BROWN-BAGGING TIPS

• Don’t wait to make your lunch in the morning, when you are often strapped for time. Do it the night before, no matter how tired you might be.

• Cook extra dinner the night before and take leftovers for lunch the next day. Or do some batch cooking on the weekend: Roast a turkey or chicken breast or beef to make your own lunch meat rather than buying pricy packaged meats that can be high in sodium and nitrites.

• To fill out your noon repast, throw in a cut-up apple or an orange. Says nutritionist Janet Little: “If you cut it up, you will eat it. Unpeeled oranges don’t get eaten.” Same goes for vegetables.

• Pay attention to which foods give you energy — or at least don’t weigh you down — in the middle of the day and bring those to eat. Eat lightly if you have a sedentary job.

• Keep food in your office that you can use any day— canned sardines, good crackers, canned soup, peanut butter, etc.

SAFETY FIRST

• Most of us know the perishable food on the buffet table shouldn’t be left out for more than two hours, but we often forget that the same rules apply to the lunchbox.

• It’s important to keep perishable food either cold or hot. Bacteria thrive at temperatures between 40 degrees (refrigerator temperature) and 140 degrees, so foods shouldn’t stay in this zone for more than two or three hours, including prep time. If you or your child brings home any perishable leftovers, discard them.

Keep cold things cold

• Use an insulated lunch bag and an ice pack. A frozen juice box can double as an ice pack.

• If you pack lunch the night before and it includes perishables, refrigerate it. Add chips, cookies, etc., in the morning.

• If making the lunch in the morning, use frozen bread for sandwiches with perishable fillings. It’ll keep things colder, and the bread will thaw out by lunchtime.

Keep hot food hot

Use an insulated Thermos to keep foods like soup or pasta piping hot. Fill the Thermos with boiling water and let stand for a few minutes while you heat the food to 140 degrees or above, then empty the Thermos and pour in the hot food.

Keep things clean

• Wash your lunchbox daily with hot soapy water to keep bacteria from growing, then air-dry.

• To avoid food-poisoning bugs, wash your hands before, during and after preparing lunch. Also make sure all preparation areas are clean.

— The Oregonian

WHAT TO PACK?

The options are endless, but here’s a basic (and healthy) brown-bag menu:

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a fruit side. This old standby is a good option, especially in the absence of a refrigerator or ice pack. Just don’t slather on the peanut butter too thick and use whole-grain bread. For the fruit, mix it up and take advantage of what’s in season, including bananas, peaches, oranges and cherries.

Healthy sandwiches. Use whole-grain breads or wraps, lean lunch meats and low-fat cheeses.

Salads. Add legumes, nuts, low-fat cheese and black or red beans to green lettuce. Choose low-calorie dressing or keep the dressings on the side. One tablespoon of regular dressing is 80 to 120 calories, so don’t dump a half-cup on your healthy salad!

Homemade soups. Avoid store-bought soups, which tend to be higher in sodium. Instead of cream soups, steer toward clearer broths with lots of veggies, such as minestrone.

Leftovers.This old-fashioned option lets you control the ingredients and portion size of your lunch. You can be sure of the number of calories in your meal because you made it yourself.

Healthy finger foods. For something different and fun, pack cubed cheese, carrot sticks and whole-grain crackers, with a side of yogurt.

Pack a 3-ounce frozen salmon steak to microwave with frozen vegetables. It’s more filling than a Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meal.