Don’t tell my boss but lunch has always been my favorite part of the workday. I really and truly love my job, but guess what – I love lunch more.

You may catch me skipping breakfast, and occasionally, after a crazy busy workweek, I have been known to gorge myself on a bowl of popcorn for dinner. But there’s one meal you’ll NEVER see me skimp on – lunch.

My lunchtime affection is a longstanding one. As a little kid, I expertly crafted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for me and my imaginary friends – additional guests were an excuse for additional sandwiches – to enjoy picnic-style in the woods behind my house.

Fast forward to 6th grade social studies class, and I was counting down the minutes until I could break into one of those iceberg lettuce salads with the crunchy things on top that my mom used to make, my Igloo lunch cooler a veritable treasure chest!

Nowadays, lunch has become even more important to me. With a schedule that sometimes makes me feel like I might spin off the planet, lunch is my time to hit the reset button, clear my head and power up to tackle the rest of the day. I make delicious lunches to show myself that I care – about me – and I rarely disappoint!

I truly look forward to the day when I get to make lunches for others – I imagine that it will be one of my favorite things about being a mom. For now, I take great pleasure in sharing my tips for inspiring lunchtime joy with you!

• Set aside 10 minutes of lunch packing zen time, wherever it fits into your schedule. I know lots of good people who pack lunches at night. While brilliant in theory, nighttime lunch packing doesn’t happen very often for me. So, I get up a few minutes earlier in the morning and gather up my lunch goodies while drinking my morning coffee. These few blissful moments of my routine help me feel ready to carpe diem!
• Let your friends (aka brands you love) help you. For those mornings when I can’t drag myself out of bed early to enjoy meditative moments preparing the elaborate lunches of my dreams, I turn to those I trust. Enter MY FRIENDS – erm, burritos can be friends, right? – and a slew of other delectable products from brands I love.
• Create a stash of lunchtime delicacies and don’t eat them at any other point in the day. I am a grown adult, and I love ants on a log with almond butter. If I ate ants on a log with almond butter as much as I crave it, I would spend as much money on almond butter as I do on rent. So, I reserve this nostalgia-inducing snack for lunches only. This little trick keeps my budget in check; and since I only enjoy this treat at lunch, it makes it feel even more special.
• Have fun! Get a whacky bento lunchbox! Cut your sandwich into a star! Make one of those fancy Pinterest salads in a Mason jar! Do whatever you need to do to get yourself (or your little humans!) jazzed about lunchtime. Preparing a delicious midday meal can be so fun and creative – spread your crazy lunch wings!

I hope that these little pointers make you, and whoever else’s lunch you’re packing, look forward to a meal that sometimes gets the short end of the stick. Give lunch the love it deserves. We sure do.

Happy eating!

Ally