Friday's Food

A great way to save money and to stay fit is to bring your lunch to work instead of buying lunch everyday. Think about, if you buy lunch everyday at about $10 a day, that is $50 a week! And even when you try to buy a healthy lunch, sometimes those healthy veggie pitas and salads can be filled with calories and hidden fat (butter on the pitas or bread, dark meat chicken on the salad, etc). So, instead of buying lunch try packing your own. Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started:

1)Veggie Pita- This version is healthier than the one you would order at a deli because the pitas are generally smaller and you can control what goes inside. Buy whole wheat pitas and add in some hummus (Flavored hummus are great. Try cracked chili pepper, roasted red pepper, jalapeno ...). Fill with veggies like spinach, shredded carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and avocado. If you don't want to stick with the veggies, add in a slice or two of turkey or low-salt ham.

2) Mini Pizza- This one has to be prepared before work. Cover with aluminum foil and then reheat in the microwave at work. Buy flatbread and top with a low-fat marinara sauce or canned tomatoes. Top with you favorite toppings like mushrooms, peppers, turkey pepperoni, spinach, eggplant, etc. A great way to make the pizza taste great is to use herbs like basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Buy dried herbs as an investment rather than fresh herbs, which will go bad. Then top with low-fat mozzarella. Mangia.

3)Greek Salad- Start off with some chopped romaine lettuce. Add in tomatoes, cucumber and red onion. Other good options are avocado, low-fat feta and olives. In a small tupperware container, bring low fat greek or non-creamy caesar dressing.

4) Taco Salad- Choose your favorite type of lettuce and add in some black beans, tomatoes, corn and peppers. If you like a little heat, add in some chopped jalapeno. Top with low-fat shredded cheddar cheese and salsa as dressing.

A big problem preventing many people from bringing their lunch to work is time. A lot of these meals can take time to prepare. One option is to make your lunch when you are already in the kitchen. For example, on Sunday when preparing your lunch, prepare two portions and put one portion in the fridge for the next day. Or when you are making dinner and waiting for something to cook, get out some ingredients and prepare lunch. Or leave some leftovers from dinner and bring the next day for lunch. Here are a few healthy and quick options for lunch.

1) Crackers and Cheese- This is easy and surprisingly satisfying. A good option for cheese is the Laughing Cow Light wedges, which come in flavors like regular Swiss, French Onion or Garden and Herb. Each wedge has 35 calories and 2 grams of fat. Pair with reduced-fat crackers (a good option is Health Valley Garden and Herb). Add in some washed grapes and a small piece of chocolate for dessert.

2) Snacks- Packing a few snacks is quick and easy and can be satisfying because of the variety. Good examples are low-fat yogurt, reduced-fat string cheese, hardboiled eggs, low-fat breakfast bars and Vitatops (frozen muffins that contain 100 cal and 1 g of fat).

3) Veggies and Hummus- Cut up a whole bunch of veggies on the weekend, put them in individual tupperware or ziploc bags and grab them to go during the week. Good veggies for dipping are grape tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, baby carrots and broccoli florets. You can divide the hummus into small tupperware containers or if you have a fridge at work, bring the entire tub and leave it in the fridge.

4) Soup- Buy cans of soup and throw them in your bag when leaving for work. This is super easy just make sure that the soup can is easy open or you have a can opener at work (you can always bring your own from home). Also, you want to make sure you have a bowl to put the soup in or bring tupperware that has top.

Fit Tip: To keep you motivated to bring your own lunch, try taking the $10 you would spend at lunch and putting it in a money jar for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, take the money out that you saved and splurge on something you have been wanting for awhile but thought you couldn't afford (manicure, dinner out, new clothes, etc).