Simple Simon and Company

SUBSCRIBE TO GET ALL THE LATEST!

Giveaway

Taking back our lunch hour

Both Elizabeth and I lead, what we feel to be, very full lives. And fortunately enough lives that we love and are thankful for. But this “full” lifestyle often leads to empty stomachs…our empty stomachs. Why is that?

Well….with children ranging in ages from high school to kindergarten who are involved in everything from T-ball to piano lessons and tumbling to the school play combined with the pressures of running a business and maintaining a home our days are filled with carpools, laundry, phone calls, dishes, deadlines, etc. And feeding ourselves almost always comes in as a low priority on our to-do lists.

Sound familiar to anyone else??? We thought so. Recently we have both been trying to focus on our eating habits…primarily trying to eat 3 nutritious meals a day…so that by the time dinner rolls around we aren’t as tired, drained, and grumpy as the 5 year old! And, one of the things we have found to help in our quest for fast but nutritious lunch time meals is HORMEL® NATURAL CHOICE® products.

My favorite is the Oven Roasted Deli Turkey. (It can be found at most grocery stores and only costs around $3.50 a package.) And what I have started doing for the past few weeks is every Monday at lunchtime I cut up enough turkey, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, cheese, tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs (or any combination of toppings I have on hand) to make enough salads for the rest of the week. I then make my Monday salad and separate the rest of the remaining toppings into bags to be stored in the fridge and used daily until the end of the week. It sounds a little redundant but Chef Salads are fast (especially when I am only preparing the toppings once a week) and one of my favorite lunches. Plus, I never have to wonder what to eat…because it is already done for me! This new lunchtime routine has proven to work for me…to keep me eating…and eating nutritious meals. I don’t have a lot of time to invest into personal lunches but this lunch…this is a lunch I can stick with!

Elizabeth on the other hand has rediscovered a lunch time favorite that she has been enjoying:  A homemade panini sandwich…or what you might call a grown up version of a grilled cheese sandwich! One of her all-time favorites is ham and havarti. She just adds the HORMEL® NATURAL CHOICE® Honey Deli Ham in between some sliced Havarti cheese that is nestled between two slices of bread. Next all that is left to do is a quick grill in a sandwich press (or on the stove top using buttered bread). The entire process takes her about 5 minutes and with the unpredictable spring weather we have been having she has been loving something warm and delicious on the days when it has been cold and rainy.

So there you have it…two lunchtime solutions that really work. And that you can feel good about. HORMEL® NATURAL CHOICE® products never use added preservatives*, nitrates*, artificial colors, or artificial flavors. Being a full-time mom is always a busy job…we know…but it is always important to take a few minutes to refuel and recharge yourself to have the energy you need to make it through the day!

Do you have any go-to lunches that work for you? If so, you could win a $100 VISA gift card! Please share your go-to lunch idea in the comments below. We would love to hear what works for you!

Entry Instructions:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#Sweeps” and “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from SheKnows via the sweeps@sheknows.com. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/15/17- 7/31/17

Be sure to visit the brand page on Sheknowsmedia.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

 

*Minimally processed. No artificial ingredients.

*No nitrates or nitrites added except for those naturally occurring in cultured celery or cherry powder.

More from my site

Subscribe to get all the latest

Comments

  1. Betsy says

    Quesadillas are always a hit and easy and can use up whatever we have in the fridge.

  2. Diana says

    I usually end up eating leftovers, which is my go to lunch. Not very creative, but it works. We also do lots of quesadillas and nachos, too.

  4. Ellie Wright says

    I love a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich
    and some fresh fruit for a quick and easy lunch

  8. Stephanie Phelps says

    My own the go lunch I love it a protien shake! Easy to take with me and good for me!

  10. Wehaf says

    My go-to lunch is a green salad with grilled chicken or steak. I like getting in lots of veggies early in the day, not just at dinner.

  11. Mary D says

    I usually eat salads for lunch with lots of veggies added (broccoli, 3 bean, beets, cukes, etc) the more stuff the merrier. I sometimes add albacore white chunk tuna. I mostly have fruit for my snacks. And I drink coconut water most days and I have a 52 oz cup that I fill with regular water everyday and work on drinking it throughout my day. There is nothing like being properly hydrated.

    tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com

  12. Sasha Farnsworth says

    One of my favorite lunches is a pickle spear with some Laughing Cow cheese wrapped in Hormel Lunchmeat! It makes a pretty good appetizer, but with a few spears of pickles, it’s a great lunch! We’ve been using the Hormel Natural Choice for awhile now since I figured out that nitrites are a migraine trigger for me. We love it!

  13. Shelby says

    Leftovers if we have any, salad (I love the prep for the week), or an omelet. Thanks!

  14. Jane Laska says

    Love Hormel Natural Choices. I usually make a turkey, tomato and cucumber sand0

  17. Julie Wood says

    We love my Egg Salad Bento Lunch! We love Bento lunch boxes where I can put in different healthy items and have a fast lunch to go!

  23. Hailey says

    My go to lunch has me prepping like you the sunday before. I hard boil a bunch of eggs and make enough chicken noodle soup for the week and usually eat those two things for lunch for the week. Sometimes ill add a piece of fruit if we have any

  25. Natalie says

    My go to quick and easy lunch is mason jar salads. I add lettuce, veggies, dried fruit and diced lunch meat in a mason jar and bring dressing in a small container on the side, pour it in the jar and shake!

  33. Linda says

    My #1 Go-To Lunch ingredient is hard boiled eggs. I cook 5-6 and have them on hand to use for deviled eggs, salad topping, egg salad sandwiches, or sometimes I just grab one and sprinkle with little salt and call it lunch.

  36. Julia Vincent says

    We try and switch it up when we can. Sometimes it’s leftovers and other weeks we will make a huge pot of soup (our favorite is a chicken tortilla esque soup) and divide it up for the week. If we are home we love to throw whatever we have in the panini machine or sometime whip up a quick salad.

  46. Margaret Smith says

    My favorite go to lunch is wraps. I love making ham or turkey with Swiss wraps. Thanks so much.

  49. Chi Shannon says

    My go to is a quick ham & cheese sandwich 🙂 but that panini has me thinking I’ve been missing out! YUM!! I might have to change things up 🙂

  52. Gina M says

    My go-to quick lunch is leftovers from last night’s dinner.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

  54. Shawna says

    My go to lunch is a sandwich with lunch meat on whole wheat bread with green leafy lettuce and fat free or light mayo and mustard.. Sometimes I add sliced sharp cheddar cheese and fresh avocado. I love Hormel’s Natural Choice Smoked Deli Ham on my sandwiches! It’s my favorite!

  56. Kristen says

    I really like to have pita sandwiches with chicken, black beans, cheese and salsa.

  59. Wanda McHenry says

    My go-to lunch is prosciutto wrapped melon, grapes and Brie or Camembert with Triscuit crackers.

  69. Tamra H says

    My go-to lunch is a roasted veggie wrap. Roast the veggies ahead of time, throw in a wrap with some mayo and seasoning and you’re done! It’s really tasty, too.

  73. Rebecca W says

    I like to make a quick salad with organic greens, ham, and a hard boiled egg! It’s really healthy and low in calories!

  76. Jeffrey says

    I like ham on ciabatta bread with arugula, caramelized onions, brie and mustard. Its great warmed in a panini press and served with sea salt & vinegar chips!

  80. Madeline says

    I like to take leftovers from the night before (like beans and rice), add some extra veggies, and make that lunch.

  84. shelly peterson says

    My go to lunch is usually a turkey and cheese sandwich.
    cshell090869 at aol dot com

  91. debbie says

    I like to keep homemade bread on hand and with that and some lunch meat, we are good to go!

  93. Allison Swain says

    Usually a salad, or baked potatoes and veggies,
    Thank you for the chance to win!

    allisonrsdswain(AT)gmail(DOT)com

  96. Gina M says

    My go-to quick and easy lunch is leftovers from last night’s dinner. 🙂

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

  99. Chrissy says

    I’ve recently started making salads in a jar at the beginning of the week so that each day I pull out a salad, dump it into a bowl and it’s like having a restaurant quality salad with all of my favorite and healthy toppings! So proud of myself for eating healthy and it’s delicious!

  101. Barbara Montag says

    My favorite is hummus pretzels and fresh fruit.
    Easy and refreshing!
    thank you

  109. Sarah L says

    My quick lunch is a salad with whatever is in the fridge.
    Thanks for the contest.

  111. Tabathia B says

    sometimes I enjoy sandwiches for a quick lunch but it’s also easy for me to make a hotdog

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

  113. Bert Ruiz says

    The quick lunch that usually works for me is sandwiches. Thank you for the opportunity to win

  115. Cynthia C says

    I like to have pre-washed salad greens on hand to make a quick salad with lots of good add-ins for lunch

  117. Dorothy Schreyer says

    I only have a half hour for lunch, so prepping on weekends works for me and a quick lunch I make often is a wrap, using romaine lettuce or a spinach wrap to roll everything up in.

  118. April Vrugtman says

    My go-to lunch is sort of a smorgasbord. I have hummus and pita chips, olives, nuts, cheese and raw veggies with a dip.

  119. Jennai says

    I usually have apiece of grilled chicken and a salad
    cmy3cats {at} gmail (dot} com

  130. Tina W says

    I try to have some lunchmeant-wrapped cheese sticks on hand for a quick lunch on the go. Never miss the bread or condiments and they last longer that way in the frig.

  132. Jerry Marquardt says

    My favorite go-to lunch idea is to make a quick and easy BLT sanwich with extra mayonnaise.