Jia and I enjoy snacking on fries as much as we enjoy a healthy bowl of salad for lunch. We love the benefits of clean-eating but simply can’t find the time to put together a healthy lunchbox on a daily basis. Eating out has proven to be a whole lot more convenient and time-saving for us. But that also means, more money is spent on lunches that may not necessarily be the healthiest option!

And so, we decided to mix up our lunch routine. Jia and I will take turns to pack a lunchbox on Mondays as a way to spur each other to eat better, cleaner and healthier. This plan makes going to work after a weekend a whole lot more palatable and it’s just fun to pack for a picnic!

In my trusty lunchbox and bento 'bag', I overpacked lunch for both of us this week. For mains, I packed grain bowls topped with grilled shrimp, halloumi, avocado, edamame, red radishes, pomegranate with ponzu dressing. To replace our unhealthy snacks, I packed a hummus dip with celery and carrot sticks, apples, and a bottle of peach and strawberry infused green tea. Needless to say, we overate and dived right into food coma.

Here are some healthy lunchbox ideas for you and your favourite work buddy!

1 // Dips with celery and carrot sticks
We love healthy dips like regular hummus or beetroot hummus, guacamole and tzatziki. Great for sharing with other colleagues too!

2 // Pot noodles or one-pot super veggie rice
These recipes are so easy to put together that we end up eating it pretty often. I am a huge fan of this easy-peasy pot noodles while Jia loves the one-pot super veggie rice. 

3 // Grain bowls
We can't and won't deny our addiction to grain bowls so it's definitely making to this list. 

4 // Pasta salad
A classic of every salad bar and available in different types of flavours and textures. Cold pesto penne salad is one of our favourites!

5 // Overnight oats
If I could, I would eat breakfast all day. Overnight oats is versatile - have it sweet or savoury and it will still be so good for you. I am a fan of savoury oats so I'll pack jars of overnight oats with avocado and a poached egg. 

6 // Yogurt, granola and fruit salsa
Pair fresh fruits with delicious dollops of yogurt if you fancy some sweet treats after a hearty lunch. Remember to opt for greek yogurt to reduce the hidden sugar!

7 // Sandwiches, wraps, pitas or sushi rolls
What's a picnic without sandwiches or sushi? Choose wholegrain options and load your sandwiches, wraps or sushi rolls with a 3:1 vegetable to protein ratio. 
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8 // Infused water
It is important to hydrate throughout the day despite sitting in an air-conditioned office space. Prepare infused water with refreshing fruits such as lemons and berries to make drinking plain water fun!

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So many ideas, so little lunch breaks. Grab a lunch buddy and make a healthy change today! :)

xMin

It seems to be the season of rebranding and new launches. In the past few months, we have been working on several packaging design and branding projects, thus a significant time in the studio has been dedicated to brainstorming and researching. As always, one of our favourite preliminary methods of researching is by combing through Pinterest for ideas and inspiration.

Great packaging always reflect the product and the personality of the company behind the product. Clever packaging functions as well as it looks, and helps to sell the product, as customers are all visual creatures by nature. People are always drawn to products that look good! Here are some pins - all different and quirky in their own ways - that not only caught our eye, but also helped in creating conversations during our brainstorming sessions. 

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Have you seen any packaging that you really liked? Share them with us!

​With Love, Min+Jia. 

Okay doke, time for Poke!

It’s true, we have been hit by the poke bug ever since our first bowl. Poke bowls are quickly winning the hearts and bellies of Singaporeans with its delicious chunks of marinated raw fish and a wide selection of fresh vegetables.

But what Jia and I really love about it is the fact that we can pick and choose our favourite ingredients to build our perfect poke bowl. We can eat it with brown rice or a salad base, replace raw fish with shrimp or pick vegetarian options such as tofu or tempeh. I can never decide what to put in my bowl and I always end up with one too many options.

Unlike me, Jia doesn’t take raw fish. So we thought we could skip the raw fish and look for alternatives to prove that a poke bowl can be versatile and easy to construct at home. We decided on shrimp and halloumi cheese to replace raw fish because well, we really love cheese and since we don’t cook shrimp often, we thought it will be a good time to challenge ourselves.

It is no secret that we love our music and that songs are usually blaring in the studio all day long. While thinking of a topic for this week's Sunday Sevens, we realised that the soundtrack to our past week was strangely nostalgic and multi-lingual. So, here's a look back at the past seven days and the music that came with it. 

1. The unofficial ear worm of the studio for the past few months and our favourite chorus to change the lyrics to.

2. Our personal prayer song every day of every year.

3. Our friend heard it in the gym and was reminded of Jia's husband who loves this Chinese song, and most importantly, why was the gym even playing such a song?!

4. A morbid story arose during dinner with our friends about this Cantonese song.

5. Recalling fond and hilarious memories of dance performances in secondary school.

6. There was a weird moment during the week when this song was stuck in our heads at the same time. We didn't even listen to this song! 

7. Sometimes, we like a bit of Spanish melodrama in the studio.

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What was one song that featured memorably during your week?

With Love, Min+Jia. 

Hallou, it's mi. 

​Gathering pins for today’s Food Pinspiration is clearly one of the toughest things I had to do all week. If only I could reach into the computer screen to have a quick munch of a halloumi fry or grab a coconut avocado popsicle whilst browsing through Pinterest. Can someone please invent something like that now? I mean, it is already 2017 and our streets should be similar to a futuristic scene in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, The Jetsons, right? Food delivery in comparison, seems like something from the Stone Age. I need my food and I don’t want to wait 45 minutes for it!

So while a genius is working on developing the fastest possible food delivery known to mankind, I shall go back to Pinterest to gather my beloved food pins. To prevent potential hunger pangs from taking over my life while writing this blog post, I have also prepared a lot of food and snacks. One hand on the mouse, the other way deep in a bag of chips. 

A little heads up... I am very obsessed with avocado and halloumi at the moment. 

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Is your tummy rumbling and tumbling in hunger yet?

​xMin