Lunch On the Go!

The first lesson I learned as a college student was that time management is crucial to success. Cooking healthy meals takes time, and sometimes I don't have a lot of time between classes so I need a quick and easy lunch that will keep me full for a long time. 

One of my go to lunches is cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is a wonderful source of protein, which helps keep you full longer and prevents mindless snacking. I always go with Meijer brand 1% low fat large curd cottage cheese. There are many options of cottage cheese out there, but I highly recommend reading the nutrition label as calories, sodium, and fat intake vary between brands.

I have always been a person who needs something with their cottage cheese. Most people I know eat cottage cheese and chips. CHIPS ARE A BIG NO NO!! They are packed with sodium, high in saturated fats, full of fake chemicals, and you mine as well be eating garbage and chug a beaker of chemicals with your meal. I prefer crackers with my cottage cheese. My go to crackers are Ritz Whole Wheat crackers. They are lower in calories that the traditional Ritz and they also contain less sodium, in my mind the less salt the better. Triscuits are also a good option as wheat thins tend to contain lots of calories and are high in sodium. I always follow the serving size, which for Ritz is five crackers (always check the nutrition label and following the recommended serving size, it really will help you cut down on calories consumed).

Along with my cottage cheese and Ritz I had a peach and a greek yogurt parfait as dessert.  For the parfait I used Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt (only 80 calories per container!!), three frozen strawberries, about eight frozen blueberries (when buying frozen fruit always buy unsweetened no sugar added frozen fruit), and one tablespoon of all natural granola (if you buy Quaker granola don't buy it with honey it only adds sugar and calories). 

This is an easy lunch to pack up in reusable containers to eat between classes, or on break between classes. What is your go to healthy lunch for a busy day? Have an amazing day and enjoy the beautiful sunshine!!

XOXO,
Rachael