Picture this: Your alarm didn’t go off. You’re rushing to get the kids dressed for school and trying to do your makeup at the same time. As you’re bolting out the door to work, you grab a packet of cookies, or a slice of last night’s pizza, or you decide to just buy lunch today.

Sound familiar? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! I’ll be the first to admit that this is how my morning goes a lot of the time. Prepping a healthy lunch can seem like an arduous task on top of everything else you have to do. So here are some of my tips and tricks that help me make sure I’m packing a nutritious lunch every day:

1. Pack your lunch the night before – Mornings are always chaotic at my house, so packing my lunch for work the night before has been a real lifesaver. I don’t feel like I’m rushing, and I can take the time to cut up veggies, portion out nuts and prep everything easier.

2. Have a variety of things to pack – I don’t know about you, but I get bored of the same lunch day in, day out. Make sure you spice it up! Take tuna and salad one day, veggies and dip another, then switch to a healthy soup.

3. Include food you like – This may sound obvious, but it took me a while to learn this. If I have unsalted cashews and bland Cuppa Soups in the pantry, I’m just not going to pack them. I’m then more likely to buy extra food at work. Find healthy food that you look forward to eating!

4. Make sure you pack protein – While veggies, salad and fruit are important, I find that if I don’t have enough protein during the day, I’ll start to get sugar cravings by the afternoon. Some ideas for protein-rich foods that will keep you going include: nuts, lunch meat, tinned tuna, cottage cheese with crackers, boiled eggs, chia pudding and Greek yogurt.

What do you pack for lunch? Share your tasty tips in the comments!