Jerry the Blogger

As the weather cools off here and often gets rainy and gross, I am more likely to stay in for lunch.

But what to eat? Ordering food in for delivery limits me to pretty much just pizza, so that's not the most nutritious option. And with the mornings at home so crazy (getting two little kids out the door is no easy feat!), I often don't have time to grab a healthy lunch.

Instead, I've become a fan of stocking my desk and the office fridge with tasty, appealing, and yes, nutritious foods to get me through those days when the weather makes me want to stay inside.

I'm lucky that my office building is less than a five-minute drive to a huge, well-stocked grocery store. At the beginning of the week, I can take my lunch hour to shop for my "office groceries," completely separate from a home shopping trip. I look for mostly frozen and canned or boxed foods that will last a while, along with a few fresh fruits that stay good in the fridge. Here are some typical items you'll find on my office shopping list:

• Healthy Choice frozen entrees, as well as soups and Fresh Mixers (which I can keep in my desk drawer)
• Apples and oranges
• Nuts, raisins, and seeds, such as DAVID sunflower seeds
• Frozen veggies in single-serving bags (I steam these in the microwave)
• Orville Redenbacher's SmartPop! popcorn
• Low-fat yogurt
• Whole-grain crackers
• Low-fat cheese sticks

With all this good food close at hand, it's easy for me to make good choices when I'm lunching at the office.