The art of the not sad desk lunch.

I have to admit, for someone who brings lunch to work at least 80% of the time, the phrase "brown bag lunch" makes my heart sink a little. I've never been much of a sandwich gal - the insides slip and slide as you bite into it, and at the end of the day it's cold and dry. You have to buy enough cold cuts or fixings at a time that the deli slicer doesn't glare at you for getting 1/16 lb. of every meat and cheese, so you eat the same sandwich day after day. I'm not a big condiment person, much preferring pan drippings, gravy and broths to squeeze-bottle drizzles.

In school, there weren't many options - can you imagine the pandemonium if all parents sent their kids to school with food that needed to be microwaved? My kids are going to be those poor weirdos who bring to school a whole turkey leg or last night's braise in an insulated container, and all their friends will have brightly colored Lunchables and PB&J. But one of the perks of adulthood is office kitchens with microwaves. But with great power comes great responsibility: adult lunching goes best if planned out...that's how you avoid the sad desk lunch.

Those who know me would be completely unsurprised to learn that I have a meticulously planned spreadsheet that helps me plan breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner every day of the week. It's kind of a soothing ritual...every weekend I sit down in my cozy chair and play "Meal Plan Tetris":

1. Check the upcoming week's schedule for lunch meetings, dinner dates, etc. (these are free spaces: block them off).
2. Check the freezer for leftovers: I'm pretty careful about packaging leftovers so they're easy to use: single servings of soup, manageable portions of large batches of ancient grains, pre-measured quarts of broth/stock.
3. Select dishes by looking for inspiration/backlogged recipes: my Pinterest board, magazine clippings and cookbooks.
4. Strategically plan when to cook/how to repurpose ingredients throughout the week: Monday's roast chicken is Tuesday's salad protein; the quinoa for Tuesday's salad is also Wednesday's breakfast bowl base. Don't pick a busy night to make something with a long cooking time.
5. List daily prep planning to make weeknight cooking a breeze: Know when to defrost things so they're ready to use; lunch doesn't have to be leftovers -- you can build all the components of a dish across multiple days so no one night is a slog of cooking chores and clean-up.

It may sound like a lot of work, but it keeps me sane during the week and allows us to eat home-cooked meals without getting bored from repeating leftovers meal after meal. Most importantly, it makes it possible not to have sad desk lunch -- don't you have enough to worry about with that big presentation this afternoon? Planning is 80% of the battle; the rest is execution.

This little beauty included leftover barley, weekend vegetable stock and a handful of spinach unused from an earlier salad (already washed and on the cusp of wilting); lentils yet to be repurposed:

Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Soup with Black Lentils and Barley (I substituted the barley I already had for the brown rice I did not have, and I added spinach)