restaurant meal you’ll cut down on hundreds of extra calories each week. And because you won’t waste time in line buying lunch anymore, your lunch hour will seem that much longer.
Having said all that, you’re probably wondering how you can make this a lifestyle habit. No worries, we can help.
Meal Plan
If you want to be successful with brown bagging, you’ve got to plan. Unfortunately, just waking up each morning and scavenging around in your refrigerator won’t yield the best results. However, with a little advanced preparation, you can easily develop a system that’ll work well, week after week.
Get the Essentials
When it comes to lunch preparation make sure you have the essentials on hand. I recommend picking up plastic containers, plastic wrap, and brown bags or a little cooler. If
you want to go the extra mile, a reusable lunch bag and an ice pack are great picks and environmentally friendly.
Create a Grocery List
Great lunches don’t just happen--they involve a little advance planning. So, start thinking about easy items you can use to make several different lunches, like pasta, grains, bread, wraps, meats, cheeses, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and rotisserie chicken,
Shop Once a Week
Don’t sabotage your newfound commitment to brown bagging by not preparing in advance. Plan a weekly date to the grocery store and stick to it. Once you get into this habit, you’ll wonder how you managed to avoid doing it for so long.
Prepare
Pick a day each week to do as much preparation work as you can for the lunches you’ll be making. While you may not want to make sandwiches in advance, there are plenty of other tasks you can do that’ll make it really easy for you to quickly assemble your lunch each night for the next day.
Set a Goal
As you start your new brown bagging initiative, create a goal in advance. How many times a week would you like to bring your lunch from home? Will you allow “cheat” days? Once you
know what you’re aiming for, you’ll find it easier to stay on track.
Shop Cheap
As you know, grocery shopping at Whole Foods is nothing like grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. If you’re really serious about saving money, shop at stores known for value, like Trader Joe’s, Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and grocery store outlets. Buy food in bulk, Stocking your pantry with herbs, spices, and other essentials you can easily find at the dollar store, dice vegetables and fruit yourself, rather than buying pre-cut ones, limit the amount of meat you consume weekly, take advantage of BOGO (Buy One, Get One) offers when possible.