Love Your Lunch

It's time to schedule "Eat a decent meal" on your calendar. Yes, even if it's stacked with calls and meetings and other Very Important Business. These boss ideas will help you get the job done.

- KATIE SULLIVAN MORFORD

WHETHER YOU'RE working from home or schlepping into the office, your midday meal should be more exciting than that all-hands you just sat through. Sadly, it's easy to wear out our lunch go-tos and fall into a rut, says Maya Feller, RD, author of Eating from Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites from Cultures Around the World. "Stepping outside your norm can quite literally spice up the eating experience," she says. Not to mention a ho-hum workday! In search of better desk lunches, we held a brainstorm with pro-level packers. Allow us to pitch you the strategies that came out of it and share some next steps.

The Shortcut-Based Lunch

Conserve your limited discretionary time by picking up convenience foods, like almost-ready-to-eat packaged ramen, a rotisserie chicken, precooked rice pouches, and bagged salads (we're big fans of Trader Joe's Southwestern Chopped Salad Kit). Then dress them up. "A sprinkle of chopped scallions, a dusting of sesame seeds, or a pinch of grated garlic can make the meal pop," Feller says. To elevate those storebought shortcuts even more:

Add to Your Ramen Noodles Stir some prewashed spinach into the hot broth and top with jarred chili crisp and sliced scallions.

Turn a Rotisserie Bird into Curried Chicken Salad Shred the meat and toss it with mayo or Greek yogurt, curry powder, salt, and lime juice. Add more lime juice (or even water) until the dressing easily Icoats the chicken. Stir in chopped celery, shredded carrots, and raisins.

Make Spicy Fried Rice Start by stir-frying precooked rice in an oil-slicked skillet. Add beaten eggs and chopped kimchi. Cook until the eggs are done, then season with soy sauce and sesame oil. Pack your meal in an insulated container to keep it warm.