Maelis Crane knew the struggle of balancing work and wellness. As a marketing executive with long hours and back-to-back meetings, most of her meals used to come from office vending machines or rushed takeout orders.
But when her family history of heart disease caught up with her own health screenings, Maelis knew she had to make her daily habits count. “I didn’t have time to cook elaborate meals,” she says, “but I knew I couldn’t keep fueling myself with stress snacks and cold coffee.”
She started by carving out Sunday evenings to plan and prep five heart-healthy lunches. Her approach was simple: build meals that travel well, taste great cold or reheated, and support cardiovascular health. She focused on lean proteins like salmon and beans, whole grains like quinoa, and plenty of leafy greens and colorful veggies.
Rather than meal prepping the same thing every day, she created mix-and-match components—roasted vegetables, boiled eggs, simple vinaigrettes, and whole grain salads that could be quickly assembled each morning. “It was like building a little lunch bar in my fridge,” she laughs.
The difference was immediate. She stopped crashing in the afternoons, her blood pressure stabilized, and she even started inspiring her coworkers to bring healthier meals too.
“It wasn’t about perfection,” Maelis says. “It was about building a system I could stick to—one that made my health part of my workweek, not something I had to squeeze in later.”
