Cheap, healthy food that's easy to bring to work?

rainycafe1

What's a cheap, healthy food that's easy to bring to work? My work time of 1 hour is very limited and i don't have a lot of time to go out and buy something. I can go to a Wawa and buy a hoagie and soup for $10 which can last me 2 meals, but I'm trying to cut down on how much I spend a day. Can you think of any cheaper options? I know there are some frozen meals I could get for like $2-3 per pack. Or put some eggs and frozen vegetables in cup noodles (like ramen) for a cheap meal. I don't really have time to cook full meals at home and bring them to work, so it has to be something that I can microwave or get together really quickly. Should I just stick with sandwiches? Is there any way to eat for under $6/day?

Thanks!

Aerona85

What do you normally eat for dinner/supper? I usually just take leftovers for lunch the next day.

Wiggymommy

Meal prep on your day off.

French_Peasant

A whole grain sammich loaded with veggies and lean meat, packed with an apple and baggie of cut vegetables like carrots or celery. Greek yogurt for dessert. If you need something hot, prep and freeze some bulk veggie soup that you can microwave.

jgnatca

Leftovers are the cheapest. I would wrap my meal in a tortilla to make it portable.

rainycafe1

Aerona85 wrote: »

What do you normally eat for dinner/supper? I usually just take leftovers for lunch the next day.

well when i wasnt working i usually just ate frozen meals. healthy choice steamers, lean cuisine, etc. somewhere between $2-4, sometimes i might eat out

i dont really have leftovers because i dont cook anything

collectingblues

So bring a second frozen meal?

rainycafe1

French_Peasant wrote: »

A whole grain sammich loaded with veggies and lean meat, packed with an apple and baggie of cut vegetables like carrots or celery. Greek yogurt for dessert. If you need something hot, prep and freeze some bulk veggie soup that you can microwave.

do you make everything for the whole week in the beginning of the week (e.g., sunday)?
does the sandwich get soggy at the end of the week?

what kind of veggies do you put? tomato, and lettuce?
i hate it when the lettuce turns black or not fresh so sometimes i dont like to pack lettuce
or ill just do a sandwich with only meat + ketchup because i dont have time to cut up a tomato,or ill just eat the tomato on the side


this might be more expensive than a hoagie though
i calculated the average cost of a home made sandwich might be $4
(assuming the meat costs like $3 per serving. + bread, veggies, etc.)
but i can order a 10'' hoagie for $8 without having to spend the time to prepare it
so its probably more efficient for me to just buy my food right?

KetoZombies

Wraps are very easy - breakfast burritos - both of these can be frozen in batches, and put in a lunch box frozen to be thawed by lunch. a big pot of soup on the weekends in a thermos is lunch all week

rainycafe1

collectingblues wrote: »

So bring a second frozen meal?

yeah i guess i might have to do that
i just wondered if there was something cheaper or healthier so i dont have to eat frozen meals everyday
but i never thought of them as unhealthy, so maybe this is the best thing for me

i saw someone at work eating cup noodles with a capri sun, so i dont think this is worse

collectingblues

Well, you could start cooking. That would be cheaper and healthier.

hoffman2300

If you have a trader joe's near you, they have a lot of different frozen meals that aren't so expensive. They only work if you've got the calories to spare.... If there's a fridge or freezer available, make some soup/chili and bring containers for the week (and hopefully you don't get sick of eating it!)

madwells1

Early morning breakfast at work:

Hard boiled egg, fruit, almonds, yogurt with honey.

I usually prep boxes with grilled chicken, cherry tomatos, vegetables and/or avocado for lunch if I don't have the opportunity to go home.

Always feel better than if I eat a frozen meal because I have more variety. Turns out cheaper and faster as well as I prep everything on the weekend (cut up fruit, grill chicken breast, etc.).

French_Peasant

rainycafe1 wrote: »

French_Peasant wrote: »

A whole grain sammich loaded with veggies and lean meat, packed with an apple and baggie of cut vegetables like carrots or celery. Greek yogurt for dessert. If you need something hot, prep and freeze some bulk veggie soup that you can microwave.

do you make everything for the whole week in the beginning of the week (e.g., sunday)?
does the sandwich get soggy at the end of the week?

what kind of veggies do you put? tomato, and lettuce?
i hate it when the lettuce turns black or not fresh so sometimes i dont like to pack lettuce
or ill just do a sandwich with only meat + ketchup because i dont have time to cut up a tomato,or ill just eat the tomato on the side


this might be more expensive than a hoagie though
i calculated the average cost of a home made sandwich might be $4
(assuming the meat costs like $3 per serving. + bread, veggies, etc.)
but i can order a 10'' hoagie for $8 without having to spend the time to prepare it
so its probably more efficient for me to just buy my food right?

No, something like deli turkey or chicken would be much less. Of course expenses depend on where you are. A head of romaine or other leaf lettuce would last you the week. You could also do cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, or sliced bell peppers if they are not too expensive. Pickles and pickled banana peppers are awesome as well and a bulk jar will keep for a long time. Pack the lettuce separately if you want it to be crisp as possible. Cucumbers and onions can also be pre sliced for the week, and even the meat and bread can be pre bagged separately so you can just grab the baggies or reusable containers and assemble at work. Tomatoes of course are touchier and might keep for a day or two. I am normally eating mine on the side too. You should be able to find very economical whole grain bread. Some provolone or cheddar would be nice too.

You will just need to go to the grocery and price things out and then compare to the hoagie. It's always possible it could be cheaper. But the sammy prep time shouldn't be too burdensome, especially if you pre portion some of the contents. I somehow manage to pack my kids lunches every morning.

If you are wanting to buy things pre made, price out the rotisserie chicken, it can be a very good deal and provide hot and later cold meat for several dinners.

Out of curiosity, what are you doing with your free time such that the time commitment to assemble a sammy would give you pause?

French_Peasant

rainycafe1 wrote: »

collectingblues wrote: »

So bring a second frozen meal?

yeah i guess i might have to do that
i just wondered if there was something cheaper or healthier so i dont have to eat frozen meals everyday
but i never thought of them as unhealthy, so maybe this is the best thing for me

i saw someone at work eating cup noodles with a capri sun, so i dont think this is worse

I will do Healty Choice Steamers from time to time, but bulk them up with a lot of additional veggies and herbs. Like, add in and additional 100 g or so of frozen broccoli or snow peas or whatever would complement the meal. I grow much of my own stuff though, so you would have to price it out.

Their biggest problem is the amount of salt they can have in them so check that against your nutritional goals.

French_Peasant

madwells1 wrote: »

Early morning breakfast at work:

Hard boiled egg, fruit, almonds, yogurt with honey.

I usually prep boxes with grilled chicken, cherry tomatos, vegetables and/or avocado for lunch if I don't have the opportunity to go home.

Always feel better than if I eat a frozen meal because I have more variety. Turns out cheaper and faster as well as I prep everything on the weekend (cut up fruit, grill chicken breast, etc.).

That is such a lovely, simple and elegant breakfast!

seltzermint555

When I brought my lunches to work I would meal prep on Sundays usually. I worked M-F and would shoot for 4 lunches per week as there was usually always one day when I'd be in a lunch meeting or go out with my coworkers. That kept me from going out too often, at least.

It helps if you are a person who doesn't mind eating the same thing several times in a row...so you don't have to get as creative.

My absolute favorite was cooking up some chicken breast and shredding it, rinsing & draining canned black beans and corn, and then chopping some bell pepper (all colors) and adding those things to salads. I dressed them at lunchtime with a homemade dressing of mayo, lime juice & cayenne pepper which was really good and a bit lighter than many prepared dressings. Almost every time I'd bring that to work people were like "that looks and smells good".

I also liked to make veggie & cheese subs. I would buy a pack of rolls and assemble the sandwich fresh in the work kitchen so it would be crisp. I'd just bring a large container with chopped lettuce, sliced carrots, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, etc. And a pack of cheese slices (provolone or pepper jack).

Another thing I liked about being "stuck" at work for lunch was kind of encouraging myself to eat raw veggies that I might not eat if I was at home. Baby carrots, cucumber, etc. And being able to bring only enough of something that I wouldn't be tempted to have a little more (small cookie, really good dark chocolate square, raw almonds, peanuts, cottage cheese, etc).

buffgrl

Get yourself some Trader Joes's Flourless Sprouted Protein Bread and some low-carb high fiber tortillas and make your self some healthy sammiches and wraps! Or make yourself a nice salad with a chicken breast cut into it! Don't use processed lunch meats though- I like to grill about 3-4 chicken breasts at a time (no dishes, super easy and fast!) and then store them in the fridge for easy additions to salads, sandwiches, and wraps. Add some cut fruit or veggies and you've got yourself a well rounded little meal, and you could even do it all organic for waaaay less than $10 per meal.

franklin505

What is a Hoagie?

French_Peasant

franklin505 wrote: »

What is a Hoagie?

Just another name for a sub.

janejellyroll

When I make dinner each night, I always put the leftovers into individual containers. Those are my lunches for subsequent days. In the morning, all I have to do is grab a container. If I need to boost the calories, I'll add some fruit or a packet of miso soup. I also keep some snacks in my desk drawer -- things like peanut butter crackers, Skittles, clif bars, and almonds.

It's cheap and fast.

beaglady

If you don't cook, buy a bag of precooked seasoned chicken, a bag of salad mix and some low carb, low cal wraps like Tumaros. Add a little lite mayo or another condiment. Roll the chicken and salad in the wrap, serve with baby carrots. Probably around $10 for 4 days of lunch.

rybo

Nuts / seeds
Hard boiled eggs
Carrots
Cucumbers
Bananas
Apples
(Any other seasonal fruit)

amandaeve

When I was tight on budget/time, I would bake a week's worth of potatoes, and eat one for lunch each day with a can of tuna fish and salsa on top. Carrots and apples for snacks. Pros: small, healthy, filling, dirt cheap, no refrigeration needed, minimal prep time. Cons: Smell is off-putting if you eat in a small break room and the taste is unusual.

maggibailey

amandaeve wrote: »

When I was tight on budget/time, I would bake a week's worth of potatoes, and eat one for lunch each day with a can of tuna fish and salsa on top. Carrots and apples for snacks. Pros: small, healthy, filling, dirt cheap, no refrigeration needed, minimal prep time. Cons: Smell is off-putting if you eat in a small break room and the taste is unusual.

"And the taste is unusual". Just cracked me up. A sad lunch!

cwolfman13

Often leftovers from the night before...especially as we get into soup/stew season...or a sandwich.

maggibailey

I did five chicken thighs, mixed bell peppers and onions. Little Olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and baked it all for 30 min. Then I split it into five containers added a scoop of black beans and some guacamole salsa that makes my mouth water when I think about it. Put it on a bed of lettuce and all my lunches this week were like 350 calories of perfection.