The stresses of lunch

I don’t know if anyone else ever feels this way, but I hate lunch during the work week. Yep, only Monday through Friday. I hate trying to figure out what I’m going to eat for lunch, and because I appear to have a “healthy” appetite (as my grandmother would say), I’m starving by 11am and already have food on the mind. Thoughts of both dollars and calories spin around chaotically in my mind, causing a feeling of guilt no matter what I decide. Do I spend a crazy amount of money on a salad from Lunds to be healthy? Or do I forgo the calorie concern and get a $2.99 snack pack at Culvers because it won’t hurt my bank account as much? Either way I lose. Subway has been a source of comfort for me, being relatively cheap AND healthy, but I’m no Jared. I cannot eat it every day!

I could avoid this stress altogether by bringing a lunch. Though that in itself creates stress. That would mean I have to go to the grocery store on a regular basis (which has not been occurring with the ridiculously busy schedule we have these days), keep healthy food on hand (which is far from cheap), and get up before 5:45am to have time to make my lunch (which sounds awful as I barely get 7 hours of sleep as is). I’ve tried the Lean Cuisine approach, but eating them every day will turn a person off from wanting to ever eat them again. And I’m pretty sure the sodium in one meal is equivalent to the recommended intake for a week.

This seems far trivial to everything else going on in my life, but I do need to watch both calories and money for the upcoming big day. If anyone has any recommendations on how to enjoy my lunch hour a little more, I’ll gladly take them!

Comments

  1. BetsyJuly 13, 2010 at 2:53 PM

    I've always been a lunch packer...I rarely left work to grab lunch. I, unlike the majority of the population, like eating the same thing every day with little or no variation. So I don't have the best advice, but Lunchables have mini sub sandwiches that are pretty yummy and easy to grab on your way out the door. I don't remember how much they cost though. You should make a schedule...like Monday: Subway, Tuesday: Lean Cuisine, Wednesday: sandwich from home, etc. I was able to pack my lunches in under 5 minutes, and I tried to make them right before I went to bed!

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  2. AliRoseJuly 13, 2010 at 3:21 PM

    OMG have you had the -- I think it's some sort of chipotle/mexican chicken caesar salad from Lunds? It is so freaking good, but like $6.99. Ridiculous. A salad from a grocery store should be cheap right?

    Clearly I have no good advice. I eat out almost every workday, because I can't stand being in the office and I am too busy/lazy to make a lunch at night. When I do bring one, I bring a Healthy Choice meal and some sort of fruit. Have you had those? They're seriously delish... a little more expensive than Lean Cuisines or Smart Ones, but you can get them on sale and they're so much better.

    But yeah, for the most part I eat out. It's like my little treat to myself, I look forward to it all morning. And I spend way too much money doing it, because I want to be somewhat healthy and it's usually Jimmy Johns, or Brueggers. Subway is also my guilt-free go-to, but you can only do Subway once a week!

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  3. FrecklesJuly 16, 2010 at 8:46 AM

    I think I probably ate out a whole 2 times this year, and I didn't actually eat out, someone got me something to eat while they went and got something for themselves. I think its a blessing in disguise that I don't have enough time to go somewhere.
    One thing I've done is rationed out some portions on Sunday night so I could easily grab a something and go in a hurry. Sometimes I will take a bag of chips and put 1 - 1 1/2 servings in separate baggies, enough for 5 days. I also sometimes just brought a loaf of bread to work and left it there. You could bring a jar of jelly and peanut butter, and maybe some lunch meat to leave in the fridge...you could also have a few containers of yogurt or applesauce, all healthy choices! Also, just having some fruit or a box of small granola bars or fruit snacks in your room would be a healthy way to go. That's usually what I did, and with those things, you can't really overindulge toooo much.
    Good luck! Lunch is stressful!!!!!

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