I'm a foodie; I live to eat. I crave meals, not snacks, and I'm famous in my family for asking, "What's for dinner?" the minute I get home. Perhaps this came about due to the fact that my family usually doesn't cook, so I'm used to the high quality, high-fat, sodium, sugar, carb and large portion diet of take out, especially when it comes to pizza. As a result, lunch has become my least favorite meal, since my options are usually limited to a cold sandwich and chips, in addition to the fact that I was a kid who grew up eating the National School Lunch Program food consisting of frozen chicken patties and oily pasta with marinara sauce (but I'll save my beef with the NSLP for another article). As someone who has a full-time summer job working outside and chasing kids for nine hours a day, it's crucial I can get as much fuel as I can during my 10 minute lunch break. Here's how to pack a lunch that will not only satisfy those daily cravings, but provide you with enough energy to power through the rest of your day.

1. The OG Lunch

Here we have a turkey sandwich with mustard on sourdough bread, a banana yogurt, fresh-picked raspberries and blueberries, lentil chips and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. One of my favorite things to do in the summer is going berry-picking on the weekends. Not only is it a meditative experience, but you can avoid the hassle of buying week-old fruit at the grocery store (at an outrageous cost), only to throw it away after three days due to mold. Picking your own not only supports local farms, but allows you to control the portion and the price tag. Trader Joe's "Crunchy Curls" taste just like potato chips, and 31 curls only contain 4.5g of total fat, and 380mg of sodium, but are packed with 4g of fiber and 3g of protein (not to mention they're fun to eat). The chocolate chip cookie is courtesy of McDonalds; I know, it's probably extremely unhealthy, but I crave them because they're always warm when you order them, and cost $1 for 3.

2. Dippin' and Dunkin'

Pictured above: chips and salsa, semi-homemade pita bread with tomato basil hummus, chopped tomatoes and tzatziki sauce, and apple slices and Nutella for dessert. The key here is to sneak in a little spice – the chips are Tostito's Fajita Scoops, and the hummus is flavored to keep things interesting. I'm one of those people who cannot stand the bitter taste of store-bought pita pockets, and I'm too picky about which crackers taste the best with hummus. I recently discovered that it's pretty easy to make your own pita bread courtesy of Pillsbury Pizza Dough in a can. In the morning you will have enough time to follow the directions and bake the bread; just make sure you cut the dough into the right sized pieces and brush them with olive oil before popping them in the oven.

3. Breakfast on the Go

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so why not eat it twice? Here I made a fresh cinnamon raisin bagel toasted with TJ's vegan cream cheese, TJ's microwavable oatmeal and banana yogurt, fresh-picked raspberries with diced nectarine, bacon (because why not?), and homemade chocolate chip banana bread. Bonus points if you can use the bacon to make a BLT, if you can snag a bagel from your local bagel shop, and if you're able to bake your own banana bread (I did that the night before using a FoodNetwork.com recipe, and it's delicious when you pair it with almond coconut milk).

4. Fiesta, Not Siesta

I know, I'm sorry. I can be incredibly corny, but Mexican food makes for great leftovers. I'm a sucker for fresh guac, so I decided to pair that with tortilla chips and a chicken taco with diced tomatoes and lime. For the main course, an Amy's beans and rice frozen burrito. While this lunch appears to be smaller than the previous ones, I find that Mexican food fills me up pretty well. This lunch is best with access to a microwave for the burrito, but the taco is fine cold. Bonus points if you have time to make churros the night before (they're very simple).

5. Leftover Heaven

With all the take-out I eat you'd think I eat leftovers a lot. In reality, I usually finish my entire meal for dinner leaving me without leftovers the next day. Thankfully, this meal uses the extra portions from your dinner the night before. A dark green salad is simple enough, but I like to add candied pecans (easy to make and dangerously addictive) for crunch. I usually pair it with a fruity vinaigrette that I pour into a small water bottle so I can shake the dressing before pouring it on my salad. Couscous is a great side dish, because you can eat it hot or cold. One of my favorite things to make is bruschetta, which is also easy to pack and make the night before. I always include fresh berries, and my favorite item in the center is chopped veggie dogs. I grew up eating Tofu Pups for dinner and have loved them ever since (although I haven't been able to find the Tofu Pup brand recently, so veggie dogs are a good substitution). I usually boil two dogs for two minutes before chopping them off and dipping them in mustard. Bonus points if you have any homemade brownies laying around for dessert!

What About Drinks?

I've never been someone who's keen on juice or milk, even as a child, so I usually stick with water or small bottles of gatorade. However, in the morning I love to make my favorite dairy-free chocolate banana shake.

Chop about a half cup of ice in the blender and add in 1.5 cups of almond milk and a banana. Blend to liquefy and add a tbsp. of cocoa powder and a tsp. of vanilla extract. This shake can tend to taste a tad bit bitter, so I would recommend buying almond milk that has been sweetened. Convert it to a protein shake by adding chocolate whey powder.

BONUS! Breakfast Pizza

If I'm not eating a bagel or a breakfast sandwich from McDonalds, my favorite thing to eat for breakfast is homemade breakfast pizza. I love my creation so much I figured I would add it to the list, even if it's not a lunch item. Either way, it will provide you with enough protein to help get your day started, and would be a perfect reason to wake up a little earlier in the morning.

Ingredients:

• Pillsbury Pizza Dough
• olive oil
• Bacon
• 2 eggs
• chopped chives
• cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a pan with tinfoil and place a wire rack on top of the pan. Put two strips of bacon on the rack, and when the oven is ready, put the bacon in the oven. Let the bacon cook until it reaches the crispiness you desire. Take the bacon out when it's cooked, and roll out the pizza dough on another pan. Cut the pizza dough to the size you want and knead it to smooth it out. Make edges on the dough so the ingredients can't slip off. Brush the dough with olive oil, and put the pan in the oven for about five to eight minutes. Take the pan out, crack the eggs on top, break the bacon into pieces and lay that over the egg. Chop the chives and sprinkle them over the pizza along with the salt, pepper, and cheese. Pop the pizza back in the oven until the egg is cooked to your liking (about 5-10 minutes). Take out and enjoy!

I'm not a fan of cheese and I ran out of chives, so the picture above doesn't look nearly as good as my breakfast pizzas usually do, but I would highly recommend making this dish your own with more toppings and spices!