Challenge :: Lunch for under $12

Recently a coworker and I were discussing spending less money on lunch for the work week.  He said it was cheaper (and easier) to just purchase lunch.  With the cost of lunch costing between $5 and $10 a day, I told him that I could do it for less!  I explained that while you are spending $8 on that sandwich, you could have purchased all the materials for the same sandwich, but could eat for two days instead of one.

See my break down: (estimated prices from my local Wal-Mart)

Italian bread loaf	1.00
Ham (1/2 lb)	3.00
Deli sliced cheese (1/3 lb)	1.00
Lettuce	1.25
Tomatoes (pack of 3 small)	1.50
GRAND TOTAL	7.75

If you add on a bag of chips ($3.00), the total is $10.25 and you could easily make 3 sandwiches. I didn't include mayo or mustard, because those are staples you should already have in your pantry.  If I ever forget them, these items are easily picked up for FREE in the break-room.

I don't normally accept challenges, but I felt passionate about this one.  I too can spend a pretty penny in the lunch cafeteria.  My meals are a more modest $4, but it still comes out to $20 a week.  The meals I am purchasing aren't that healthy (fries, fried chicken tenders, corn dogs, desserts, pizza).  I could be spending less and eating better.   

This weekend, I have made it my challenge to go out and purchase lunch fixings for next week. This challenge was hard, because I wanted to show that you can eat healthy on a budget. 

Here is my menu for this week:

• 2 days = soup + bread/butter, apple slices w/ peanut butter
• 2 days = turkey sandwich on french bread, apple, cheese chunks and carrot sticks
• 1 day = tuna sandwich, carrot sticks, cheese chunks

Approximate Costs

Canned soup (2 servings per can)      1.50 French Bread (used for sandwiches too)      1.00 Cut carrot sticks      1.00 Lettuce      1.50 Tomato      1.50 Chunk cheese      2.00 Apples (bagged)      2.00 Tuna (canned in water)      1.00 Turkey (deli sliced)      3.00
Total            $14.50

Mustard, mayo, celery, peanut butter and eggs are items that should already be in the pantry, so there is no need to purchase them.

I will do some bargain hunting and hopefully find some deals to bring the total to under $12.

I will keep you posted on how well I do.

Weekly Menu : 2/24 to 3/01

 

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This week we'll be eating Mexican style!  My family loves Mexican food and for the most part, it's fairly light and healthy option for me.  Here's our meal plan for next week!
 

Mon - Fajita Style Quesadillas + Spanish Rice
Tues - Taco Chicken Salad
Wed - Eat out! Lots of stuff going on this day.  Won't have time to cook.
Thur - Bean and Beef Burritos + Lettuce and Tomato Salad
Fri -    Shrimp Tacos + Black bean salad
Sat -   Eat out!

Tortellini with Edamame and Smoked Sausage

I found this recipe on Family Fun's website a few weeks back. They posted it under the budget meals recipe category. Who can resist making something that only costs 89 cents per serving.

I jotted down all the ingredients last week. Most of the items in the recipe are frozen items so I can buy them when on sale and save them for a future meal that I have to throw together.

I picked up everything on the list and thought "89 cents per serving, I don't think so".  The store brand tortellini was $2.69 a pound, edamame was $2.89 for an 8 oz frozen package and the smoked sausage was on sale for $2.50. Geez now I have to buy a red bell pepper?! Well I never did buy that pepper. I ended up using a large yellow onion that I had on hand.  After all was said and done, this meal ended up costing $1.34 per serving (6 servings).  This wasn't too bad for a meal. The three of us ate and was full and I still had two more servings for lunch during the week.

Well here's the recipe. Let me know if you can make it for 89 cents per serving.

What ya need:
1 pound frozen cheese tortellini
1 cup shelled edamame
1 cup diced red pepper
1 pound smoked sausage
1/2 cup Italian dressing

What ya do:
Set 6 quarts of salted water to boil in a large pot.
Meanwhile, chop red pepper and slice the smoked sausage into 1/4 inch-thick rounds.
Stir-fry red pepper and sausage together until heated through -- about 5 minutes.
Add tortellini to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
Add edamame to water and boil for another 2 minutes. Drain tortellini and edamame well.
Toss everything together with the Italian dressing and heat through one final time.

michaela desiree

Mango Salsa

Happy 3 days after Valentine's Day!! Ha ha ha… I actually wanted to post on Valentine's day but work was/is super busy and I left early so that I could go to the grocery store before all the late, last minute, flower and card purchasers (yes, they were out @ 4 pm on Valentine's day).  I always prepare dinner and dessert for everyone on Valentine's day.

This years menu :
Jamaican Jerk Cajun Salmon with Mango salsa, wild rice and strawberry cheesecake.

I found the recipe for Salmon/Mango salsa on Epicurious (my new fav. iPhone app).  Since I am trying to eat healthier I decided to try this salsa with my salmon and I have been eating the mango salsa every day since I made it. The first day it was good, but after it sat in the refrigerator over night the flavors really blended and that onion wasn't so strong.

I took this to work the next day and enjoyed some leftover salmon and the salsa on a wheat tortilla.  It was almost the best fish taco I've had. 

What you need:

2 mangoes, peeled and diced

1/2 pineapple, cored and diced

1 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans

3/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

What you do:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

michaela desiree