Lunchboxes

So, I've been MIA for a while, and I'm not sure if I'm officially "back", but I'm here for now.

Recently, I've been realizing that I have an addictive personality in conjunction with some black and white thinking. Because of this, I've realized that calorie counting has the potential to hurt me more than it helps. I will either go to one extreme and restrict calories too far (even if it's unintentional- such as not eating if I don't know the exact calorie count of a dish), or I will give up entirely and binge after a time of restriction. In either case, the result is the same: I don't lose weight.

So, I'm trying to find ways to cut back on calories/portions without feeling deprived. This means no diet plans where I restrict any foods- though I am making some minor changes.

One of my problems is that, even though I work in a grocery store, my lunch schedule is very sporadic. Lately, I tend to get a 30 minute lunch break on 3-4 of the 5 days I work, but that isn't always the case. I start my shift between 9:30am and 11am, and get out by 5pm. I eat breakfast before work (usually around 8-9am depending on when I have to be at work). Sometimes, breakfast is leftovers. Other times, I'll spread peanut butter and jelly on a couple Van's Multigrain waffles, and serve it with a glass of organic whole milk and some fruit.

Lunch is between 1:30pm and 3pm on average if I get a 30 minute break. If I only have a 15 minute break, then lunch is typically smaller and closer to 4pm. I've managed to adjust to this, and I'll usually eat lunch earlier if I'm feeling hungrier. Unfortunately, this isn't always possible on busy days.

My sporadic lunch schedule also means dinner can be a little sporadic. Depending on my social calendar, I may go over to a friends' house for dinner or to babysit after work. During the typical school year, I have church 3 evenings a week. On alternating Wednesdays, I go out for dinner after church with a friend, and on the two other days, there are snacks/desserts that end up subbing in as dinner since I'm often out past midnight. Some nights, I eat dinner around 6 or 7pm. Other nights, I don't eat until close to 10.

I thought the one thing that I might be able to do to help me would be to get better at packing my lunch for work. Even though I work at a grocery store, if I wait to buy something at work, I'm likely to make some poor choices- like having half a tub of hummus with pretzel chips.

I'm just not quite sure about lunch containers. My ideal packed lunches change, so I definitely need some ideas. I'd love some kind of modular lunch system where I can mix and match the containers depending on what I want to pack- with the individual containers being microwave safe. (I also need to be able to pack a thermos in case I decide to pack soup or something similar- especially on a day I only have 15 minutes to eat).

To give an idea of some of the things I like packing in lunches (not all at once- obviously)

-Mac and cheese with hot dogs (and often spinach/broccoli)
-Roasted chicken sausage with veggies (broccoli, carrots, asparagus, bell peppers, sweet potatoes)
-Chicken wings (buffalo with ranch; honey mustard; Frank's Sweet Chili)
-Chicken drumsticks with the second two sauces listed above
-Chobani yogurt with peanut butter
-Cream cheese and olive dip with wheat thins
-Hummus with whole wheat pita bread or pretzel chips
-"Lunchable" cracker stackers (cheese, meat, crackers)
-Fresh fruit
-Raw veggies with dip
-Ants on a log
-Sandwiches
-Giant salads (only on days I get 30 minutes to eat, and I have a container for those).

The other day for lunch, I packed a Chobani Plum yogurt, a container of peanut butter, grapes, and buffalo flavored chicken from the deli. I also added a Suja Midday Thrive Greens juice from Target. For beverages, I usually just drink water or flavored seltzer, but occasionally, I do enjoy a juice (Naked, Bolthouse Farms, Suja), a cup of organic whole milk (especially with PB&J), or a bottle of Synergy Kombucha.

So, what kind of lunchbox systems do you use for yourself or for your kids? I've been using Easy Lunchboxes containers for a few years now, but I find that they aren't really working for me anymore. Often, I want to pack a warm main course (say, the chicken sausage with roasted veggies) with some fruit and nuts as a side, but there's no way to just microwave the larger section of the container and not the smaller two.

I keep looking at LunchBlox by Rubbermaid, but I'm not sure if those are flexible enough for me (and I don't really need the ice block most of the time), or Laptop Lunches, but I'm interested in other ideas as well.

Thanks for the help!