When I first arrived in New York I worked for a very large corporation. My previous job had been with a small non-profit in Boston and the discovery of my new employer's company-subsidized cafeteria was a happy bonus. Lunch was delicious, inexpensive, and just an elevator ride away.
It was when I left that large corporation and began to build a career working for smaller firms, that I had my sticker shock and calorie challenge of buying lunch every day in Manhattan. New York is rich with excellent sandwich shops, delis, gyro makers, salad bars, sushi take-out, and of course, pizza. But everything is costly both in terms of dollars and calories.
Added to the lunch dilemma was the occasional restaurant lunch that business would inevitably require. My career thankfully came of age after the three martini lunch, and few serious professionals are now willing to fracture the day with a two-hour meal. But for some, lunch as a business ritual continues. I once had a client who upon his company hiring my firm, handed me a list of his favorite restaurants with an unvarnished command: "Here's where I want to go. We should do one a month." On the piece of paper were names like La Bernardin and Bouley as he scheduled what for him was a free tour of the city's best restaurants. (I am pleased to report he was fired from his job before we finished the tour.)
Being unhappy with the take-out or eat-in alternatives, for years I struggled with how to answer the simple question: What's for lunch? I wanted to eat well, spend less, and also have a mid-day break either by myself or with colleagues.
When the answer came it was simple and a relief: I'd bring my own.
There are some who say that bringing your lunch to work makes you look less successful, or unwilling to spend time on a break with colleagues. Only you know the culture and politics of your office but with concerns about the economy and the explosive interest in cooking, nutrition and food quality, you may be surprised to find many colleagues are secret "brown baggers."
Trying to get to your office every morning can be complicated enough without having to add making lunch to your daily to-do list. Plus the idea of having a sandwich everyday isn't very appealing. But with a little planning, some creativity, and a little time -- less than what it takes to leave your desk and go buy lunch -- you can make something that is easy to carry and a meal you will look forward to eating.
- Leftovers. This is the easiest way to make your lunch: just make extra dinner the night before. Nearly every office has a microwave oven and you will be happy to have a bowl of last night's beef stew, which will probably taste even better than it did right from the oven. Other leftovers don't even need to be re-heated, such as poached salmon or a piece of cold chicken. By planning ahead you can steam some extra broccoli, sauté an extra chicken breast, add another sweet potato to the oven, or boil some eggs while dinner is on the stove.
Tip: keep a glass container, like a small pyrex dish, in the office kitchen to reheat your food so that you're not reheating in a plastic deli container. It's fine to transport the food in the plastic, but many experts advise against microwaving in it.
- A sturdy salad. By this I mean a salad made from ingredients that can sit for a few hours and travel unrefrigerated without spoiling. One of my favorites is sliced cherry tomatoes tossed with artichoke hearts and little balls of fresh mozzarella, often called bocconcini. I try to buy the roasted artichokes that are sold either at the deli counter or alongside the olives, not the extremely oily marinated ones in jars. Assemble the salad in the morning, adding a pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil, and the salted tomatoes will throw off enough acidic juice to make a perfect dressing. Variations on this theme include cubes of cheese and salami, ham or turkey; sliced raw peppers, mushrooms and tuna fish (olive oil packed but drained); sliced raw fennel, sardines, and curls of parmesan cheese. The idea is to combine protein and raw vegetables that won't easily get limp.
- Pita sandwiches. If you're a sandwich fan, sandwiches made with whole wheat pita bread, sliced ham or turkey, a slice of cheese and spears of romaine lettuce travel well and can be made using the mini-pita loaves that are easy to find in our grocery stores. The trick for sandwiches for a lunch that you'll eat hours later is to either make ones without wet ingredients like egg salad or wet condiments like mayonnaise, or else bring the elements of a sandwich and assemble it just before you eat it.
- Desserts. Many of us like something a sweet either right after a meal or a little while afterwards. Fresh fruit is always a great choice and from spring through fall, Manhattan's streets are often spotted with fruit stands spilling over with whatever is in season sold at prices that often beat the nearby grocery. But if you want something different, consider dried fruits, like apricots or pineapple rings, or a mix of dried cranberries and almonds. Just remember that dried fruits have the same calories as fresh ones so keep that in mind when grabbing a handful of dried apricot halves.
- Lunch-friendly foods. While most of us easily think of ham and cheese, or chicken breast and a salad, there are other ingredients that travel well and make a satisfying lunch either on their own or in combination with other foods. These include smoked salmon -- I know this can be pricey but a small portion with a big salad can be a treat; charcuterie like salami or cured hams; farmers cheese, cottage cheese or yogurt; and salads made with pasta or whole grains like bulgur wheat tabouli or farro salad (see our recipe).
- Raw vegetables with hummus dip. Hummus is full of protein as it's made from chickpeas and tahini. Add a pita bread half and it can be a very satisfying lunch. If you're really pressed for time, this is a meal that can bought already prepped with a bag of baby carrots, washed and trimmed celery sticks, and a container of hummus which is sold in most grocery stores. But you'll save more than half the cost if you wash and trim your own vegetables and make your own hummus. See our recipe.
Whether it's every day or just once or twice a week, if you plan to carry your own lunch to work, you'll need to invest in some equipment. The notion of brown-bagging has been replaced by reusable plastic bags and specially designed containers, including reusable and refillable plastic bottles for water or juices. Spend some time at large housewares stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond or specialty retailers like The Container Store and you'll see that transporting meals has inspired retailers to offer new items that can make your daily lunch easier to carry and more satisfying to eat.
- Bring your own coffee to work and you can save $3.50 a day. A 12 to 16-ounce stainless steel insulated thermos costs about $25 and should last for years. You do the math.
- Buy 2 thermoses and use one to carry homemade soup. No microwave necessary.
- Keep an eye on the Baggie habit because it's easy to turn daily plastic bags into a regular expense. Unless a sandwich bag has become really messy and imposible to clean, I usually get two or three uses out of each; I just turn them inside-out and give a good rinse with very warm, soapy water. So after lunch, bring the plastic bags home instead of tossing into the trash.
- A company called Fit & Fresh has spotted the growing market for bring-your-own-meals and has launched a very appealing line of products designed just to transport food. One of my favorites is their Salad Shaker that comes with its own removable ice pack, fork and spoon, and a built in dressing dispenser so you can add just the right amount of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to your salad instead of keeping a bottle of some preservative-packed orange stuff in the office refrigerator. Their other well designed and well made products include "Lunch on the Go," a lunch "chiller," and containers to transport fruit, vegetables, and soup. Many of these products are for sale at A Cook's Companion, in Brooklyn Heights.
- Buy your snacks in bulk and then carry what you'll need in airtight containers. This works for foods like dried fruit, nuts, and salty snacks like pretzels.
- For foods vulnerable to spoilage, buy a thermal lunch bag and keep a supply of small chill packs in the freezer. Bring them home every night and replace in the freezer and you'll always have ones ready to keep foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, and deli meats. Some chill packs are filled with ice and don't need to be refrozen before reusing.
Two other suggestions. First, just because you bring your own lunch doesn't mean you shouldn't really enjoy what you're eating. Don't be Spartan with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, unless, of course, you really love them. Prepare and eat wonderful meals that you will look forward to eating and you won't feel hard-done by nor be tempted to toss your homemade food in exchange for a slice of pizza.
Finally, even if you don't have to leave the office to buy your lunch, give yourself a break. Take your lunch -- and a friend -- with you to a park bench, or do a quick visit to a nearby museum, go to the gym, or browse in a bookstore, or just walk around the block. We need our lunch breaks not only to refuel our bodies but also our minds.
Recipes
Articles
