Beyond The Brown Bag: Starting a lunchtime revolution

Just because school is out, doesn't mean that millions of adults aren't getting up 15 minutes earlier to pack a lunch these days. An average of $75-150.00, per person, is spent on weekly lunches, if you eat out every day during a 5 day work week. $300-600, a month. Imagine what you could do with $300.00 extra in your budget each month? That's $3600.00 a year, on the $75.00 a week plan. There, is your Summer Vacation. There, is your Holiday gift money. There, is the down payment for that car. There's the breathing room to shop and eat better. Here are some ideas to get you going!

1. Figure out honestly what you have been spending a week. Now take that number, and cut it in half. If you were spending $80.00 a week, your new goal is now $40.00 a week on lunch supplies. After you see how simple it is with planning, in 3 months, take another percentage of of what you can spend a week.


2. Buy a reusable lunch bag that helps keeps your food cold or hot. Have fun with it. Buy the the one that shouts, "I belong to this person, and he/she will never forget me on the kitchen table." Attach your keys/subway/bus pass or employee badge/parking card to it at night.

3. Invest in a new storage container set or those little nesting covered steel bowls. Be sure it includes small rounds for dressings and dips. Mark the box for lunches only, so leftover rice doesn't take over your 'fridge. Invest in a thermos. They keep soup hot, juice cold, and they are reusable.

4. Set a goal for reward. 'If I pack my lunch every day for a month, I can buy that hand-blown glass humming bird feeder (yoga mat, ITunes spree, savings deposit, credit card bill money, concert tickets, shoes, surf board, saute pan, lip gloss, pottery class, etc.). We are human. Humans are into the carrot and the stick method...whether we admit it or not.

5. Think outside the sandwich. For those of us with gluten issues, this becomes second nature. For many, it just doesn't mean lunch unless it comes between 2 slices of bread. Play with your idea of what normal is. My idea of an absolutely perfect lunch is a Japanese Bento box, in which you get a serving of 5-6 different tastes. Get out of the box, or bread box, in this case.

6. Always, always remember to pack a protein filled snack. If you eat lunch at 12-noon, you will be ravenous between 3-4. You will be apt to hit the vending machines, espresso cart, or blindly munch a burger on the way home at 5. Food from home, is STILL FOOD. You don't need to buy a $1.00 Snickers at 3:30 if you have one in your lunch bag, or, a healthier option like a handful of nuts or a Lara or Kind Bar.


7. Not gluten free? Lucky duck, you have even MORE choices, but feel free to use these too!

GREAT LUNCH IDEAS

Leftovers

When I think of lunch the first thing that comes to mind is leftovers. Here's a few of what flies out of our kitchen for leftover lunches.

Cold sliced meats

Cold meat-loaf

Leftover veggies

Leftover pasta and sauce

Thai noodle salad

Leftover green salad w/any of the above, or as a new Chef's salad or Greek salad

Potato and pasta salads

Soups and stews

Diving further into leftover land, we see a square sandwich box with 2 slices of leftover meatloaf, a pile of green beans, and some red bliss mashed potatoes. 1 1/2 micro minutes later, we have a hot lunch, while your coworkers haven't even left the parking lot yet.

Salad Creations

As I've shared,  I love salads. I don't think I've made a lettuce, tomato, cuke salad in years, though. Here are some of my favorites.

Mixed greens, pecans, raspberries, red onion w/ raspberry vinaigrette

Mixed greens, shredded carrot, scallions, corn, and black beans

Romaine lettuce, Italian meats and cheese

Steamed broccoli, shredded carrot, cashews, raisins in cole slaw dressing

Beet greens, orange sections, red onion, and sliced almonds

Roasted beets, onion, and spiced chicken

Here in salad land, we are done with lunch in 10 minutes, and now have 50 minutes to take that walk, run an errand, meditate in the car, or to write out those party invitations.

Wrap and Roll

Bread makes a sandwich. A brown rice tortilla, makes a wrap. Nori sheets, make a roll. LTO=let., tom., onion.

Refried beans, avocado, LTO burrito

Chicken, salsa, rice burrito
Falafel LTO, tahini sauce, wrapped in a brt
Turkey Club wrap

Sliced roast beast, swiss, dijon, mixed greens, wrapped in a brt

Tuna as you like, wrapped in a brt

Chicken salad as you like, wrapped in a brt

Dulse, LT, mayo, wrapped in a brt

Almond butter and strawberry jam, wrapped in a brt

Sliced veggies w/ chevre, wrapped in a brt

Sliced cucumber, shredded carrot wrapped in nori

Sunflower seed pate, wrapped in nori

GF Crab, avocado, carrot, and spicy mayo, wrapped in nori
Rice and any combination veg, wrapped in nori
Your co-workers have now started hanging around the office kitchen, looking at your lunch, salivating over fresh nori rolls and commenting over your creativity. You still have time to do your nails in the bathroom, when they leave to get a sub.

Some odd ideas you may have not have yet equated with lunch.
I eat weird things throughout the day. One or two of them together, make a really nice lunch.
Protein smoothies

Greek Style yogurt
Coconut milk yogurt
Almond milk
Dates
Figs, dried and fresh
Nuts
Nut Butters
Cheese...all of it; cream, sticks, feta, cheddar, cottage, brie, Gouda...and on and on.
Pepperoni
Jerky
Sausages
Eggs
Olives...yum.
Smoked, pickled, canned, frozen and fresh fish
Tamales
You are now the official foodie of the office. A few of your co-workers have started bringing their lunches, too. You start an office co-op and buy healthy foods in bulk to stock the now busy office kitchen. 

The sections above and below...are my favorite Gluten Free snacks
Kind Bars
Lara Bars
Glutino Bagels
Mary's Gone Crackers Sea Salt Sticks and Twigs
Mary's Gone Crackers; all
Cherrybrook Kitchen's Vanilla Graham Cookies
Trader Joe's Baked Cheese Crunchies
Sea Salt and Black Pepper Kettle Chips
Lundberg Farms Rice Cakes; honey-no nut
Lundberg Farms Rice Chips; seaweed sesame
At 3:30, no one runs out of steam anymore. There is a line at the bulk almond bag, so you take a Kind bar out of your desk...and smile.