You Spend How Much On Your Lunch?

Research says your run-of-the-mill office worker spends an average of £2.83 a day on lunch, but this can be up to £8 daily. Seriously? That adds up to a massive amount over the year. I’m not even going to try and add that up!

It doesn’t take the brains of Stephen Hawking to work out that taking in your own will save you money (although not necessarily time) but I can promise it will save you some angst over food choice; allay fears over temptation; give you some flexibility when the munchies hit outside normal cafeteria/coffee shop serving hours; and provide a great way to use up leftovers that might have found their way into the trash (or you as unwanted but can’t-waste ‘seconds’).

Bariatric Bento Box with Bag, Chiller and Recipe Leaflet

I’m a great advocate of the packed lunch not least because I travel on a regular basis and can’t always find what I want or need on the road. I take care of emergencies with a special ’emergency box’ (see here) but I like the comfort of knowing I have something packed in my Bariatric Bento Box for a controlled, bariatric-friendly and nourishing meal alongside me. And it doesn’t cost a bomb!

Sometimes this is something specially prepared; often pre-planned and thought-ahead with a gathered range of deli produce, fruit and nuts simply assembled; and many, many times this is last night’s main meal leftovers re-purposed. This might sound grim and repetitive but seriously last evening’s roasted vegetables served with baked fish taste totally different when tossed in a salad with a little cheese. Many of my co-workers and visitors often look enviously at my box and I find I share it more often than not. For that reason my lunch box is rarely frugal!

At the bottom of this blog there is a pictorial suggestion of recipes you could consider for your lunch box – all appear on the website or in my ‘Return to Slender’ books (here). You’ll find recipes for salads, wraps, quiche, eggs, dips, spreads, rice, couscous and pasta mixtures. Most can be packed up in my Bariatric Bento Box so that I have portion control all worked out even when eating away from home and some can be reheated and eaten warm if your office has a microwave so that you can zap food to an ideal temperature. Add soups, stews and other hot mixtures to this assortment and you’ll have the makings of a pretty fine meal. Bariatric dining away from home needn’t be boring and predictable.

Having chatted to a few of you after my breakfast dish round up earlier this week I know many of you say ‘no’ to breakfast or stick with something fluid for the first part of the day. Well my answer is that most of the dishes and recipes can make pretty fine lunch and dinner dishes too so don’t overlook them. Many will also make great lunch box food as in the recipe below.

It’s a terrific choice if you struggle to eat first thing as you can take it to work in your Bariatric Bento Box (see here) and eat at your desk or during a break. Our bento box is available on its own in the UK and available with our bariatric portion plate and books in the Essentials Bariatric Care Box for world-wide shipping (see here). Take a look …

Breakfast/Lunch or Dinner Salad

Ingredients

METRIC/US

100 g/4 oz salad potatoes, cut into chunks

1 medium egg

25 g/1 oz chopped cooked ham

11/2 tsp rapeseed or olive oil

1 tsp basil pesto

salt and freshly ground black pepper

25 g/1 oz chopped cooked ham

small handful watercress sprigs

50 g/2 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

Method

Place the potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 6 minutes.
Add the whole egg in its shell to the pan and continue to cook for 6 minutes. Drain and cool under cold water. Peel the egg.
Meanwhile, whisk the oil with the pesto and salt and pepper to taste.
Add the potatoes, ham, watercress and tomatoes and toss evenly to coat. Top with the halved egg to serve.

SERVES 1

WLS PORTION: 1/2-1

CALORIES PER PORTION: 305

PROTEIN: 16.6g

CARBOHYDRATE: 16.7g

FAT: 18.6g