Hey McKinley!

Are you ready?!  The next Healthy Habits Challenge is the “Bring Your Lunch to Work” challenge!

We all go out to eat, some of us more than others.  Reasons why we choose to go out to eat will vary but in most situations, it all comes down to a choice.  By participating in the challenge you can expect to save money and (if you choose the right food) calories!  The purpose of this challenge is to make you aware of how often you eat out, how much money is spent by eating out and give you solutions to help you prepare for your week.  I realize going out to eat is a social event and is healthy to do.  However, eating out 6-7 times/weekly may be a bit extreme.  I want to show you it is possible to plan ahead so you can “Bring Your Lunch to Work”, even with a hectic schedule :).

How to be successful with this challenge:

1. Plan out your meals for the week on Saturday or Sunday.  Go to “Cooking Smart” on the Grapevine to get some recipe ideas.
http://grapevine.mckinley.com/?cat=20
I would recommend choosing at least one recipe for dinner that will give you left overs for lunch the next day.

2. Make your shopping list with the ingredients you will need for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Don’t go to the grocery store without one. If you do, you can almost always count on forgetting something which will result in a second trip tot he grocery store. Do you have time for a second trip?  Not likely 🙂

3. Choose one meal/snack to be a food you don’t have to prepare:
~ almonds, pistachios, walnuts
~ cheese stick
~ lunch meat
~ apple, frozen blueberries or grapes, pear
~ protein bar (I recommend Power Crunch)
~ greek yogurt
~ Veggies and hummus.  This requires some light prep, but you will save money buy cutting your own veggies instead of buying the pre cut ones.  Buying the pre cut veggies is still acceptable.  If you choose to cut your own, keep them in an air tight container with a soaking wet paper towel.  It will keep your veggies fresh.
~ Cucumber, celery, peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower

4. Choose two “scoop and go” or “grab and go” lunch/snack (here are a few examples, there are many more on the Grapevine):
~ Quinoa Salad – http://www.eatingwell.com/print/5911 (check out cooking with Quinoa on the Grapevine)
~ Tuscan Style Tuna Style – http://www.eatingwell.com/print/4596
~ Hard boiled eggs
~ Gluten free HIGH protein muffins ~ http://www.glutenfreefitness.com/ridiculously-high-protein-high-fiber-gluten-free-muffin-recipe/ .  I have prepared these the last two weeks with 3 alterations. 1. I used 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree instead of 1/4 cup.  2. I used 3/4 cup of protein powder instead of 1/2 cup. 3. I didn’t use any sweetener because I used dark chocolate chips.  They’re DELICIOUS!!

This is how the challenge will work.  You will earn 1 point for every day you choose not to eat out…at all!  You will form a team and choose one person from your team to keep track of your points.  At the end of the challenge the team with the most points/person will win $100 GC to their choice of grocery store (I can split the GC up evenly between your teammates if needed). The challenge will start on Monday October, 14 2013 and will end on Monday November, 11 2013.  Email me with any questions and enjoy the rest of your afternoon!!

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith