tablespoon ground flaxseeds or chia seeds

½ teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of cinnamon

1 cup frozen berries

1-2 tablespoons slivered almonds

 

Instructions:

1. Stir all ingredients together and place in a mason jar (but, any container will do!) in the fridge overnight. 
2. Grab a spoon, and go! 
   Note: You don't necessarily have to use frozen berries and almonds. The best part of all is being able to experiment with the toppings. 
   
   Some other topping ideas include:
   Fresh fruit, such as sliced bananas or sliced apples.
   Dried fruit, such as raisins or dried tart cherries.
   Nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, or pistachios.
   Seeds, such as sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
   Sweeteners, such as flaked coconut, a little honey or maple syrup.
   Granola, such as our Nourishing Granola. You can watch us talk about how much we love making our granola in this video, here.
    

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

4th of July & The Best Veggie Burgers

Happy 4^th of July (and happy belated Canada Day) everyone!

This is the time of year when barbeque season is in full swing. It’s such a fun way to bring people together and share delicious food in the company of those you love.

While summertime barbeques are most often associated with hot dogs and hamburgers, the grill can also be used to make a variety of mouth-watering chicken or fish dishes. The trick is all in the marinade, as we mention in this recently published article on Healthy Grilling. Don’t forget about grilling fruits or veggies either. Grilled veggies make for the ideal side dish, and grilled fruit can make for the perfect dessert. If grilling fruit isn’t your thing, simply take advantage of the bounty of delicious fruits in season. No dessert looks more festive or is kinder to your body than a fruit salad.

A fruit salad from a friend's barbeque I went to last weekend.
All berries from the Santa Barbara farmer's market!

And while Lisa and I love the occasional burger when hosting a football party – yes, we’ve done this before (as in, hosted a football party) and we have no idea who played or won – we are aware that Americans tend to eat too much meat. The typical intake is actually about eight ounces a day, twice the world average.

As we’ve mentioned before, we believe in the golden nutrition rule: everything in moderation.

In fact, as an early birthday gift to myself, I pre-ordered Sharon Palmer’s upcoming book,The Plant Powered Diet. It's based on the hundreds of studies that draw us to the conclusion that a plant-based diet is in fact the healthiest. It also includes 75 original recipes which I absolutely can not wait to try.

Until the book arrives in the mail and I have chance to try those recipes, I thought I would share a veggie burger recipe that I recently made. Finding the perfect veggie burger is not an easy feat. I know because I even had to add “find the recipe for the perfect veggie burger” to my Summertime Bucket List – but this one, allowed me to cross that off the list! This recipe is a little bit labor intensive, but it's well worth it.

Best Veggie Burgers

½ cup brown lentils

½ cup barley
½ cup brown rice
2 tablespoons canola oil  
1 1/3 c carrots
¾ cup minced onion
¾  cup minced celery
2T sunflower seeds, toasted or dry roasted
1 teaspoon oregano
1 ½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon minced thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 ½ minced garlic
2 large eggs
½ c flour
1 tablespoon canola oil

Day before serving:  Bring 4 cups water to a simmer. Add lentils, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add barley, cover, and simmer another 15 minutes. Add brown rice, simmer 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is cooked. Saute carrots, onion and celery in canola oil until tender, approximately 10 minutes. Add sunflower seeds, oregano, salt, pepper, thyme, basil and garlic, and sauté 1 – 2 minutes more. Combine grains and vegetables and refrigerate overnight.

Day of serving: Add eggs and flour to grain mixture and mix well. Form balls 3 – 4 inches, and flatten to ¾ inch thick. Fry 3 – 4 minutes per side in canola oil.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.