Cheap, Healthy Lunch…No Thinking Required

I’ve just been bragging to my colleagues: my tasty, healthy lunch only cost $3.25. It wasn’t a skimpy amount of food either: a salad, a yogurt and a wheat roll.

Myia Welsh

I’ll tell you all day that watching my nutrition is important. My actual behavior says something else entirely. When I think about the day to day choices I’m making, I’ve noticed that I’m more motivated by 1) convenience and 2) saving money. I’m not kidding. Since I did the calculations for that post about the low per serving cost of oatmeal, I actually like it more. Once you know what your “hook” is you can use it to your advantage. But I digress…

Let’s talk lunch. I usually find that I have failed to pack a lunch the night before, and I’m scrambling around at noon making terrible, very hungry, decisions. That’s no way to live, and no way to maintain my weight goals. My current solution: salad kit. A bagged salad kit (Like this one) with everything included (toppings, dressing, etc.) will give me the bulk of my lunch for two days. I add a wheat roll from my grocery store’s bakery and a yogurt from a four pack.

Cost

Salad Kit $3.99/2 servings = $2.00 per serving

Yogurt individual serving pack $3.99/4 servings = $1.00 per serving

Wheat rolls from the bakery $2.99 per dozen/12 servings = $.25 per serving

Total per lunch: $3.25

Last time I went to a local chain restaurant for a salad (braving a whole lot of temptation from the other goodies on the menu) I walked out paying around $8.00, plus the cost of a drink. That’s easily a $5 difference PER DAY. $25 per week. $100 per month. Potentially $1,200 per year. For that kind of savings, I’ll eat salad all the way to the bank!

Convenience

I can get all this at the grocery store when I do my regular shopping. So, no additional planning or stops required. There is really no other packing either. I bring the items in with me and put it all in the staff fridge at work. When lunchtime rolls around I put half the salad stuff in my bowl and seal the remainder off with a binder clip until tomorrow. Done. No decisions. No thinking about what I “feel like” eating (because the answer is always a burger and a milkshake). And by the end of the work week, I’m still on track with my calories.

Setting yourself up for success

I know that if I’m left to go find myself some lunch, I’m probably going to make choices that aren’t so great. I’m guessing that I’m not the only one. Thinking about how to set yourself up to auto-pilot your way to your weight loss goals is worth a little attention. The weeks will tick by no matter what, so what can you do to help yourself make better food choices along the way?