This is more of a lunch prep food hack than a recipe. You’re generally going to have a more filling and nutritious lunch and food throughout the work day if you plan ahead and pack food from home. Planning begins with a base for your mid-day meal. I like something with a good mix of protein and carbohydrates, so I’ll start with this:

• 1 fresh red, green or yellow bell pepper diced and sizzled in olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat
• Add 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey and brown
• Season with chipotle, cumin, chilli powder, or cayenne pepper to taste. (You know how much heat you like. Leave out the cayenne or chilli powder if that’s too spicy for you)
• Add one can each (drained and rinsed to lower the sodium) red kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans
• Add a cooked pouch of boil-in-bag white or brown rice (you decide)
• Add  1 1/2 to 2 cups of medium chunky salsa (you don’t want it to be too soupy)
• Let simmer for 10 min, cool and portion in small plastic containers

Freeze the containers and have them in your lunch box arsenal. This stuff is seriously good and simple and filling. How many calories? How much are you going to eat? Try these easy additions to round out snacks for the remainder of the day:

• Oikos Triple Zero Yogurt (one or two cartons depending on how much protein you need)
• Sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, celery, bell pepper strips…think fresh and snackable
• Banana, apple, grapes, berries…don’t over-do the fruit, but it’s better than candy or cookies to satisfy a sweet craving

Don’t stress by trying to be too fancy or complicated when you’re jumping off the fast food lunch train. Pack your lunch bag and have it ready in the fridge the night before. Get fresh food that you like that’s not from a box or package. It’s a good start.