Lunch in the Home Office – Our Tips and Tricks

Canteen lunch or a restaurant visit with a colleague aren’t as popular as they used to be since the dawn of remote working and home office setups. Nowadays, we don’t just work and relax from home, but we prepare almost all of our meals at home as well. This demands quite a bit of extra time, which many of our schedules don’t really make room for. The result? Sometimes there’s simply no time for lunch. We’ll explain how you can prepare a healthy and quick lunch as well as some tips on nutritious snacks to get you through the day.

Contents of this article:

• Home Office Lunch – Important pointers
• Quick and healthy home office lunches
• Planning makes the perfect lunch
• Home Office Cooking – Our top 5 recipe ideas

Home Office Lunch – Important pointers

Regardless of home or regular office, there’s often little time available for tasty lunches in addition to calls, tasks and meetings. Nevertheless, it is absolutely essential to eat nutritious meals and remember to take breaks here and there for the sake of your health and well being. These are important factors for our brain functioning and for us to be able to perform well during working hours. To facilitate optimal functioning and to avoid a midday slump, you should avoid fast foods and high caloric ready made meals. Yes, they are quick to prepare, but their high fat and salt content and simple carbohydrates make them a poor nutritional option with virtually no benefits. We recommend opting for meals with complex carbohydrates, plant based protein sources and healthy fats. Pasta, rice, couscous are easy to prepare and can be paired with frozen vegetables, legumes or tofu to create a delicious meal.

Quick and healthy home office lunches

During your lunch break, its important to not only eat well, but to take some time to relax. However, this is easier said than done. Often, trying to prepare a meal in a short amount of time can turn into a very stressful event. We’ll show you how you can save time and have a relaxed lunch break.

1. Frozen vegetables. Cauliflower, spinach and co. will supply you with important nutrients. Furthermore, they are ready to go: washed, trimmed and sometimes even pre-cooked. This will save you a lot of time and effort!
2. Every supermarket will have a selection of fresh, Italian pasta. Not only is this delicious, but it’s ready in minutes. Combined with a pesto and vegetables, you’ve got a yummy meal.
3. If you prepare your meal the night before, you’ve done all the work already! It doesn’t get any faster than that. Which meals are suitable for this can be found in our article on meal prepping.
4. Water! Make sure to drink at least 2 litres of water or unsweetened tea per day to stay concentrated and healthy.
5. Make time for your lunch break. This way, you can guarantee that you’ll have enough time to sit and enjoy your meal and other plans won’t interfere.
6. Don't eat at your desk. Your lunch break should be an actual break, that includes mental relaxation. Eating in front of your computer is a no-no. A brief walk around the block is encouraged.

Don't feel like cooking at all? Then go for a ready-made meal. Every. has reimagined ready-made meals to create the perfect solution: fresh vegetables, complex carbohydrates, plant based protein and healthy fats. Our bowls, soups and co. are real nutrient bombs, and taste like they were freshly cooked. The perfect solution for a quick yet healthy lunch. All you need to do is prepare them in a pan or microwave and voila!

Planning makes the perfect lunch

Instead of going to a grocery store, bakery or canteen, try and stick to your own kitchen. The advantage: if you cook yourself, it's likely to be a healthier meal. The disadvantage: a self-made meal requires more planning and time than a bought snack. In addition, we often lack the inspiration of what to cook, or if we have the inspiration, we lack the right ingredients. To avoid these obstacles, you need to plan accordingly.

1. Create a weekly meal plan. Write down what you would like to eat in the coming week and what ingredients you’ll need. Lacking inspiration? Then browse some food blogs or the Every. Magazine, you’ll find ideas in no time.
2. Buy everything at once. Write one long grocery list for the week and buy it one go. This will guarantee that you have everything you need and it wont take up unnecessary time. While you’re shopping, pay attention to selecting whole grain and nutritious ingredients e.g. whole grain pasta and rice, legumes, sweet potatoes, seasonal or frozen fruit and vegetables as well as nuts. The healthier you shop, the healthier your meals will be.
3. Prepare individual components. No time to chop vegetables or prepare a dressing? Opt for frozen, prepared vegetables and try and prepare dressings or grains the night before. All thats left the next day is to heat and enjoy!
4. Cook meals ahead of time. If your schedule is already indicating that your week will be busy and stressful, meal prep is your saviour. Not only will this save you time, it will also reduce stress levels surrounding your meals. You can prepare your meals the evening before, or do it in bulk on the weekends. Important is that you package your meals in air tight containers and to cool them before you decide to eat them. In our article on meal prepping you’ll find everything on this topic, as well as some meal suggestions that are compatible with meal prepping.

Home Office Cooking – Our top 5 recipe ideas

To ensure that you’re well prepared and nourished while in your home office, we’ve done some research to find some quick and easy recipe ideas for you. All of these dishes are ready in under 15 minutes and are the perfect lunch solution.

• Salads. Healthy and prepared in no time. The combination of delicious dressings, crunchy toppings and fresh bread is a winner. If you need carbohydrates for your lunch, add some rice, couscous or pasta to your salad.
• Pasta. With tomato sauce, pesto or aglio e olio, the trick is that the sauce shouldn’t take longer than the pasta preparation itself. In case you do have extra time, adding some fresh vegetables like tomatoes, aubergine or mushrooms can be a great topping.
• Buddha Bowls consist of 5 elements: grains, vegetables, protein, dressing and usually a type of crunch (nuts, seeds or sprouts). Whatever lands in your buddha bowl is completely up to you and what you feel like eating that day. The Every. assortment has a selection of Buddha Bowls while other bowls are also the perfect foundation to be pimped up for your version of Buddha Bowl. Check out this recipe of our Green Power Bowl.

4. Tacos. Made from corn or wheat tortillas, which you can fill with whatever ingredients you like. In case you’re lacking inspiration or don’t feel like chopping ingredients, our Naked Taco Bowl is the perfect alternative.

5. Snacks. For situations in between meals where you are overcome with hunger, you should also prepare some healthy snacks to keep you energised until your next proper meal. Fruit, raw vegetables or nuts are a good alternative to cookies and chocolate. For a more comprehensive overview, check out our article on healthy snacks. Craving chocolate nonetheless? Then try one of our raw cakes. Flourless, free of refined sugar and irresistibly tasty!

In conclusion, our transition to eating from home all the time brings some advantages. If you plan your meals ahead of time and select the right ingredients, you’ll do your body and your schedule a big favour. Because let’s be honest, impulsive supermarket buys when you're hungry are rarely a healthy option.

Other exciting topics:

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• What Should I Cook Today?
• Brain Food – Natural Power for Your Brain
• Vegan Protein Sources – The Key Facts

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