How to Pack Your Lunch

Photo: mconnors/morguefile.

Brown-bagging your lunch, as opposed to buying it at a deli or restaurant, is one of the wisest moves you can make to save money. When I worked full time and bought my lunch occasionally, I’d spend at least seven or eight bucks on the most minimal of meals. Though I loved Pret a Manger’s Moroccan Lentil soup, a medium cup–about eight ounces or so–is more than $5 with tax. And forget about a beverage to go with it.

I’m a strong advocate for packing one’s lunch. Not only does it save a ton of money, it’s also healthier, especially for people who are trying to watch their weight. By bringing your own meals to work, you know exactly what and how much is going into your stomach–which is not the case if you’re grabbing a sandwich or pasta from the salad bar.

People may pooh-pooh lunch-packing as time-consuming, or say that it’s too easy to forget to do, or complain that there’s nothing in the fridge to take with them. I say that an important part of the Cheapo lifestyle is planning ahead. With a little forethought–and these handy tips–you’ll be the envy of your co-workers in the break room.

Strategies for Smart Packing

• First, make sure you have a sturdy lunch-carrying receptacle. I have an insulated bag with a handle at the top that fastens with Velcro, as well as a free soft-sided lunch-size cooler bag that Shannon won in a bingo game on Fire Island last summer. Lunch boxes are also handy and can be found at thrift stores. Plastic grocery bags are not recommended: things can fall out, forks can poke through, and your containers are less likely to be kept upright.
• Invest in some (cheap) plastic containers for your food. While re-using margarine tubs might seem like a Cheapo coup, they leak like crazy! It’s a better idea to find some inexpensive, airtight food-saver containers at a discount store (make sure they fit in your lunch box or bag).
• Bring utensils with every lunch. Your best bet is to bring a fork and spoon from your kitchen, rather than rely on a supply of plastic sporks (remember sporks?) from the break room. You’ll create less trash with reusable utensils. Ditto for cloth napkins.
• If you bring beverages with your lunch, freeze the liquid the night before and then pack in a paper towel with the lunch. It will keep your food cold, but be melted by lunch time.

Now for the food! The rule of American Brown Bag Lunches dictates that one must pack a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and cookies. I respectfully dispute this claim. Lunches are best packed with foods that travel well and need little refrigeration. Below are a few of my favorite packable noshes:

• Grain salads like tabbouleh, pesto pasta salad or macaroni and cheese, or my famous “Mexiterranean” salad, a cross between vegetarian taco salad and Middle Eastern meze. These hearty feasts stay fresh-tasting for several days in the fridge and don’t need to be kept very cold.
• Stew-like dishes like curry or chili. They get better with age.
• Any kind of soup, if it is packed in a super-airtight container.
• Cooked vegetables that can be microwaved at work if desired.
• Tasty desserts like fruit crumbles, spoon bread, or bread pudding that travel well in containers.
• OK, you can bring pieces of fruit and cookies, but leave the sandwiches at home. They’re too easily squished in lunch bags, and who wants to eat a lukewarm ham n’ cheese anyway?