Lunch Crudites.
As you know, crudites is a French appetizer of raw vegetables. You're thinking this doesn't sound at all exciting, but I promise you that if you are bored taking sandwiches all the time, lunch crudites is for you.
First of all, it's healthy. You're supposed to be getting 3-4 servings of vegetables every day. How often do you actually accomplish that? It's tricky. Lunch crudites has at least two servings built in. Second, it's easy to pack. You'll notice I have a handy snap-lid plastic container. It's thin enough to fit into my lunch box, but big enough for plenty of veggies. Third, it's versatile. You can include any combination of veggies you want. Fourth, it requires minimal prep time: wash and cut your veggies on Sunday night and you'll have them ready to pack every day that week.
As you can see, I also supplement my lunch crudites with other things because two servings of vegetables is not enough food for me. I'll give you the run down of things I like to include.
Here's a list of all the crudites I've used in various combinations. I usually take two different veggies at a time:
1. Fresh green beans: No, they're not cooked. Raw green beans are delicious! They're crunchy and refreshing.
2. Baby carrots: Packaged and pre-washed? Couldn't be easier.
3. Sliced red, yellow, and green bell peppers: Mix and match or pick your favorite!
4. Sugar snap peas: When these are in season, you just can't beat them.
5. Snow peas: These are great if you're trying to get yourself into raw veggies. They have a nice mild flavor and they're tender.
6. Cucumber: I like the long seedless ones. They have thinner skin.
7. Yellow squash and zucchini: Again, in season these are fresh and delicious
I buy my lunch crudites during my big weekend grocery store trip. When I get home, I wash the veggies and let them air dry on a clean kitchen towel out on the counter. When they're dry, I put them away. For the green beans, all I do is snap off the ends and snap them in half. In the case of bell peppers, squash, zucchini, and cucumber, I slice them. The others I put straight into plastic food storage containers. In airtight containers, the veggies will keep in the fridge for a week. And they're ready to pack when you need them.
I supplement my lunch crudites with all sorts of things:
1. Yogurt: I try to eat yogurt every day.
2. String cheese: String makes the perfect side for veggies.
2. A hard boiled egg: Eggs get a bad reputation, but they're really perfect. Lots of nutrients and protein. I boil 5 of them on Sunday, peel them, and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.
3. Nuts: Again, protein, which I need to keep me going until dinner.
4. Fruit: Most of the time it's apples, but I take oranges too. You're supposed to get 3-4 servings of those too!
If you're bored with sandwiches, enjoy some lunch crudites instead!
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