Putting the Love Back in Your Brown Bag Lunch

Remember when you were a kid and you got sent off to school with a kiss, a hug, and a brown bag lunch? Regardless of whether or not you actually liked the lunch, wasn't it nice that it was all thought out for you. Made, wrapped up securely and packed into a nice, sturdy bag. There was no mad morning rush to shove the various leftovers from refrigerator into some sad plastic bag that you will later find out had a hole in it which might normally not be a big deal except today you brought soup and said soup is now a resident of your briefcase. As a kid you might have been able to get away with the excuse that your homework got ruined by your soup lunch and be able to turn it in tomorrow, as a grownup you just look silly and the report will still be due at noon.

Somewhere between grade school and college, lunch took a back seat to all other morning prep. Rush your shower? Never. Skip putting on eye shadow to save a few minutes? I can't leave the house without putting my face on. But lunch packing? That time is expendable. Shove and go is the typical model, much to many an employee's chagrin when it comes time to reveal your midday nosh only to find you grabbed an entire tupperware full of green beans (unless you are a health nut and then you are fine). For the vast majority of us, you will utter a special word or two and then head over to the closest Arby's. When did lunch become such a second class citizen in the food world?

Lunch should be the headliner. For those of us in the office, lunch is the time when we can escape our dark dungeons and get out in the sunlight. We should be packing foods that celebrate our brief freedom. Pack yourself a lunch the way your mom used to - even if you have to do it the night before - and if you want, put a little note of encouragement inside. It will get the second half of your day off to a much better start if you see a note from yourself that says - "You are awesome and great looking" - right next to a delicious turkey, swiss and avocado sandwich rather then finding out too late that you lunch consists of that stuff you forgot to throw out 2 weeks ago.

Don't under estimate the power of a fun lunch bag. Think back to when you were a kid - didn't you always want a new lunch box to start out the school year? Truthfully, isn't that still the case? You don't have to spend a lot to pimp your lunch's ride. Recently I picked up a great lunch bag from Whole Foods for $1 - which was a donation to their Whole Planet Foundation. It is the perfect size for any of my tupperware and is made from recycled plastic bottles. So now I can bring my lunch to work in style and help save the planet too! Take that plastic bag with a hole in it.



Packing a love filled lunch for yourself is not as hard as it may seem. Yes, it does take a little extra effort, but you are worth it! I typically pack my lunch right after dinner. I am a lover of the leftover. I will pretty much eat anything 2-3 days in a row. While I do love my variety, if I made chicken chow mein and there are leftovers, I could live off of them for a week. Once dinner concludes I just pop tomorrow's lunch into a tupperware container and into the refrigerator it goes. Then in the morning I can do the grab and dash secure in the knowledge that I have something yummy 4 hours in my future. Some leftovers do require a bit more prep than others - leftover rice and beans require some cheese and taco sauce along with a tortilla or two. And leftover pasta with meatballs and sauce always gets some grated parmigiana cheese because to do otherwise would be just plain wrong. But most evenings the process is pretty straight forward and is simplified by the fact that my husband doesn't enjoy leftovers with the same fervor as I do. No food wars makes a happy household.

You may ask yourself, "What do I do if there are no leftovers?" Well, I have faced this dilemma. Giving in to buying your own lunch is a very attractive option when you work on a college campus. Sushi, veggie burgers, and gourmet grilled cheese are all just a stone's throw away. Quick, easy, convenient and oh so yummy some mornings it is difficult to turn them down. And many times I don't. I'm only human and the wafting smell of deep fried goodness can only be ignored for so long. But most days I do make an effort to bring a reasonably healthy lunch, so when I am lacking in leftovers I head to my cupboard to see what it holds. Soup is an excellent leftover substitute. It is portable - just keep it in its can and bring a bowl (don't forget the can opener - nothing is sadder than when you are looking forward to a nice steaming bowl of soup and you realize that you don't have a can opener). Extra yummy points if you can throw some oyster crackers into your bag. Toss in a spoon and you are good to go. Have a few more minutes to spare? Throw together a salad and put some dressing in a small container (make sure it is closed tight and it wouldn't hurt to put that container in a ziplock bag - safety first). Now you have a lovely soup and salad lunch that only took about 5 minutes or less to assemble. You will be he envy of your lunch crew.

Sometimes there is no soup, no tuna, and no lunch meat. What is left? Good ole PB&J. I am willing to bet good money that pretty much everyone has some peanut butter and jelly stashed away. I personally keep a secret stash of marshmallow fluff in the back corner of our pantry for just such emergencies. So get out your peanut butter and jelly of choice and set out your bread.

I like to do a special assembly process for my PB&J sandwiches which involves putting peanut butter on half of each slice of bread and then putting jelly or fluff on the other half of each slice of bread. Then you cut your sandwich in half - go fancy and cut it diagonal. Trim off the edges if you like (just like mom used to) and wrap up in some tin foil. Add a salad if you like, it won't take much more time, and presto you have a great lunch that you will be thinking about as you type away on the machine for the man.

Putting the love back into your brown bag lunch doesn't take a lot of extra time and can be enjoyable if you have a little fun with it. Tell yourself that you are worth it. Take those 5-10 extra minutes in the morning or in the evening to create for yourself a culinary masterpiece that will leave you with the same warm and fuzzy feeling that you got when mom pressed that lunch sack into your hand each morning but with the added bonus of knowing that you will love what's in there this time.


"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
- Virginia Woolf