MAM's (Make Ahead Meals)

I used to think I "had no time" to make lunch for work...Then I started working at HCC, where the options (pizza, canned soup, and iceberg salads) were far less appealing than UMass (with the Earthfoods Vegan Cafe and the Peoples' Market full of delicious inexpensive organic fruits, veggies, cheeses, and breads). I realized if I wanted to eat a healthy, inexpensive, delicious lunch each day, I was going to have to be proactive.

I have come to realize as long as I have 1 hour on the weekend and 10 minutes each evening, I can make delicious lunches every day of the week that make my coworkers very jealous :-)

Every Sunday, I go grocery shopping for the week. I plan my meals for the week before I head out. In my plan, I always include 102 MAM's (make ahead meals) that are the basis of my weekly lunches, and brainstorm ways to take a piece of my dinner entree each night and use it as side dish for the following day's lunch.

For example, this week my MAM was a chicken sausage and veggie soup.

The recipe included:

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

4 applegate farms italian chicken sausages

1 cup chopped mushroom

1/2 bag (5 ounces) frozen green, red, and yellow peppes

3 cups raw spinach

1/2 onion

tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 tsp chili powder

few shakes of salt and pepper

I sauteed the mushrooms, sausage, onions, and garlic in the olive oil. in a shallow sauce pan. Then, I poured all other ingredients in, turned the heat down to medium/low and let sit for 1/2 hour.

Next, I poured the soup in to 2 large to go containers. I packed one in my lunch bag Monday for Mon/Tues lunch and put the other in the freezer for Thurs/Fri lunch (no school on Wednesday due to Veterans' day!)

Then, each evening, I took ten minutes to add a little side dish to lunch. I just used whatever I was making that evening for dinner and used some ingredients to prep lunch for the following day!

Monday: Spinach salad with chickpeas, dried cherries, blue cheese, walnuts, and balsamic vinegarette

Tuesday: 2 slices Gluten free bread with brie, avocado, red onion, tomato, and cucumber

Thursday: wilted spinach salad with crystalized ginger, pear and goat cheese

Friday: 6 ounces greek yogurt with almonds, a banana, drizzled with honey

So, by rationing my evening time and taking a little extra time on Sunday evening, I had beautiful, healthy, nutrient rich lunches each day (which probably took less time than a walk down to the cafeteria for salt and saturated fat-laden meals!)