[lazy] Healthy Lunch – Simple Soup

Special Edit – Since this post has been so popular, I’m going to be creating a [lazy] lunch series — the next installment will be coming your way on Monday, April 13th!

Hello, Sweathearts!

Happy Monday! I don’t know about you, but I personally over-indulged on Easter sweets over the weekend. I crashed hard from my sugar high last night, and it was hard to get out of bed this morning. When I finally made my way to the kitchen to get ready for my workday, I realized that I hadn’t done any sort of meal prep over the weekend. Cue horror-movie music.

You see, if I don’t have a lunch prepared that I can grab and run out the door with, I’m likely to leave my house with nothing and rely on picking up lunch at the office. My local options? McDonalds, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Subway. Not ideal. While it is possible to pick out relatively healthy choices at each of those restaurants, I tend to allow myself to run wild. I end up back in my office with a meatball sub, medium fries, a chocolate caramel muffin, and a large sugary coffee. Okay, I’m exaggerating…but you get the point.

I’ve taken to keeping some backup items on hand so that on days when I haven’t prepped a full meal, I can still put together a balanced plate in a short amount of time. Here’s my favorite “lazy” lunch:

Soup

First up, a can of Amy’s Lentil Vegetable Soup. It’s delicious, filling (hello, plant-based proteins!), and has a pull-top. I throw this into my bag with a bowl for heating.

Green Giant

Next, I pull a Green Giant Steamers veggie box from the freezer. They have so many veggies to choose from, but this Healthy Weight version is my favorite. The veggies are balanced in a light butter sauce, but there are also plain veggies and even veggies with rice available.

APPLE

Apples are my favorite fruit, so I always have at least one sitting on my kitchen table. I’ll throw one in with my lunch, but usually I’ll have it as a snack in the morning.

CHOCOLATE

Finally, I’ll throw in a chocolate square to round things out. Life is all about moderation, right?

So there you have it–an easy to pack in less than a minute “lazy” lunch! It just so happens to be vegetarian friendly, as well. What are your favorite lunch choices for days when you are in a hurry? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!

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Sweat Worthy – Link Love #3

Hello, Sweathearts! It feels good to be writing here again. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for me–I won my first local title in the Miss America system, an am delighted to represent my community and take my first trip to the Miss New York pageant. When I relaunched Sweatsational, I was not expecting to win a title. My schedule is now going to be a little tighter, but I’m dedicated to making Sweatsational a success! Keep an eye out for more of the usual posts, but also a series related to preparing for the Miss New York lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit competition! I’m not trying to lose weight, but want to build lean muscle tone so that I’m at my best fitness level when I hit the stage.

I hope you enjoy the links I’ve gathered this week. A few are very near and dear to my heart!

MOVE TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – I’m an advocate for empowering teens (and adults!) with the tools they need to say no to domestic violence. I work closely with My Sisters’ Place, a local organization dedicated to providing support (in many ways) to survivors of domestic violence and educating the community. Their newest initiative, Team MSP, allows you to get your sweat on while raising funds to support these needed services.

gratitude-attitude

CULTIVATE GRATITUDE – I discovered 12 Months of Lent through the lululemon blog a few months ago, and I’ve been hooked ever sense! This recent post by blog author Dani features an excellent 60 second stress-buster aimed at fostering contentment.

LOVE A GOOD WORKSHEET? – I used to love worksheets when I was still in school. I know, I’m a nerd. I was extremely happy to see these fabulous worksheets on the Move Nourish Believe blog this week. They are designed to help encourage your positive mindset and help work through any insecurity you may be struggling with. I’ve printed them and will be using this weekend!

How-Use-Small-Exercise-Ball-Effectively

Photo from PopSugar

SMALL CHANGE, BIG RESULTS – I’ve only ever used large fitness balls–I’ve never even seen one this small until this week! In my PopSugar Must Have Box for the month of March, I received this small pink fitness ball that I had no idea what to do with. Thankfully, they have a how-to guide online, which I’m sharing here. Have you ever tried a mini fitness ball before? How did you like it?

What links have you been loving this week? Leave a comment here, as I’d love to check out your picks!

*The link to PopSugar Must Have is a referral link, which means if you purchase a box through that link, I will be credited for referring you. You do not have to use that link to purchase šŸ™‚