This week, we talk about how we can be more sustainable in our lunch breaks (at school or university, or at the office), avoiding waste and disposable items.
Lunch:
Lately, going out for lunch involves long waiting lines and it may not be a pleasant experience.
Bringing lunch from home allows us to save time and money and to have a healthier and more balanced diet. It's also so much easier for those who, for example, are vegan and do not always find great options when they go at a restaurant.
The lunch boxes that I prefer are Monbento's. They're cool and practical and there are rectangular designs, bowls, and isothermal models (which keep high or low temperatures for up to 5 hours). Monbento also sells stainless steel cutlery that fits under the cap of the bento box and containers for the seasoning.
Another thing you can do is bring some recycled paper napkins from home (or if you're a pro, some cloth napkins that you will take home and wash once a week).
BYOB:
To avoid plastic bottles or glasses, always bring a reusable water bottle with you.
Here, it depends on your taste and your needs. If your priority is flavor, my favorite water bottle is Closca's, which is made of glass. If, however, you want something lighter and easier to carry around with you, you might prefer S'well (which sells water bottles that are made of stainless steel), or others that are even lighter (the low weight, however, might come at the expense of the flavour).
If you do not have access to a water filter at your office (or university, or school) I recommend the LARQ bottle, which uses a technology that allows it to self-clean and filter the water (it's perfect for those who travel a lot).
Morning coffee (or tea):
To avoid plastic glasses and to drink a coffee that's probably better than the one you would find at the average office or university, when you leave your house in the morning you can make coffee and put it in a thermos. There are many great ones, but so far the one I prefer (in terms of tightness and duration) is the one sold by Nespresso, which keeps beverages warm for about 3 hours.
Meal planning:
If you've decided to start bringing your own lunch, or if you were already doing it and want some inspiration, I recommend meal planning and cooking in the weekends for the whole week, so you don't have to rush when you come back at home in the evening or in the morning before going out.
Usually, on Sundays, I cook a large amount of barley (which lasts at least 4 days in the fridge), some quinoa, some baked vegetables (which can last up to 5 days in the fridge), some hummus and some rice and combine them in the morning before going out depending on what I feel like eating that particular day.
In addition, when I have time, I prepare coconut and cacao energy balls to take with me as a snack, when I've had enough of hummus and carrots, and for the days I don't have time to have breakfast at home, I prepare some chia pudding in advance and put it in glass jars.
It's also very useful to cook abundant dinners and have leftovers for lunch the next day.
Here are some summer lunch break ideas:
Cold pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil and olives (the pasta can be normal or made of legumes)
Barley, courgettes, mint, asparagus, broad beans, oil, lemon and salt
Quinoa burgers with cherry tomatoes
Quinoa and mixed vegetables (maybe with some beetroot hummus!)
Cold lentils, sweet potato, rocket, coriander and avocado
Wraps with hummus and grilled vegetables
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