Working an 8-5 desk jobs has its pros and cons. I’ve been happy to transition into weekday only work as I used to work as a waitress and didn’t have my weekends to enjoy with friends and family. One of the main downsides though is being at a desk for 8 hours and not having many options to eating healthy.
Preparation is key for anyone trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. My favorite little trick in preparing my lunch is the storage container I use to prepare my lunches. I use these Ziploc Container, Divided Rectangle, 2-Count(Pack of 2)
Another bonus to bringing your lunch is how much money you will save. The average lunch costs around $7 to dine out where most of the options below will only cost $2-3 per servings. That’s a $22.50 savings a week or $1170 a year! That’s a Caribbean vacation for us single folks or a nice chunk of change to help get your family to Disney world.
On to the brown bag lunch ideas!
- Wraps are a quick and easy solution to lunch and are very tasty! You can see a recipe for a wrap I had recently here.
- Grilled chicken breast is great for on-the-go. You can precook multiple breasts at one time at the start of the week and then slice them up and toss them in a salad, shred them for tacos or even a Chick-Fil a style chargilled sandwich, there’s tons of possibilities!
- Soups can be put in thermos’ to keep warm until lunch. Try making a large batch on the weekend in your crock pot then save some in the fridge for the week and freeze your leftovers in ziplock bags for easy weeknight dinners or future lunches.
- Good ole’ sandwiches. Just like wraps the possibilities are endless; chicken salad, hummus and veggies, egg salad, lunch meat, anything.
- Taquitos, burritos or tacos. There’s a way to make a healthier option of just about anything. Use whole wheat tortillas as your base, if you use canned beans be sure to rinse them, add a lean meat if you want, all the veggies and some fat-free shredded cheese. Taquitos can be made in bulk prior to your work day and are great reheated.
- Salads! That little section in the container i suggested is great for salad. Add whatever veggies you’d like on top of your choice of lettuce/spinach/arugula and then you’re protein. Be sure that you’re meat has cooled to room temperature or is even already refrigerated so it doesn’t wilt your greens.
- Leftovers. Pack over all of the leftovers from a nights meal in individual containers and you already have at least a days worth of lunch ready if not more.
- Whole Grain pasta salad made with a light vinaigrette and low fat cheese. You can add in sliced carrots, zucchini, and whatever else your pretty little heart desires.
- Peanut butter! Peanut butter toast, peanut butter celery, peanut butter crackers. Peanut butter is awesome and goes great with just about anything in my opinion. It’s very filling and is a great candidate for your protein source!
- Frittatas are great when reheated and are very filling but light enough for a nice meal at work that won’t have you dragging half way through the day.
I hope you found these helpful. If you have any other suggestions I’d love to hear from you!
Other posts you may enjoy::
Great lunch tips! I’ve started bringing my lunch to work every day and I’m saving a fortune.
I’ve also noticed that it’s WAY healthier than what I used to buy.
It’s great to save money and lose inches off my waistline on my way to becoming a millionaire.
Mr Ikonz @ Project Ikonz recently posted…I’m now debt free! (and have no car)
Thanks, yeah I can definitely tell based on the scale that taking my lunch is helping with the health. It’ll definitely get you on the right track to becoming a millionaire. Time to join Budgets Are Sexy’s millionaire club 🙂
Great idea! Just jumped onto Budgets are Sexy, love the club!
I’ve only just discovered your site, do you have many financial goals?
Mr Ikonz @ Project Ikonz recently posted…Hiring tools or buying tools – which way do I save the most money?
Absolutely. I’d like to up my savings, put a down payment on a house and I plan to open a betterment account here soon. I have a ton more but it’d take me all night to write it up. Those are the main ones for now though.
You should definitely start doing some posts about your financial goals.
If I had have started on my financial goals in my 20’s I’d be well ahead of where I am now on my journey to becoming a millionaire.
I definitely will. I’m actually planning on doing a no-spend month for march to help get me to my goal of going to San Francisco so i’ll come up with a post for it. Any advice for finances in your 20s?
Just saw your new post! Awesome work to start to spread into financial goals.
Mr Ikonz @ Project Ikonz recently posted…Longtail Pro – How to increase hits using SEO