Ideally, for optimal metabolic function, you should eat as soon as you get up to both “break the fast” (see where the word comes from?), as well as to regulate your blood sugar.  My kids eat breakfast at school and daycare, respectively, so I don’t HAVE to cook in the mornings, and, well…really what it comes down to is, I don’t HAVE to get up a whole lot longer than it takes for me to shower and get the kids ready and off to their morning destinations.  

 

Ok, so maybe I don’t leap out of bed and sprint down the stairs, wielding a spatula and frying pan, armed with PAM, ready to make a spinach and turkey bacon omelet.  I do, however, try to eat my breakfast less than an hour after I wake up.  So my “at the office” meals include breakfast (between 8 and 9am), lunch (noon), and mid afternoon snack (3pm).  Dinner (6 or 7ish, depending on the day of the week), late night snack (9 or 10 pm) (Yep, you read that correctly.  I eat at 10pm, and it’s usually a delicious, chocolatey-peanut buttery treat, too*.  Don’t freak about it, it’s just a nasty rumor that you can’t eat after a certain time.  If you’re hungry, eat!  As long as it’s supportive, you’ll be fine) and weekends are at home.  Given that I eat lots of meals at my desk, I have gotten very proficient in what I refer to as “Office Gourmet”.    

 

I’ve found that, to be consistently successful in my nutritional goals, I need meals at the office to be:

1. Quick: So I can get back to my desk and get on with my workload

2. Convenient: So I don’t mess up and decide that the huge jar of pretzels and/or m&m dispenser on one of my co-workers desk are better options.  And hauling things back and forth from home to office would just be annoying

3. Space efficient:  I want my kitchen to be in my kitchen.  Unless we’re having some margarita party that I am unaware of, there’s no need for a blender in my filing cabinet.  And I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly have a plethora of leftover space in my office

4. Delicious: I do not believe food should be flavorless.  I also don’t believe food should be wolfed down without tasting in a frenzy while reading the news during your 15 minute lunch break.  Food nourishes our bodies, and our bodies keep us alive, so to enjoy this nourishment to it’s fullest you should enjoy how it tastes, right?

 

I realize you may not have access to the following in your workplaces, but I’m just sharing what works for me.  Here are a few tips that I’ve found makes eating supportively at work as stress and hassle free as possible:

 

 

2. Utensils, Cutlery, etc.- 

 

-Leave a measuring cup and spoon in your workbag/desk (or, if you have room and the need for ‘em, a whole set.)  You can buy them at the dollar store, and it takes the guesswork out of portioning.  I don’t have a whole set, personally, I have one cup and it has other measurements on the side for 1/2c., 1/4c., etc.  You could also take your 1 cup cup (spell check doesn’t believe that I meant to say cup twice; the angry red squiggly lines underneath are screaming right now- Repeated word!!!), and pre-measure increments that you use regularly, and use a sharpie to mark off different volumes before you bring it to the office.  You probably don’t need a whole set of measuring spoons, either; most serving sizes are teaspoons and tablespoons, and not 1/3 tsp’s, so be space-concious, and bring what you use most (for me, it’s tablespoons).  Besides-when’s the last time you looked at the side of a container and found a serving size to be 2/3 tsp.?

 

-I keep a paring knife in my desk (and not only to scare off the people who come in with major attitude to chop up whatever I need to chop up

 

-A medium-sized extra tupperware container (for when I thaw the previously-mentioned frozen veggies.  That way, I can portion out what I need, and put the remainder in it to stick in the fridge for my next meal)

 

-A 32 oz water bottle stays on my desk and never goes home with me.  In order to drink Ben’s recommended ”1/2 of my body weight in ounces (and even more if we’re exercising)”, I make a goal to drink at least two of them within my 8 hour workday each day

 

-Not a utensil, but I should also note that I keep my multi and omega-3 supplements on my desk.  Not in my drawer where they’re out of sight and out of mind, but right on my desk, in a small basket that also houses flavored water packets when water gets too boring for me. And I don’t bring my vitamins back and forth with me on the weekends.  But I am at the office 5 out of 7 days, and I simply eat a Gummy Multivitamin with my kiddo’s on the weekends.

 

3.  Use your microwave instead of getting burned out on boring green salads every day- Seriously, when it comes down to it, I’m not exactly thrilled with having to use a microwave.  But I do because that’s what I have.   Every day I make something different, and classy, yummy and looks awesome, and every single day my co-workers ask me what I’m having.  I make omelets, turkey bacon, I “saute” veggies and wilt spinach, and because I’m prepped (and also because I’m not afraid to try new combinations) I create a new dish each meal.  I’ll sometimes nuke my pieces of seasoned chicken or fish with whatever veg I have and squirt it with the balsamic or Italian, or spray butter and salt and pepper, or a sprinkle of parm, or mix the veggies (squash and spinach is awesome) and put a tablespoon of balsamic in before cooking…the possibilities are endless.  Sometimes I make a “salad” with spinach, diced chicken, peppers, mushrooms and squirt it with the dressing of choice (I wouldn’t use a cream based, I pretty much stick with Balsamic and Italian, but those are my preferences), then splash a tablespoon or two of water over it, and stick it in the microwave for a minute.  Out comes a perfect “sautéed” chicken and veg meal, has tons of flavor from the dressing, and is beautiful. 

 

Seriously, make the best of your circumstance, and work with what you have.  Be creative.  Find ways to be successful in your personal space.  Your drive to succeed is what’s going to ensure your own personal success!

 

So everyone:  Do you have a workplace tip or “Office Gourmet” recipe that you’d like to share?  The more the merrier!  Post them as a comment!