Stretch Your Dollar by Lunching on Leftovers
By Calli Rhoades
Eating lunch out every day is a very expensive habit. Even if you stick with the less expensive (and often less healthy) options, the cost adds up to a pretty massive total day after day and week after week. Even if you limit your spending to $5 a day (which doesn't buy much these days) the total for work days throughout the year comes in right around $1300.
I don't know about you, but a plane ticket to a nice warm beach and a hotel to lay my head down at when I get there sounds like a much better use for my money. How about that bathroom redo I have been dreaming of? Maybe some new furniture! Oh no, I have been daydreaming again. Better stop that and get back to the point here. The bottom line is that eating lunch out uses money that I, and probably you, would rather use for other things!
You can make wonderfully delicious lunches at home for pennies on the dollar. As an added benefit, YOU get to have the control over what goes in to your lunch sack, not a food distributor, restaurant chain, or the teenager they hired to serve it to you. Taking control of your lunch box gives you the option to make them healthier and less expensive as you desire.
A fantastic way to save even more money is to plan for lunches when you plan your dinners. Yep, that is right, I am actually suggesting that you PLAN to use leftovers for your lunch.
Can you hear my husband groaning and complaining about that suggestion from there? He is what I call a leftover snob! I made him a promise that I would provide him with some awesome recipes to change his mind about leftovers for lunch. I hope if any of you fit in the leftover snob club you will give these recipes a try and see if maybe we can change your mind about those lonely leftovers and save them from impending Tupperware doom!
Chicken Wraps with California Dried Plums and Apples
Ingredients:
4
ounces
low-fat
cream cheese
4
whole-wheat, spinach, tomato, or
flour tortillas
1
cup
chopped California dried
plum
1/2
cup
chopped
apple
1/2
cup
chopped
celery
12
ounces
shredded or diced grilled
chicken breasts
Directions:
(Recipe and photo courtesy of www.mealsthatmatter.org)
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Saucy Roast Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1//2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard
16 ounces sliced roast beef
4 hoagie buns or other sandwich bun
Directions:
*If packing for a sack lunch, simmer, then store meat and refrigerate. Reheat and then spoon into bun. Serves 4.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Steak Salad
Ingredients:
1/2
head
Romaine lettuce
, cut into bite-size pieces
1
large head Belgian
endive
, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2
red onion
, thinly sliced into rings
3
cups
arugula, fresh baby
12
cherry tomatoes
, halved
4
ounces
gorgonzola cheese
, coarsely crumbled
Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
salt
and freshly ground black pepper
1
pound
beef steaks
(such as New york, rib-eye, or filet mignon), pan fried and chilled
FOR DRESSING:
1/2
cup
red wine vinegar
3
tablespoons
lemon juice
2
teaspoons
honey
2
teaspoons
salt
Freshly ground black
pepper
1
cup
olive oil
Directions:
Cut the steaks crosswise into thin slices. Arrange the steak slices atop the salad and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Drizzle more vinaigrette over the steak slices and serve.
DIRECTIONS FOR DRESSING:
Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Serves 4.
(Recipe and photo courtesy of www.foodnetwork.com)
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Chile Verde Burritos
Use pork leftovers to make this great chile verde. Heat it and wrap it in a tortilla for a restaurant-rivaling lunch from home!
Ingredients:
1/2
shredded cooked
pork loin roast
, in bite size pieces
2
cans
, green chile
red enchilada sauce
1/3
cup
or less
jalapeno chiles
, depending on how tough you are
3
packages
pork
gravy
(add water as directed on package)
flour tortilla
sour cream
Sliced
olives
Monterey Jack-Colby cheese
tortilla chip
lime
Directions:
Heat tortillas until warm. Add 1/3 cup Verde and roll up into burritos. Smother in additional Verde and garnish with cheese, sour cream and olives. This Verde is also great on the side for dipping tortilla chips.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Once you have all that extra lunch money hanging around you may need ideas on how to spend it. Maybe you need a new Cook'n Cookbook or a lovely gift for a certain newsletter writer? Okay, okay, I might be pushing my luck just a little. However you spend your saved pennies I hope you thoroughly enjoy the recipes you create!
