You would think that five years post-undergrad, I’d have the work morning routine down by now. I still find myself waking up, pressing snooze a few times, and then bleary-eyed making my way through my morning routine: Make bed (a must!!). Shower. Pour cereal in bowl. Munch. Convince self not to just toss hair into a ponytail. Drink tea.

The morning workout was supposed to be added to this routine… but as we all know, that hasn’t been working out so well. It could also be the reason why my pants have started to feel a bit tight.

Lack of morning workout aside, I’ve found a huge boost in my morning routine comes from having my lunch already packed and ready to go.

Carlo Mendoza for Canadian Family

This week, I’m packing a quinoa salad recommended by Rachel at the Blissful Bakker. If your lunch needs a toss-up, this one’s for you. It’s ridiculously easy to make (and substitute-friendly to suit your tastes), very filling and yum-o. Never before have I had cravings for the salad that I know is waiting on the other side of the refrigerator door.

Now that the lunch question is answered for the rest of this week, I’m back to focusing on the elusive morning workout. One failed morning down, four attempts to go…