Sac Lunches

I'll be making/packing my lunch here in a minute. I'm not the best at this, but I try. "Hegazelle" is MUCH more dedicated to packing his lunch than I. I wake up late so I don't pack lunch. Or it's Friday and I think I'd like to join the office in eating out so I don't pack lunch. He doesn't miss a day. Perhaps that is why he has managed to drop 15 lbs since we've started the Dave Ramsey plan. You didn't know it was a money & diet plan in one did you?! Well, it can be, depending on your intensity.

Eating out: We eat out a lot on weekends. It's like a celebration or something. Friday night is not a night for cooking so we go out. Saturday afternoon we routinely hit our favorite sandwich shop for lunch. And of course Saturday night and Sunday night dinner. (Now that I write it all out here and look at it, that is a lot of eating out!) What has always helped is that we share everything. We did this before we started our TMM just simply because I can't put that much food down, and these places serve a ton of food.

Sac Lunches: Coming up with lunch ideas that don't get boring (or soggy) can be difficult for me. I have a refrigerator and a microwave at my office, he has to take a small ice chest. I have more options than he does, but I only buy one lunch option per week. So far I've found only about 3 things that work for summer lunches.
1. The Standard Sandwich- this is the one you can't make too far in advance, otherwise your tomatoes take their toll on your whole wheat bread. We don't do sandwiches too often.
2. Wraps- this option is swell since you can make several of them at the beginning of the week and they don't get soggy! Get some tortillas (flavored ones from Trader Joes sometimes give a twist) smear on some low fat cream cheese, throw on some deli turkey, your favorite leafy lettuce and your favorite cheese and you've got a basic wrap- otherwise known as a cheap lunch option.
3. Salads- I think this one is my favorite. I make low fat ranch dressing and also fat free Italian dressing at the beginning of the week. Buy a rotisserie deli chicken and shred it up. Canned tuna is another great "meat" option. Then before the week begins chop up all your salad fixin's. Then before you go to work all you're doing is dumping things in a to-go container. QUICK. That's what I'm all about.

So there you have it. The Gazelle family summer lunch menu. I know there's not much variation, so if you have ideas to share, bring it on. But budget wise, it works. Lunch can smack you every day to the tune of $6+ and that's just your average nasty combo meal. If you and your spouse each spent only that much 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, you'd spend $3,120 a year on gross fast food lunches. And all you'll have to show for it is a lighter wallet and a big belly.