Luxe Lunch: How to Brown Bag Like a Chef

Do you find yourself still using those brown paper bags to tote around a boring sandwich, sugary soda and some processed snack filled with ingredients you can’t even pronounce? Well I have some solutions to take your lunch time eats to a chef-inspired level and make all your co-workers envious of your master culinary skills.

By taking your lunch to work, it gives you complete control of what goes into your meal and thus into your body. So why not save some of that money you would spend on eating lunch out everyday and pack a healthy culinary delicacy that will make you smile from ear to ear!

Sunday’s are for meal prep
I love spending my Sunday preparing meals for the week. That way don’t have to worry about what to eat everyday or end up spending cash for lunch on the run during the busy work week. From shopping for ingredients to prepping all the food for the week, it takes me a couple hours of Sunday funday to get it in order. It’s best to have a plan of action to make it as easy as possible. Start with a list of ingredients, chop all your veggies and produce, cook your proteins and be sure to have the proper vessels to store your meals in.

Think outside of the bag
Just because you have to bring your lunch with you everyday does not mean that it has to be boring and flavorless. This is where you can let your creativity flow and try new foods you might have otherwise passed up while grocery shopping. Why not trade that PB&J for a satiating bowl of miso ramen with pork tonkatsu? Or maybe a curried chicken pita with grapes and candied pecans? Have some fun in the kitchen and play with your food!

You eat with your eyes first
When you open up that brown paper bag and peer inside to find a soggy sandwich and some unidentifiable side snack, you most likely are going to be as sad as that sandwich is when you have no desire to eat it. So turn that frown upside down because it’s all about eating the rainbow! If sandwiches are your thing, try swapping out white bread for a wheat ciabatta with spinach, roasted red peppers, smoked mozzarella and prosciutto. I always add fruit and nuts to my salads because not only is it healthier, the bright colors encourage me to dive right into this delicious-looking lunch.

Your brown bag needs a makeover
So go ahead, toss out those brown paper bags. They’re most likely going to get wet and bust open at some point before lunch anyway. Trade them up for some BPA-free plastic or glass containers.

One more way to create brown bag lunches like a chef is to prepare them on the Kenmore PRO suite of appliances.