Brown Baggin’ It + A Little Flair

Let’s face it.  Most of us choke down our lunches in exactly 4.7 minutes, usually while correcting something, filing something, or organizing something.  Rarely do we sit down and enjoy a leisurely 45 minute lunch break.  In my experience, 45 minute lunches usually happened when some major S-H-I-T had gone down and the gossip was just too good to get through in 4.7 minutes…

However, this is the Year of My Zen Self, My More Professional Self, My More Positive Self and therefore, avoiding gossip in the teacher’s lounge/classroom in which you eat is paramount!  (Although still deliciously necessary from time to time.)  (Will I ever change?)

So, what are we going to do to spice up our lunch hour sans gossip?  Because, honestly?  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can be da bomb, but not on day #105 of having nothing else in your refrigerator that you can throw together at the last minute.

Can I tell you a secret?  For YEARS Mr. Mimi would pack my lunch for me the night before.

All together now!

Aaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww!

(Total. Keeper.)

However, then Mr. Mimi started to travel a ton for work and poor Mrs. Mimi was forced to pack her own lunch.

All together now!

Oooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!

(No sympathy?)

Regardless, it was during that time of lonely lunch making that I realized brown bag lunches can totally start to blow.  Yes, they save us money.  Yes, they can be a much healthier choice.  And no, I can’t imagine having the time to actually GO OUT for lunch.  But come on!  Day after day after day can get b.o.r.i.n.g with a capital Sucks.

In those moments, I would get creative and pack left over Thai food from the night before.  Then I would totally stink up the room of a fellow colleague as I microwaved my yellow Thai curry with tofu.  I would then proceed to shovel it down my throat, alternating between burning my mouth and severe stomach cramps. All in all, it was not fabulous.  And the subsequent 2 pm food coma?  Definitely did not help put a smile on my face.

The point?  I was always looking for some ideas to keep it fresh and thought I would share some of them with you!

Like getting a much more fabulous bag to tote your lunch.  I used to shove my things into a Ziplock bag that I would reuse until it absolutely begged to be thrown out.  When I could have just bought one of these from Pottery Barn

And paired it with these other lunch accessories from Pottery Barn Kids:

Or, if Pottery Barn is too everyone-has-that for you, try this little Dutch number.

Or any of these from Built NY:

Here are a few from Amazon too (click for links):

Built LB31-FVE Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote, French Bull Vine PatternBuilt LB7-MDT Extra Relish Lunch Tote, Micro DotKids Konserve KK035 12-Ounce Insulated Stainless-Steel ThermosSassy Travel Case with Fork and Spoon Colors May Vary

Bon appetit, my friends!  And, in the midst of your daily multi-tasking, perhaps try to take a moment, just once a week, to slow down and actually chew your food.

xo,
Mimi

(Visited 18 times, 1 visits today)
6 Comments
  • This site has some nice lunch and lunch packing ideas! http://www.anotherlunch.com/

    September 9, 2010 at 7:17 pm
  • I love this post!
    I have some more ideas at http://www.culinary-training.com/cul/bag-it.html.

    September 10, 2010 at 12:06 pm
  • I've started bringing a box of cereal and a half gallon of milk to work each week. I keep a bowl and a spoon there and wash them off each day.

    It's cheap, I can't forget my lunch, and it's probably healthier than what I would've eaten otherwise!

    September 10, 2010 at 12:06 pm
  • I recently decided that I wanted to be a little healthier, so I decided that I'd bring a box of cereal and a half gallon of milk each week.

    It's cheap, I can't forget lunch, and eating Special K is most likely healthier than whatever else I'd eat.

    September 10, 2010 at 12:06 pm
  • I learned in my first year of teaching that my 40 minute lunch is MINE and I've been fortunate enough that most of the time I have colleagues who also crave that down-time and we eat together. This year we enjoy lunch outside our 5th grade rooms…by the huge picture window with the sun shining in on us. And it is fabulous….no more wolfing down my lunch in 5 minutes.

    September 10, 2010 at 12:06 pm
  • We get "20 minutes" to scarf down our lunch–translates approximately to 12 by the time you drop off your class, eat, go potty, and walk back to pick them up.

    November 18, 2010 at 11:41 pm

Post a Reply to luckeyfrog Cancel Reply