Broccoli Salad and Taking Time for Lunch with LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Collection

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Taking Time for Lunch

The other day I talked about the importance of scheduling and planning your day.  For those of you who missed it, here’s a quick recap.  I emphasized the importance of setting daily goals and dividing those up in to a set of morning goals and a set of afternoon goals with a lunch in between.  By setting your day up in this manner, you’ll be able to focus on a short list of immediate goals, which means you’ll be less likely to get overwhelmed by everything you need to do.  You’ll also feel a great sense of accomplishment once that morning list of goals is complete, and dividing your day up ensures that you schedule yourself a much-needed lunch time!

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, a mom working from home, or a mom working outside the home, lunch is a key part of the day!  And yet, so many people skip it! (Often this includes myself, but I’m working to change that!)

Mac and Cheese

Often people skip lunch unintentionally. They’ll say, “Let me just finish this one task, and then I’ll eat!”  And then another task comes up, or the phone rings!  And before they know it, it’s 2 o’clock, and they have to go pick up the kids from school.

Others skip lunch, because they are busy, and they think they will get more done that way.  They’ll say things like, “How can I eat lunch when I’ve got this huge to do list on my desk?”  or “Just think of all of the things I can get done in the 30 minutes everyone else spends eating lunch.”

But the truth is that lunch doesn’t have to be a chore or take up a huge amount of your time.  And not only does it offer us the chance to refuel and get all the necessary vitamins and nutrients we need to function properly, but it also gives us a chance to step away from our work, decompress, re-charge, and gain a little perspective.  And all of this actually ADDS to our overall daily productivity!

Lean Cuisine Marketplace Collection

Since I am a busy mom working from home, I definitely need strategies and simple solutions that will allow me to take that much needed lunch break each day!  LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Collection offers balanced entrees that are delicious and satisfying, and they fit in perfectly with my tight schedule.

Each meal offers you balanced nutrition to take on your day.  They offer great sources of vegetables and protein (even in the vegetarian meals, such as the mac & cheese).  They use organic pasta, and the meals are gluten free with no preservatives, and no artificial flavors.

They come in great varieties like Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese, Sweet & Spicy Korean-Style Beef, Asparagus and Cheese Ravioli, Fiesta Grilled Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, Lemon Pepper Fish, Spicy Beef & Bean Enchilada, and more.

Lean Cuisine at Walmart

I recently picked up a couple of LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Collection entrees at my local Walmart.  You can find them in the freezer section.

Lean Cuisine Vermont Mac and Cheese

The other day I had a very busy morning.  I was trying to clean house, and then I also had a lot of blogging tasks I was working on and photography to complete.  The LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Collection Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese really hit the spot!  I just LOVE mac & cheese.  This entree tastes very much like homemade cheddar mac & cheese, and I was able to cook in up in just a few minutes!  It’s a perfect lunch for me.  And it is made with organic pasta, no GMO, and no preservatives!

Broccoli Salad

And while I could easily eat the mac & cheese and be totally satisfied, the other day I decided to make a Broccoli Salad to go with the entree.  This salad is very versatile; you can eat it hot or cold, and the recipe can easily be altered to include various vegetables, proteins, and other add-ins that you desire.  I’ve included a list of possible substitutes and add-ins in the notes at the bottom of the recipe.

This salad is also something that you can make at the beginning of the week and dip out a little bit at a time throughout your work week, or you can share it with your spouse or a co-worker!

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Lunch Time with Lean Cuisine

For more recipe ideas and inspiration, check out the Flavorful Moments board on Pinterest.

And I’d love to know how do you make time for lunch each day! Please give us your thoughts and tips by commenting on this post!

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Comments

  1. I agree! Lunch is so important! These are fabulous ideas for staying on track and eating yummy foods. I can’t wait to try the Mac and Cheese! YUM! -client

  2. I’ve never had a broccoli salad before. It sounds delicious! [client]

  3. The broccoli salad sounds delicious and a perfect pairing with the mac n cheese.

  4. i am making mac and cheese tomorrow. i might just add some broccoli

  5. The broccoli salad sounds like I would love it. I am going to check out a couple of the Lean Cuisine Marketplace items. I am guilty of skipping lunch because I am too lazy to make myself something and then I am starving and overeat during dinner.

  6. Betsy Rubendall Barnes says

    I love this broccoli salad recipe! I work at home, usually take my lunch break around 2 and I always have a salad, topped with almonds. It boosts my energy to finish out my day 🙂

  7. I love the look of your broccoli salad! It sounds delicious!! What a perfect addition to your mac and cheese!

  8. Oh I too often skip lunch and I know its not good. My goal this year is to learn to cook healthier for my family…we love broccoli and this would be perfect to make!

  9. The mac and cheese looks delish! I am not a big fan of broccoli but this salad makes it look really good. I skip lunch pretty much on a daily basis due to work, and I know it is taking its toll on me as I really need to eat better for my health as well as make more positive food choices.

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