Healthier eating. Is it on your list of new year's resolutions? While it's not a goal I specifically devised for 2014, it's something I've been working on for the last few months. I don't aim for limits - I aim for possibilities. I don't want a short-term fad diet - I want a long-term commitment that I can live with. I also want it to fit my young professional budget, be quick and easy to stick to (for office lunches), keep me full (to avoid vending machine temptations), and taste good.
The other night when I did my grocery shopping, I tried to buy food items that could mix-and-matched to create different meals for breakfast and lunch. I usually eat both breakfast and lunch at work - so I need that flexible wiggle room to shake up my meal options with versatile ingredients. I call these "Throw-Together Meals," since they require minimal effort when whipping them up at work.
Above is what I ate for lunch today:
- 1 bag of Green Giant Steamers Valley Blend
- 4-5 chicken breast strips from a bag of Tyson Grilled & Ready
- 1 cup of Minute Ready-to-Serve Multi-Grain Medley
Microwave the veggies first, since they take the longest. The bag has three servings, but I ate the whole thing to load up on veggies so that I could skimp on the chicken and grains. I love Tyson's Grilled & Ready chicken. Only a few out of the bag were needed to amp up my lunch. They're pre-cooked, so I just threw them into the veggie bag when it had about 1 minute left - at the same time, I stuck the cup of rice in for the last minute. The multi-grain medley is a tasty mix of brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats, wheat and rye. Once it was all warmed up, I tossed it all together in a bowl and chowed down on my delicious and satisfying lunch.
I'm using SparkPeople to track my nutrition. This super easy, super tasty, and super cheap meal rang in under 500 calories - keeping me right at my goal. Plus, it'll keep my belly full so that I don't cave in for Gardetto's later in the day. ;)
Here are the ingredients, which you can get at any grocery store or supermarket.
Minute Ready to Serve Multi-Grain Medley Rice, 2ct: Meal Solutions,...
Green Giant Steamers Mixed Vegetables Valley Blend, 11 oz
Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips, 22 oz: Meat, Seafood &...
Stay tuned for more of my quick, easy, healthy, budget-friendly recipes that I throw together for lunch at the office as I continue my mission to eat better.
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