Please share your best tips for Raw At Work

[purelyorganicproducts]

Hi folks,

I have been about 60% raw for many months, but I am finding packing food for work to be a challenge. I have two small children at home and work full-time out of the home. I find that I don't have lots of time/energy in the evening after the kids are in bed to start blending/dehydrating/sprouting/soaking etc. Usually I just end up having salads for lunch and fruit, raw nuts, or a Lara bar for snack. Sometimes I bring a raw soup too. I am getting bored with this and would love to hear what EASY things you all bring to work. I am someone who grazes ALL day long, so I would like to have more options. I would be grateful for your tried and true tips.

Thanks!

[CaliRaw]

When I make a raw meal, I make extra to take for lunch. I put my lunch serving in the containers after I make it, so that I don't have to do it in the morning.

I eat throughout the day while at work. I need lots of room and got tired of carrying several bags of 'stuff', so I bought a playmate cooler to put all of my food in. I have various sizes of plastic containers that I use to put watermelon and other foods that don't do well in plastic bags.

[garden granny]

In the morning I make a BIG green smoothie (about 34 ounces) and drink on it until almost noon. Then later in the day when I feel hungry, I'll eat a big bowl of watermelon, or a salad, or gazpacho.

[Eveleaf]

Well, I am a very busy divorced mother of two, and I'm a 'grazer' too. So our situations sound pretty similar. ;)

I love melons and I go through a TON of them. I'll buy two large watermelons and at least 2-3 cantaloupes a week. They ripen a few days in my kitchen, then I slice and peel them, and store them in nice-size (at least 6 cup) glass or tuperware containers in my fridge. They will keep that way for several days and it's super easy to just grap one in the morning to take on my way to work. So that's breakfast.

Lunch is usually the easiest, lovliest fruit I can find. Lately it will be 5-6 cups of blueberries, or grapes, or cherries. In a pinch I have also had apples (3-4) but I really prefer something more, um, interesting. I don't know about you, but when the "office lunch" smells start circulating, I need to know I have a really cool lunch, too! Or I'll feel deprived.

In the afternoon I get hungry again and find the best strategy is 3-4 bananas. They are a dense, satisfying fruit and really fill me up until dinner, so I'm not a starving lunatic when I get home. :)

I just realised this probably sounds like I'm a fruitarian. I'm not, but I've definitely noticed a gradual shift in what I "crave" to be more and more fruit. I do usually have a large green smoothie in the evening. And I make gormet recipes for fun on the weekends. Also I keep a big bag of raw "trail mix" in my desk for the times when nothing else will do.

Hope this helps!

[garden granny]

oh yeah, sometimes I take banana flax seed crackers, or onion bread, or banana fruit leathers, or dried nuts to munch on if I don't have enough other stuff to take with me.

[RAWk Angel]

I'm a mom of 3 and I know what you mean about not having the etime/energy at night after you get the kids to bed. What I found that helps me save time all during th week is this.... When I get home from the grocery store, right away I clean and cut up all my produce and put them into serving containers. I also divide up my nuts like that into snack size zip lock bags.
This way I can grab and go, or if I am making something, I cut the prep time in 1/2 because I don't have to wash and chop things. So it makes meal time a lot more simple. And gives you more time to spend on making something a little more time consuming.

[KellyL]

Do you have a kitchen/break room at work? I bring food with me to school and work (a restaurant) all the time. I find that a pate or dip travels well and most of them are quick and easy to make. Just bring a container of sliced veggies (celery, bell peppers, baby carrots). You can also pack an avocado. You can cut it open when you are ready to eat and add some salt if you wish. If you have an extra dish, mash the avocado with a fork and dip your veggies in that too.

[purelyorganicproducts]

Thanks to all who have responded thus far. I will definitely try chopping up all my melons etc. in advance and packaging them so they are ready to go. I'll look into your other suggestions as well.



Do you have a kitchen/break room at work?
I do have a kitchen/pantry at work and a minifridge in my office. I'm wondering, have any of you gone so far as to bring a blender or food processor to the office? I am sure people would look at me like I was nuts if they saw me preparing a green smoothie in the pantry, but who cares!

Please keep those great ideas coming! I really appreciate everyone's input.

[alicemagooey]

I think i heard that Victoria Boutenko took a blender to work..

Everyone in the office ended up LOVING green smoothies..

so , you may be treated or seen to be a bit wierd in the beginning, but then people would be 'gathering round'...at mealtimes..:D

maybe not your dish of tea..however..

sounds interesting...

alice

[cashewy]

I have totally brought a little mini-food processor to my office...it can be a little loud but I just close the door

I also eat red bell peppers and cucs like they were apples. and nuts for calories to keep me going. keep it simple and simple it will be:)

[rawbeliever]

Yep, I've got a blender at work. I throw a bunch of stuff into a backpack, and make two green smoothies during the day and snack on whole fruit.

[StarFire]

Gosh - so many great ideas! I'll definitely be borrowing some of them!

Like so many others- when I do have time to dehydrate or make any raw dishes - I make extra for my lunches. I also eat a lot of salads at lunch - which I see you're already doing...:D

snacks - lots of pates for dipping -- with veggies to munch on, or goddess dressing with kale and I just dip it in the dressing and munch away -- that's great with cucumber too!! Yummm!!

fudge balls... a favorite in my entire office now - if I stick them in the fridge I can be absolutely SURE that most of them will be gone by the time I get to the container!! ;)

I see nothing wrong with bringing a blender or fp to work!! And don't be surprised if you're not making smoothies for everybody!! ;) :D

[EZ rider]

When I was working (I'm a retired machinist) I kept a cutting board and a long fishing knife in my toolbox as permanent "tools" and then I would take a grocery bag of fresh produce like a pinapple, apples, and cantalope etc on a one way trip into work with me. Then at breaks and lunch I would sit down and have whatever I had brought with me. I would leave the peels and rinds and empty grocery bag in the garbage can. It was very simple and easy to do and I had whatever variety I put into my bags for the day. Plan it out so that you have something for first break then lunch and then last break.

[SmilingRawDancer]

If you have time on the weekends, work on dehydrating crackers and banana breads for the rest of the work-week then.
Just an hour or so prep on the weekends should make enough snacks for the rest of the week : )

(Can I mention banana bread again? OMG. I love the flax/banana bread.)

[jeannieh99]

I do have a kitchen/pantry at work and a minifridge in my office. I'm wondering, have any of you gone so far as to bring a blender or food processor to the office? I am sure people would look at me like I was nuts if they saw me preparing a green smoothie in the pantry, but who cares!

Please keep those great ideas coming! I really appreciate everyone's input.

I do have a kitchen at work. I take my magic bullet to work. I love, love, love it. I can zip up a smoothie in no time. I take 2 cups with me. I put my fruit in one cup with my flax seeds and put a lid on it. When I get to work I put the cup in the fridge. When I'm ready for it I split the fruit between the two cups, add ice and juice or water if I am out of juice and I have a wonderful smoothie for lunch and the other one rides with me back home. Sometimes I like to leave a few chunks in my drink to have a little something to chew on too.

btw....2 co-workers have already asked me if I'd make them a smoothie.:D I will bring another cup to blend and just pour it into their glass. cool!!
Jeannie

[PixieLed]

I remember the first time I brought my blender to work. It actually came about because I lived in a student house with tons of people and I woke up really early and I didn't want to wake everyone up with my smoothies in the morning. So I brought my blender and left it in the kitchen, so while everyone was making their coffee I was making my green smoothies.

People thought I was weird, but they started thinking: "well you're eating fruits and veggies... and I'm drinking boiled and roasted beans.. hmm".

I also brought a lot of "non-cut" veggies and just cut them at lunch before I ate them. Great conversations about "healthy eating" in the lunch room during those times. ;)

[purelyorganicproducts]

I take my magic bullet to work. I love, love, love it.

I am not familiar with the magic bullet, so I will have to look into this. This thread has inspired me to try a little harder. Today I brought some lovely grape tomatoes from my local farm--great, non-messy snack! I appreciate all of your suggestions and hope to get even more!

I have had a dehydrator sitting on my shelf screaming "try me" but for some reason I am intimidated by it (perhaps because it is a hand-me-down with no instruction manual).