What's In A Lunch?!

I was driving home after picking up the sleeping kiddo today, the end of a long shift day, and we were passing oh so many tasty, tempting dinner options completely unhealthy for me but the taste - especially of that nice cold full of sugar fountain soda.......but it is not in the budget, I knew I had food at home, and the kiddo needed her bed. So no stopping or treats for this momma.

That's alright I told myself, it's just like your lunch. You see, every work day I have the same thing for lunch with slight variations - turkey or ham sandwich, veggie chips or sticks, a Gatorade, then for snack crackers and cheese and variations of Greek yogurt with water. Tasty? Somewhat. Filling? It gets the job done.

But the big things are time and budget. If I were to really do the math, I would say that each lunch is roughly around $2 over a good time span of lunches - since I work shift hours. That is pretty good, especially considering it includes my snack for the day as well and added home essentials if needed. Also, when I pack my lunch in the late afternoon/evening the day before - it takes about 3-4 minutes if that; I am working on a plan where I have everything broken down into containers/bags to just grab and go - leaving only a sandwich to actually be made that day. So even though it might sound boring, again it gets the job done when eating on the medical run and though I occasionally mix it up - keeps me in my financial and time budget.

I guess that is the Single Mom transplant in Suburbia/city commuter part - it may not be fancy or match with others' tastes but it's what I do, to do what I do. I am the one where everyone comes in and says "got your sandwich and veggie chips for lunch" everyday and I love to surprise them when I actually get something like a wrap or sandwich.

So though it may not be a happy meal - it makes the budget and my time off a little more happy. What does your lunch do for you?