In the Begining.

Today, I'm reminded why I started packing my own lunch over 6 years ago.  To ease the cost of having a full stomach. 

See, I'm a former sailor in the U.S. Navy and one of the perks, if you'd call it that, was having prepared food available at least 3 times daily if one was so inclined to eat on the mess decks.  It may not have been the best stuff ever, but it was free which raised its value for me.

My first job after the Navy presented a challenge for me and ultimately the template for the sandwich routine.  I now had to feed myself somehow. 

Back then I had nowhere near the cooking and food prep skills I have now.  That being the case I spent many lunch breaks at Subway, Quizno's, and that taqueria that opened later on.  Combined with that fast food dinner's and take out, my food bill per month was eating up (ha ha puns r' fun) a good chunk of my income. 

Solution: make your own lunch with the food you've already purchased.  But, what does a single, young adult male purchase in the way of food for lunch?  Bread, sliced cheese, processed meat, maybe, and a big maybe lettuce of some sort. 

Well, I saved myself some money and continue to save by brown bagging it. 

Consider if you were to eat at Subway for lunch all week.  We'll go the $5 for the foot long since that's pretty good value compared to $3.75 for a 6 inch.  That equates to $25 a week, go the whole month $100. A year's worth of Subway, $1200.   If you want to have some fun check out this sandwich calculator to get an idea of where I'm going.  On average a homemade sammie I make costs $1.70. In a year that's $400. 

What would you do with an extra $800?

In today's bag we have quinoa with broccoli, carrots, dried cranberries, and some of the leftover kidney beans.

 

Be sure to rinse your quinoa before cooking.  This removes the saponin that coats the seed.  Most commercial and packaged quinoa has already been rinsed at the manufacturer, but giving it one more go will ensure the removal of the saponin which acts as a laxative.  Use running water not standing water.  What I have here is a presoak.

 All my components in their individual forms.
This is how I steam my broccoli.  Two birds
One stone.

 

 

The final product.

 

 

Altogether 452 calories, 4g fat, 18g protein, 20g fiber (42% of my own recommended intake.) 96g carbohydrates.

 

So, what's your motivation to prepare your own foods, lunch or otherwise?

 

Comment away.

 

Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still.

     ~Chinese Proverb