But getting on a brown bag program does take a little planning and organizing so that you can enjoy first class meals without running into early morning frustrations of trying to prepare everything before you go to work.
The Right Tools Make the Job Easier
For anyone who has recently fixed a minor repair in your home, the one thing that made the job easy or hard were the tools you were using, right? Well, getting onto a brown bag program is basically the same thing in that you will need to get the right tools in order to ease the job of preparing your lunch daily. Here is a list of things you may want to get to help get your started:- A good strong reusable insulated lunch bag or box that is large enough on the inside to carry all that you will want to bring.
- A selection of Tupperware type plastic containers that you can put a sandwich inside, last night’s leftovers, or your favorite fruit cocktail. The trick here is to make certain that the lid fits tightly when snapped shut to avoid leakage. Discount and dollar stores are a good resource for finding less costly containers. Wal-Mart sells sets that offer a variety of great sizes for under $15.00.
- You will want to pick up at least two cold compresses that you can stick into the freezer and use to keep items fresh such as salads and sandwiches. They are also good to wrap around a can of soda to keep it cold for several hours.
- Get a cheap salt and pepper shaker at a dollar store and keep it in your desk, locker, or car.
- If your place of employment has a refrigerator available to employees, get your favorite salad dressing and mark your name on it. If not, a small plastic travel-type shampoo container works great for dressings.
- When you do your weekly grocery shopping, pick up a package of nice dinner napkins and keep them at work or in your car. You will enjoy your meal more if you have nice durable napkins to use and it will be one less thing to remember in the morning.
- An inexpensive set of forks, knives and spoons that you can keep at work will also come in handy or dig in your drawer and pull out your mismatched utensils.
Packaging First Class Meals
Now that you have all the right tools, how can you actually get the food together so that it isn't a big hassle? The best tip here is to cook a little extra each night so that you have something to go the next day.Take for example, if you are cooking chicken breasts - throw in an extra one and after dinner chop it up and make chicken salad to take with you the next day. If you cooked lasagna on Monday, plan on taking the leftovers on Wednesday (assuming you can microwave it at work.) Spaghetti and meatballs makes a great leftover for lunch and small round garlic toast is a wonderful substitute for garlic bread. If sandwiches get boring, quarter a tomato and fill it with shrimp salad with melba toast and canned peaches on the side.
The point is, that your lunch time will never have to be limited to what the nearest restaurant is serving again! You will eat better, cheaper, and you have more control over those nasty fat grams or carbs, if you are dieting.
Choose a Nice Dining Enviroment
Just because you bring your lunch to work does not mean you have to eat at your desk or in the lunch room. If the weather is nice, head outside and find a spot to sit or drive your car to the nearest park. You will find that you will actually have more time to sit and relax rather than sit in long drive-thru lines or stand in crowded restaurants.Give it a try - you may find you not only like it better, but that you have a few extra twenty dollar bills to spend on other things at the end of the month.
