Posted by
Amelia K. on
Friday, September 26th, 2014 with
4 Comments
A recent popular food trend is Meatless Monday. You may have heard of this craze – it involves completely removing meat from your diet one day a week (although some seafood is okay to eat). If you’re not overly familiar with the concept, it might seem a little strange to take an entire food group off the table for part of the week – but this idea has a lot of healthy facts to back it up.
Eating less meat can help reduce your risk of preventable conditions like heart disease, certain types of cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Plus, studies have shown that people who eat more greens and whole grains – and less meat – generally have a lower body weight. Meaning reducing your meat intake, even just one day per week, can help reduce your risk of obesity. But with all that being said, finding a lunchtime meal that’s quick and easy – while still being nutritious – that sticks with the Meatless Monday requirements can sometimes end up in something a little bland.
Choosing shrimp spring rolls is a great way to follow the Meatless Monday guidelines while still packing protein in your lunch.
Photo Credit: Flickr user chevre intrigant
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Posted by
Sara on
Monday, June 23rd, 2014 with
2 Comments
Meatless Monday, the popular eat-vegetarian-once-a-week movement, is awesome: eating more plant-based foods can be better for your waistline, your environmental footprint, and even your lifespan. And while preparing your own vegetarian meals at home for breakfast and dinner is relatively easy, many Meatless Monday participants find that vegetarian lunches for work present the biggest challenge of the day. When everyone else is bonding in the break room over pizza delivery or planning their big takeout order, pulling a Tupperware container of salad out of the fridge can be a little depressing… and while it may be good for your body, that’s not the ideal way to mentally start your workweek.
That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best vegetarian options for office lunches from the typical office’s go-to takeout and delivery spots. All contain the hallmarks of a satisfying vegetarian meal: hearty proteins, plenty of fiber, and — of course — flavor!
Does this look like rabbit food to you?
Image source: Flickr user Jennifer
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Posted by
Sara on
Friday, March 7th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Meatless Monday: Integrate this Popular Health Trend into Your Corporate Catering Plan Comments
270 pounds: that’s the size of your typical refrigerator, or a North American black bear. It’s also how much meat the average American eats per year, and equates to around three-quarters of a pound of meat per day.
Meatless Monday is sweeping the nation – is your office next in line?
Image source: Flickr User Allio
And with study after study suggesting that a diet lower in meat and higher in plant-based foods can lead to longer life, lower blood pressure, and a smaller environmental impact, many offices, schools, and restaurants across the country are making an effort to reduce meat consumption. You’ve probably heard of one particularly specific and successful campaign: Meatless Mondays.
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Posted by
Sara on
Friday, April 18th, 2014 with
1 Comments
By now, it’s old news that most nutritionists, doctors, and environmental activists think we should eat less meat. Meatless Monday is a widespread success. A simple quote from Michael Pollan (“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”) now graces reusable shopping bags and meme-ready illustrations. And one environmental group has painstakingly compiled statistics to describe just how terrible mass-produced meat is for the environment, like “If your four-person family skips steak once a week, it’s like taking your car off the road for nearly three months.”
And, of course, seemingly endless studies continue to reveal that plant-based diets are the best for our weight, blood pressure, and even our longevity. We get it — we should eat less meat. But what do we eat instead… especially when it comes to ordering takeout, planning a catering menu, or arranging office meals?
The tricky part of trying to serve more vegetarian cuisine in the office is to make sure every meal has plenty of protein… without resorting to hockey-puck-like veggie burgers or highly processed fake meats that would never qualify as “real food”. And luckily, you don’t have to. Whether you’re trying to accommodate a special diet at a catered meal or trying out Meatless Monday during a group takeout order, there are plenty of delicious, wholesome, plant-based proteins to make sure every breakfast or lunch will be just as satisfying as a meat-centric meal. Here are seven plant-based proteins to try:
Chickpea-based dishes, like falafel, are excellent sources of vegetarian protein!
Image source: Flickr user Mr.TinDC
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Posted by
Amelia K. on
Thursday, October 23rd, 2014 with
Comments Off on Gourmet Tacos: Mix Your Lunch Delivery Up with Heart Healthy Options Comments
Tacos are a quick and easy – not to mention delicious – way to grab lunch when you’re trying to work through a big deadline. Traditionally, tacos can be a great way to eat healthy, too. They’re made with meat and beans, which are packed with protein and fiber – keeping your afternoon fueled with energy and aiding with food digestion. Ordering extra veggies on your taco can also give you a boost of essential vitamins and minerals, helping you to reach that daily requirement. Cheese is great for adding a little dairy into your diet, which helps keep your bones strong and puts osteoporosis at bay. And choosing a hard corn shell over a soft shell can keep this lunchtime meal gluten free and within your daily dietary goals.
When it comes down to it, tacos can be a great choice for your midday meal. But regular old tacos can get pretty boring rather quickly. So when you’re craving a little Mexican infusion in your day – but want to switch things up from the regular beef and cheese combo – what should you do? To help you find a tasty lunchtime meal, we’ve compiled some of our favorite gourmet taco selections for your next order on Waiter.com.
Shrimp can be a great way to mix up your next gourmet taco order – adding lots of veggies can also pack this lunch with antioxidants and vitamins!
Image source: Flickr user mealmakeovermoms
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Posted by
Kimberly B. on
Thursday, October 9th, 2014 with
Comments Off on International Office Meals: A Unique Thai Breakfast to Honor Vegetarian Awareness Month Comments
Yes, it’s that time of year again — National Vegetarian Month! We’ve already been talking about healthy, delicious ideas to make your office crave Meatless Mondays, but today we’ll focus on delicious breakfast ideas from across the world that are both meat-free and tasty.
It can be so easy to fall back on ordering the usual Western style breakfasts for mornings at the office. But staying in a predictable food rut is not without consequences: most American or English traditional breakfasts are filled with fats and oils, leaving employees feeling heavy and lethargic — not to mention tired of the same old flavors and foods. Seeing as we’re midway through National Vegetarian Month, it’s the perfect timing to delve into a Southeast Asian meal that can work just as well without meat as it does with. No harm in making sure that we can please everyone in the office — vegetarians and meat-lovers alike — with a healthy, refreshing breakfast.
A Thai-style breakfast will entice the folks at work who are craving something new, and still remain inviting to any reluctant eaters on staff. So let’s dive right into Thailand’s tempting cuisine that is sure to turn a typical office morning into the highlight of the day.
This version of khao tom has fish (pla) in it for some additional protein.
Image source: Flickr user Ron Dollete
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Posted by
Kimberly B. on
Tuesday, September 30th, 2014 with
19 Comments
Whenever we’re ordering cuisine from another country, it can be tough to tell whether a dish is authentic to its country of origin, or if it’s been tweaked to suit Western tastes. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with putting an American spin on traditional cuisines from other parts of the world, having a better understanding of what we’re eating makes the experience more rewarding — and sometimes inspires interest in a new culture.
Chinese fried rice is delicious, but there are other exciting dishes to try for a more authentic experience.
Image source: Flickr user by t-mizo
Signs of authentic Chinese food
Chinese food is one of the best examples when it comes to food that has been Westernized in the majority of American restaurants. Usually when we order Chinese takeout, the food that we’re receiving is actually a fusion of Chinese and American cuisine — many of the dishes on menus here wouldn’t be found in China.
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Posted by
Kimberly B. on
Thursday, September 11th, 2014 with
6 Comments
Sure, these taste great — but will they leave your office energized for work?
Photo by Kimberly Bryant.
Life is short. Eat dessert first.
― Jacques Torres
If there’s one thing that can bring an office together, it’s a shared affection for dessert. The right treats can make a positive dining experience even better, and provide the perfect end to any meal. They can also work great on their own, in the form of an afternoon snack or small overtime meal. But, wait — there’s a challenge with most desserts! Not only are they filled with sugars and fats, but many also contain artificial ingredients that are decidedly unhealthy. While there’s nothing wrong with treating ourselves to these kinds of sugary treats every now and then, we need to steer clear of serving them to our employees: these foods will zap employee productivity (hello, sugar crash!), and leave them feeling bloated, lethargic, and craving more. Offering unhealthy desserts to our office also undermines the goals of any staff members who are trying to eat healthier, or lose weight. For these reasons and more, it’s in everyone’s best interest to provide our staff with healthy choices at work. Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, September 4th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Invite a Fun-gi to the Company Catering Table: September is National Mushroom Month Comments
Oyster. Crimini. Chanterelle. With so many varieties of mushrooms, you could spend a good chunk of September – National Mushroom Month – eating a new mushroom dish for lunch every few days! From the ubiquitous white button mushroom of pizza lovers everywhere to the more exotic enoki, a main ingredient in some Asian soup stocks, these edible fungi are not only delicious – they can lend to healthier meal choices for the company catering table.
Mushrooms are a low-calorie ingredient that can be an easy substitute for meat, and they are packed with nutrients, too. A serving of mushrooms is loaded with selenium, potassium, niacin, and vitamin D. But more importantly, when you add mushrooms to your company catering plan, your employees can benefit from a vegetarian-friendly spread for Meatless Monday, or even just a change of pace from the regular catered choices.
Mushrooms can be found in all kinds of company catering fare, from Japanese to pizza.
Image source: Flickr user benchun
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Posted by
Sara on
Wednesday, August 27th, 2014 with
6 Comments
Workplace wellness isn’t just a buzzword, or a six billion dollar industry: for companies with the most effective wellness programs, it’s a way of life at the workplace. And while there are many complex factors that go into making a wellness program successful, most experts agree that the keys include awareness, engagement, and accessibility. Employees need to know about the program, feel personally invested, and be able to easily participate.
One very easy, very hands-on way to make wellness more visible and accessible in your office? Lunch and learns. Bringing coworkers together, providing a healthy meal, and delivering engaging content about employee wellness can really drive home the message of making health a priority. Lunch and learns accomplish exactly what their name suggests: they combine food and knowledge, and when done in a wellness-themed way, can have a powerful impact. After all, a lesson about how whole grains are a better choice than refined flour will be much more likely to stick if you can make an immediate association with the delicious quinoa salad on your plate.
A wellness-themed lunch and learn is an opportunity for hands-on participation!
Image source: Flickr user blucier
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