• Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Fitness
  • Nutrition
  • |
  • About
  • Work With Me
    • Brand partnerships
    • Nutrition Coaching
June 7, 2012

New Packed Lunches & Dinner Prep

27 comments
share this post:
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Good morning!

I’ve settled in to a new busy routine here in DC. I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. every day to get ready, eat breakfast, publish my blog/catch up on emails and make it to my internship by 7 a.m., but that means I’m home around 4 or so, which is nice. I’ve been using my time in the late afternoons before exercising and dinner and such to write my blog post for the next morning, catch up on emails, and do some meal prep/housework. It’s busy but it works! On Tuesday, I spent a couple hours getting some meals prepped for Matt and I to enjoy the rest of the week.

IMG_5850

The goal was to try to use up some of the odds and ends we had in the fridge — we had a ton of leftovers from the epic picnic last weekend! First, I made one of my standard favorites.

Cold Tuna Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

  • Cooked pasta
  • Chopped peppers and olives
  • Goat cheese
  • Canned chickpeas (drained/rinsed)
  • Canned tuna
  • Dressing: a mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and dijon mustard
  • Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste!

Sounds weird, tastes delicious. No real measurements necessary — just have fun with it. (Although it was similar to this Simple Mediterranean Pasta Salad recipe if you do want some actual measurements!) Some wilted spinach would be a good addition to this dish, too!

IMG_5851

Next up was egg salad to use up the eggs in our fridge plus some of the leftover ham and celery from the picnic. I LOVE egg salad for lunch. 🙂

instagram eggs

To make the egg salad, I mixed together the hard boiled eggs with some nonfat plain Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and a little paprika. Plus chopped celery and ham!

IMG_5847

I enjoyed some for lunch yesterday atop salad with a sides of cherries and some hummus and crackers. Yum!

Finally, I’ve been eating my way through the rest of the Mexican Barley Salad (click for recipe) I made for the vegan potluck on Sunday night. Matt really loved this, too!

IMG_5837

I packed myself some atop mixed greens for lunch on Tuesday.

IMG_5839

I also brought a blueberry Stonyfield Oikos Greek yogurt and some leftover green beans. Am I the only one that will snack on green beans using my hands like they are french fries? I love them!

IMG_5841

Guess who also made himself lunch on Tuesday morning? I was so proud. 🙂 We had a ton of leftover deli meat from the picnic as well, and apparently Matt felt inspired to make himself a sandwich to bring to work! The root beer, carrots, and apple were also left over from the picnic.

IMG_5846

He even photographed it for me. 🙂

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Do you make big meals and enjoy them throughout the week? What are some of your favorite staple recipes? Please feel free to share links!

- anne
share this post:
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

join the list

Sign up for my e-newsletter and I'll send you a meal plan packed with a week's worth of healthy meals, snacks and a shopping list. Happy eating!

you might also like:

Guacamole Hummus

Citrus Zest Cake

Gettin’ Outta Dodge!!

Things I’m Loving Lately (+ a Giveaway!)

leave a comment

Cancel reply

27 comments
  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats
    June 7, 2012 · 6:34AM:
    that pasta salad looks delicious! I made various quinoa bowls this week. I made a big batch of quinoa and separated it out. Then one I added some homemade tuna salad to, one I made a "creamy" mixture with mozzarella, hummus and steamed green veggies, and the last two were mexican style with black beans and roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini. So proud! Haha now I just have to keep doing it every week!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      June 7, 2012 · 4:33PM:
      The quinoa bowl idea is genius! All of the variations sound delicious - and different enough that you wouldn't be sick of quinoa! Impressed. :)
      Reply
    • Kelly @ My Love Affair With Running
      June 9, 2012 · 3:16AM:
      All 3 of these quinoa dishes sound good! Great idea to make one big batch and separate it. I hate cooking quinoa, but once it's cooked I am glad I did it :P
      Reply
  • Courtney
    June 7, 2012 · 6:57AM:
    Yum! On Sunday I prep veggies for the whole week. Lots of slicing, dicing, and rinsing. That way, I have everything ready for to quickly pack lunches in the morning or throw together a quick dinner after work when the last thing I want to do is think! Your meals look tasttttty!
    Reply
  • Michelle@PeachyPalate
    June 7, 2012 · 7:36AM:
    That sandwich is epic looking!!! Love the tuna pasta salad. I make a mock tuna pasta salad with chickpeas smashed (vegan). Something about cold pasta that is just sings yumminess! :)
    Reply
  • Renie June 7, 2012 · 7:38AM:
    Looks absolutely delicious, Anne. I would sub tuna for chicken only b/c I don't like canned tuna. Everything else looks great. Good for you. P.S. How is the wedding planning going?
    Reply
    • Renie June 7, 2012 · 7:38AM:
      I think I got it backwards. Sub chicken for tuna
      Reply
    • Anne P
      June 7, 2012 · 4:32PM:
      I'll post a wedding planning update soon! Going well - haven't been doing a lot lately since I've been so busy, but it's ramping back up now!
      Reply
      • Renie June 7, 2012 · 4:38PM:
        Can't wait. Just 4 months until you are a married woman. Exciting. Time flies doesn't it
        Reply
  • Abby @ BackAtSquareZero
    June 7, 2012 · 8:28AM:
    I tried to make big dinner dishes on weekends that I can eat throughout the week when I get home. I go for things that are healthy and that I can eat multiple days and still love. This homemade chicken enchilada recipe is just that. With fresh veggies and a yummy sauce they are delicious and ring in at only 230 calories & less than 2 grams of fat each. http://backatsquarezero.blogspot.com/2012/05/deliciousness.html I also have about 5 frozen right now because they beat store bought frozen meals for sure.
    Reply
  • Carrie @ Fitness and Frozen Grapes
    June 7, 2012 · 8:38AM:
    It looks like you've trained Matt well ;) On Sunday, I cut up veggies like peppers and carrots for the week, and sometimes I make a big bowl of quinoa to use for weekday lunches.
    Reply
  • Sana
    June 7, 2012 · 8:41AM:
    Matt needs to get his own blog :)
    Reply
  • Krista @ Healthy Berg
    June 7, 2012 · 8:43AM:
    Gosh, Matt eats so healthy! That must be nice :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      June 7, 2012 · 4:31PM:
      Haha he doesn't always! :) His favorite things are hot wings and burgers, like a normal guy, though he does eat healthier now that we live together!
      Reply
  • STH June 7, 2012 · 10:59AM:
    I pick up my CSA box on Thursday afternoons, so I tend to cook up a lot of my veg on the weekend. I often make a green salad and a pasta or Shepherd's Pie with lots of veg in it. Another favorite around here is fried brown rice with a little BBQ pork and a ton of veggies.
    Reply
  • Kelly@Leafy Not Beefy
    June 7, 2012 · 1:38PM:
    I need to do more prep for the week ahead! Right now, I just LOVE what I've literally had like 3 times in the past week and a half, and wouldn't mind eating every day I don't think - Smashed Sweet Potatoes and Seasoned Kale - super fast and super healthy, and the kale has never made it to leftovers, but I'm sure it would make excellent leftovers too. http://leafynotbeefy.com/2012/05/30/wiaw-and-other-ramblings/
    Reply
    • Anne P
      June 7, 2012 · 4:24PM:
      Kale + sweet potatoes is always a winning combo!
      Reply
  • Kris S June 7, 2012 · 2:17PM:
    Nice work Matt! That sandwich looks epic ;)
    Reply
  • Zulma June 7, 2012 · 2:43PM:
    Tuna Pasta Salad.. I loved it. I do not know about egg sald, I always heard that too much eggs is bad for cholesterol? what do you think? I have to cook for the week because I work and study at the university, so sometimes I left somethings cooked or prepared, fresh salads lettuce, tomatoes, olives and other vegetables...sometimes is difficult for me to think for the week, I need fast things. Have a good day Anne.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      June 7, 2012 · 4:23PM:
      Unless you already have really high cholesterol, eating eggs isn't a problem. It's just like anything else - don't have a ton of them every single day! Eggs are actually really good for you - good protein and lots of nutrients in the yolk, too!
      Reply
  • Lauren T June 7, 2012 · 3:22PM:
    Lately I've been enjoying tortilla pizzas-whole wheat tortillas, pizza sauce, pre-cooked turkey sausage, onions, and of course mozzarella cheese! They're super easy to whip up! On occasion I will make a bigger meal that will last me several days. I thought it was so cute and thoughtful how your fiance photographed his lunch for you by the way :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      June 7, 2012 · 4:22PM:
      Mmm I love tortilla pizzas! :)
      Reply
  • Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn
    June 7, 2012 · 4:16PM:
    oh yo husband faaaaaancy. #gettinginthebloggingame
    Reply
  • Min
    June 7, 2012 · 8:15PM:
    My weekdays are so crazy that I do all the prep work on Sunday. I usually like to marinade and cook a big batch of Korean marinated beef aka bulgogi or some sort of meat dish since my husband is such a carnivore. Then I add it to various dishes such as salads, quinoa bowls, stir-fry, etc. Oh and I always have roasted sweet potatoes sprinkled with cinnamon on hand! it's a must! yay for vitamin A!
    Reply
  • Carissa
    June 7, 2012 · 10:46PM:
    I'm always packing foods ahead of time. If not then all I would eat is peanut butter. I made shredded crock pot salsa chicken and used that for lunches this week. I too love eating green beans like that. Totally normal.
    Reply
  • Kelly @ My Love Affair With Running
    June 8, 2012 · 3:09AM:
    Great post :)! Matt did well. I LOVE it when I inspire Josh to pack a healthy lunch! I like to shop on a Monday for the week and fill my fridge with lots of fresh produce; perfect for meals and great for snacking. I often combine a few snacks, add a protein and in minutes I have a healthy and delicious meal! See the link for some of my ideas. http://kellyrosie.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/smart-snacking-solutions-guaranteed-to-leave-you-satisfied/
    Reply
  • Lexi @ You, Me, & A World to See
    June 8, 2012 · 6:57PM:
    Hahaha I love that he even photographed it! True love, right there ;)
    Reply
- next post
previous post -

about Anne

anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
Learn more

fannetastic reads

Top Posts
01

My Top 9 Most Popular Recipes + Posts

02

Why I Don’t Recommend Whole30

03

What Causes Sugar Cravings (+ How to Stop Them!)

04

How I Make Money As a Blogger

05

Blog Recipes We Make Again and Again

06

What to Eat Before and After a Long Run

07

What to Eat During Long Runs

08

7 Common Nutrition Myths

09

How to Love Veggies

connect with Anne

Email me
anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

When I’m not writing or cooking for fannetastic food, you can find me running, coaching nutrition clients, or on an adventure with my family. Feel free to reach out - I'd love to hear from you!

follow anne:

join the list

Sign up for my e-newsletter and I'll send you a meal plan packed with a week's worth of healthy meals, snacks and a shopping list. Happy eating!

back to top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Recent Posts
  • Privacy Policy
  • FAQ

© copyright fannetastic food - site by kc - exclusive member of mediavine