Simplified Lunchtime Solutions

July 21, 2025Meal PlanningRecipes

Lunchtime is an occasionally overlooked but incredibly important time of day.  Eating lunch is crucial for maintaining energy levels, focus, regulating blood sugar levels, and supporting health goals.  Not to mention, eating a midday meal offers a chance to slow down and check in, helping with stress management throughout the day and week.  Still, pausing for lunch can feel like a burden, especially if you are short on time and need to prepare or pick something up.   Let’s detail an approach that minimizes the barriers to lunch, so you can remain energized and fueled throughout your day.    

Have a strategy 

The ‘adult lunchables’ concept is a nod to the simple and portable prepackaged lunches that were often marketed for kids to take to school.  Rather than always utilizing leftovers in our adult lunches, this concept is something our patients at Summerfield enjoy, in both the ease and versatility it provides.  We’ve maintained the simplicity of the idea while upgrading the selections and enhancing nutrition.   

You may have heard the terms bento or bistro box.   These concepts outline a lighter midday meal that emphasizes whole, fresh foods and requires minimal cooking or preparation.  The bento box is a traditional Japanese-style lunchbox with compartments that separate different foods, such as rice, vegetables, and a protein source.  There is a great deal of focus placed on the visual presentation and arrangement of the food, which can make it even more enticing to pause and enjoy an intentional meal at midday.  A traditional bento box might include rice, teriyaki chicken, pickled vegetables, and a few pieces of sushi.   

A bistro box is inspired by the bento boxes, but with a Western food culture spin.  It still aims to provide balance and convenience, with a focus on starches, proteins, and vegetables.  Bistro boxes focus less on aesthetics and more on practicality and portability.  Examples might include grilled chicken, pasta salad, cucumber slices, and hummus.   

Follow a framework  

The concept of balance arises consistently when planning meals and snacks.  This goes back to the benefits of eating regular meals and snacks to support stable blood sugar and energy levels, a steady mood, and promote our ability to focus and be productive.  What exactly does this ‘balance’ look like?  At Summerfield, we utilize a concept called the Plate Method that divides the plate into sections, much like the boxes do.  With this concept, one quarter of the plate is reserved for proteins, one quarter for starches, and the remaining half for non-starchy vegetables.  This can work for a bowl, plate, box, or any other means of transporting a meal.  From there, we can begin to brainstorm options within each category! 

Outline your preferences in each category 

Here are some examples to get you started.  As we always say at Summerfield, take what you want and leave what you don’t.  Feel free to add items to each category that you enjoy.  Don’t forget to consider sauces, dips, and seasonings as these can take a pairing from “this will work” to “I’m looking forward to enjoying what I planned for lunch!”. 

Create your inspired pairings  

When pairing, keep the framework of the Plate Method in mind to ensure a variety of macro and micronutrients.  A quarter plate of protein is about the equivalent of a palm-sized portion.  This might be a half cup of chicken salad or a combination of items, such as a cheese stick and a hard-boiled egg.  A quarter plate of starches could include a grain, a starchy vegetable, a serving of fruit, or any combination that equals about a fistful.  The half plate of non-starchy vegetables is about 2 fistfuls of raw or cooked vegetables.   

View your list of preferences in the categories, and if you can, start to come up with combinations that would appeal to your palate.   

Ideas to get you started 

Because food is our thing, here are a few ideas of combinations to get your wheels turning!

• Midday Mediterranean: Prepared falafel, pita bread, hummus, olives, mini sweet peppers, and mixed greens with oil/vinegar dressing (or Tzatziki).
• Thai peanut chicken wrap:  Grilled chicken slices, slaw mix/shredded cabbage, and Thai peanut sauce in a tortilla.
• Asian veggie bowl: Shelled edamame, prepared quinoa, bell pepper slices, diced cucumber, and sesame ginger dressing.
• Charcuterie-style: Uncured turkey pepperoni, gouda cheese, whole grain crackers, grapes, pickles, radish slices, and sugar snap peas.
• Bento inspired: Smoked salmon or cooked tofu, instant rice cup, sushi nori (seaweed sheets), avocado, sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, pickled ginger, and soy sauce.

Some of our patients prefer to keep it even simpler when time is short and they take more of a “snack lunch” approach.  They pair options that may typically be viewed as snacks, such as cheese and crackers, apples and peanut butter, veggies and hummus, hard-boiled eggs, or fruit and yogurt, and combine them in a way that is sufficient to satisfy their lunchtime appetite.   

Prep once and be set for the week 

One benefit of batch cooking or using leftovers for the next day’s lunch is that you can divide out portions and forecast how much you will have.  That can work with this framework as well.  Whether you choose to repeat the same combination most days or mix and match based on what you have, you’ll likely still save time on the prep and planning.  The key is to outline your list of preferences and/or pairings, and then consult it as you plan the grocery list for the week.  If anyone else favors these foods, you might want to consider getting extra or letting them know how you plan to use them (so you don’t run out unintentionally).  To ensure you have enough for your own needs, consider the Plate Method portions for protein, starches, and non-starchy veggies, and multiply each by the number of lunches you plan to prepare.  Many of these items could be prepared and stored for days at a time, including things like chicken or egg salad and pre-chopped vegetables.  If portioning them all at once keeps things organized, consider using containers like these for easy storage and transport.   

Making reinspired lunches work for you 

Now that you know the specifics of the concept, consider your typical barriers to eating lunch.  Is it time, storage, or stepping away from the desk?  The time to prep is less than that for a recipe or going out to get lunch.  The time to eat is whatever you’re willing and able to prioritize.  The storage is portable and can even be kept with an ice pack in a cooler or sealed lunch container.  If it’s stepping away from the desk, can you block off just 15 minutes on your calendar, now that you don’t need to heat something or travel to get your lunch?  This concept has the potential to serve as a solution to these challenges and a major upgrade to support you in reaching your health goals.  The next step is outlining a plan and options that appeal to you! 

At Summerfield, we work with individuals who are ready to make changes to their daily routine that will support their big vision for health.  If a knowledgeable accountability partner could help you move from “I’d like to make this work” to “I have a plan”, let us be that bridge.  Contact us to schedule an appointment today!