Lunchability

Chicken chili topped with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, along with salsa verde, and good old fashioned Premium saltines.

I'm starting a new job next week and have recently become obsessed with the idea of the creatively packed healthy lunch. Okay, well, at least marginally healthy. And a tad creative. Honestly, just about anything one can bring from home is bound to be a better choice than the crap available at your average drive through. And it's certainly more cost effective.  I'm trying to concentrate mostly on whole foods though I don't think I'll ever get over my cracker/carb obsession. Also, I would like to work toward making dinners that easily translate into delicious, lunch-friendly leftovers like you see above.  

I hope to chronicle my efforts here as I go. Provided I keep up with making the lunches (and working and going to school and everything else), the documenting shouldn't be a problem, obsessed as I am with photographing my food.  

The lunches you see here are packed in divided 3-compartment Ziploc containers and ready to go into the freezer until Tuesday. My newly acquired lunch obsession definitely extends to and is even heightened by the number of cool, compact, handy, eco-friendly lunch container choices on the market these days.

I mean, really, it's all about the accessories, people. 

I am tempted by Goodbyn and their hip containers especially the bynto box and the mix and match set. Doubt if one could go wrong with Rubbermaid Lunchblox. I love love LOVE the Citizenpip "Soup to Nuts" kit, especially since it includes containers for liquids (iced tea from home!) and a (tiny!) fork and spoon.  Then there is the lunch tote, which definitely appeals.  A girl can never have enough bags, after all. Although I do have to confess to having at least one lunch tote already, actually the cutest lunch tote in the world:

I just kind of want to squeal when I see it (the leaf zipper pull?).  In some ways, it's too small to be practical, but there will mos def be days when it will work and I will be thrilled.  It's a "skip hop" lunch box and I got mine at Target.

I'll leave you with the recipe for the Chicken Chili pictured above.  I used all the ingredients listed except I cooked my chicken breasts in a little olive oil with garlic and shallots then fork shredded it and added it to a dutch oven where I had assembled all the other ingredients, and simmered it all for an hour or so and served.  DELISH!