PMG believes that those who eat better work better. This post is our effort to improve the American workforce one lunchbox at a time. We want you to feed yourself with something that fuels you better and we have lunch tips, tricks, and recipes to make that possible! If you missed our last lunchbox hack, check it out on our blog now.

Lunch Tip

Here in Minnesota, we’re experiencing our first extended stay of the year below zero and keeping hot food warm is more difficult than ever. In weather like this, a quality cooler and/or insulated thermos can be worth it’s weight in gold. When choosing the appropriate lunchbox for your break time, consider the following items:

  • Hard or soft sides
  • Sturdy handle/overall construction
  • Capacity (overall size, liquids vs. solids ratio of what you pack)
  • Cost
  • Freezer packs (do you have access to a fridge at work?)

If you still can’t decide what’s best for your needs, think about a full meal system like this one from Isolator Fitness.

Lunch Trick

HotHands are great for keeping food hot! If you’re working in extremely cold weather, even a well-insulated lunchbox struggles to hold much heat all the way up to break time. The easiest way to work around this is to give your cooler some extra warmth to work with. Try starting the day by packing your lunch along with a freshly activated chemical handwarmer. This trick is easy and remote jobsite-friendly for those locations with limited electrical access. If your meals are still too cold, just add handwarmers to your bucket periodically throughout the morning. If you’d like more ideas for keeping food hot while you’re working hard, check out this list of tricks that won’t break the bank.

Recipe

February 2 was National Tater Tot Day – check out our post on it here. We’ll continue our celebration of tots, by including a recipe of every Midwesterner’s favorite – Tater Tot Hotdish (that means casserole, for all you non-Northerners). Click here for a Taste of Home recipe that will have you making hotdish like a real Minnesotan. If you like what you learn, skim through our other blog posts here the next time you’re hungry for more knowledge!