“Pregnant Pam and I get hungry at the same times. So we’ve been eating together ALOT. Not all meals, just second breakfast, lunch, second lunch and first dinner.”

-Kevin

Again – the office.  I KNOW!  But I think Kevin is on to something with the first lunch, second lunch idea! We all have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day…OK…we get it!  Hey Breakfast – stop showing off already! You ARE important but so are all the other meals, too.

Really – the most important idea is to have all of your meals balanced, keep your blood sugars under control and get back to fat buring as soon as possible.  A great way to do this is to have first lunch and second lunch! 

Many people are busy and on the go. Most of us rely on restaurant meals, fast fixes, coffee drinks, fast food, snack carts, trolling  and left overs in the break room (come on…admit it….you’ve had left over meeting meals and LOVED it.  Maybe not the best for your waist line….but you WERE grateful for a 1/2 bagel sammie, chips and watered down lemonaide.)

With a little pre-planning and prep the night before you will be in control of your lunching destinty! No longer will you have the panicked-gatherer-hunter response after you have already been hungry for an hour or two. You will feel full throughout the day, be in control of temping treats, have more sustained energy and get home without having to rip open the fridge and devour what ever you can get your hands on.

Plus – you will save money, $1300+  per year by bringing your own lunches.

OK – why first lunch and second lunch? Why not call it Lunch and snack? There are several reasons that I don’t like the word snack. It brings with it baggage to the relationship. When I work with my clients the word ‘snack’ has only gotten us into troubled waters. Most of us have a specific concept of what snack foods are. Imagine yours – what does that look like?  Something salty, carby, sweet, bread based, processed etc. Think about it – the grocery store has a HUGE  isle just for ‘snack’ type foods. They come in big bags, 100 calorie bags and many claim to be healthy, whole grain and good for us!  Usually snacks are not balanced on their own and can really throw off our blood sugar counts.  Watching your blood sugars is not just for diabetics – it’s for all of us who want to look good, feel good, perform well and have great mental clairty.  So sorry Snack, you’ve been kicked to the curb.

Now,  why first lunch and second? Many of us wait WAY too long between meals. So if you can do a first lunch a little earlier than normal and sneak a small second lunch in a little later – you will feel full, satisfied and in control of your food choices.  Here is one example that works for several of my clients. If  ‘Dolly’ wakes up most mornings at 6am, she will eat a balanced breakfast around 6:30 – 6:45. Many times ‘Dolly’ does a smoothie – to make the morning go quickly. Then around 10:30 – 11am she will take her lunch break and eat a yummy balanced meal.  Then around 2:30 she will have her second balanced meal at her desk.  When we do meal planning together we make sure that the second lunch is transportable and does not need to be ‘fussed’ with very much.  That way when ‘Dolly’ gets home from work she is not starving and is able to make a good meal and be less tempted to hit the drive through one more time.

Here are a few options that are simple and yet deliscious!

First Lunch:

Terrific Tuna Salad Wrap

3 oz canned tuna in spring water

1 Tblsp vegan mayonnaise (Or Latinaise by Ojai)

1 Tblsp raisins

Whole grain wrap (or brown rice tortilla)

1 cup spinach

salt and peper to taste

Mix tuna, mayo, raisins, spread over wrap, cover with spinach and roll up.  Add a side salad with balsamic and EVOO and some seltzer with lime.

Second Lunch

Tropical Fruit Parfait

In a small container layer:

1/2 cup fruit cut into small cubes (kiwi, mango, pineapple, etc.)

1/2 cup whole greek style yogurt

1 Tblsp raw almonds or cashews

Add to this meal  1 cup of sliced english cukumber sprinkeled with sea salt.  Finish off the meal with some nice hot herbal tea with lemon.

Another combo to consider:

First Lunch:

Cherry Tomato, Feta, Spinach and White Bean Salad

3 oz of cherry tomatoes

1 oz feta cheese

1 cup spinach

1/2 cup of white beans

1 tsp of olive oil

1 Tbslp of white balsamic vinegar

3-4 fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Mix and enjoy. This salad actually tastes BETTER if you make it the night before. Add an apple to round the meal and to end with something sweet.

Second Lunch

Mustard Chicken with Apples

3 oz cooked chicken

1 small granny smith apple

2 tsp good whole grain mustard

2 cups of sugar snap peas (also yummy dipped in the mustard)

There are many, many options and combinations to try! It takes a little thought and pre-planning to pack and haul lunch – but the pay off is so great! Give it a try for 2 weeks and I just know you will love it.  If you are looking for great recipies and lunch options you can check out our recipie book on line.

http://www.naturalpathhealthcenter.com/index.php/Recipe-Book/

(For the full episode that shows Kevin & Pam’s lunch times go to The Office, season 6, ‘The Delivery’ part one. )