5 Thrifty Things: Budget Brown Bag Lunches

As anyone who's ever spent time in a public school cafeteria knows, status is judged not just by the contents of your lunch box but by the container in which they're carried.

Shoestring's staffers have always brown bagged it, but demand controls supply, and we're psyched about the new influx of eco-chic and cheap solutions that make bringing lunch to work fresh and fun again. Earn yourself a place at the cool kids' table with these five thrifty — and green — things and save a fortune over the course of the fall.

The Brown Bag Lunch Cookbook by Miriam Jacobs
($23, Amazon.com)
Forget PB&J and Cup O' Noodles, with this handy guide you'll be whipping up nutritious, gourmet-to-go food for just pennies on the dollar and in just minutes on the hour. No library budget for new paperbacks? Check out the recession-friendly brown bag recipes from Shoestring's own Amy McCoy of Poor Girl Gourmet, below.

Food Kozy, Pack of 5 ($25, GreenwardShop.com)
We thought the resurgence of Tupperware parties made us happy until we found these completely wallet- and planet-friendly sandwich wraps in our local eco lifestyle boutique, Greenward. The only thing that makes us even happier? Their new online shop.

Built NY "Gourmet Getaway" Neoprene Lunch Tote
($28, Amazon.com)
Everybody loves a hot lunch — or a cold one, as the case may be. These thoroughly modern and eco-friendly lunch sacks from the team at Built NY feature bold designs borrowed from French Bull that are sure to brighten up even the most depressing of cubicles. Plus, they claim to keep food hot or cold for up to four hours, so you'll have no excuse left for hightailing it to the lunch truck in search of a more comforting meal.

Sigg Aluminum Snack Container ($32, MySigg.com)
This sardine can-styled reusable aluminum container at once reminds us of vintage pictures of Depression-era day laborers at break time and the best of modern Danish design. It's durable, completely reusable or recyclable, and food safe. But, in the words of the wise folks at Sigg, "you're just plain crazy if you put these in a microwave oven."

Sigg Custom Water Bottle at Cafe Press ($28)
Even if you own one, you might need a new one. According to breaking news this week, any Siggs made prior to 2008 contained BPA in the lining. Out with the old, in with the new — and totally personalized — we say. Upload a favorite photo or logo, or customize one of their cool modern designs with your initials or a favorite mantra. You'll never forget whose water bottle belongs to whom come kitchen cleanout Friday.

BROWN BAG LUNCH RECIPES ON A BUDGET
with Amy McCoy of Poor Girl Gourmet

Frugal Leftovers Frittata
One dish that I rely on when packing my husband's lunch each week is frittata. I use it as a way to stretch leftovers, so if we've had a pasta dish with fresh tomato sauce, or even with a less-expected combination like sausage and roasted butternut squash (with rigatoni), I'll parlay the remainder into a frittata that then is served either with mixed greens or can be eaten out-of-hand. It's a super-convenient, inexpensive way to stretch one meal into another four to eight (depending upon the appetite of the frittata-eater — I have one wedge and am all set, my husband can eat two at a sitting).

Inexpensive Egg Salad
If you make it fresh, any childhood memories of not-so-good egg salad will quickly be dispelled, and at $1.97 for three to four servings (before bread comes into play), you can't beat it. Buy day-old rolls, which usually cost about $1.25 for 8 at your local grocery store (around $0.16 each), and then freeze any you won't use right away.

Pennywise Zucchini-Pesto Bread
I just made a sandwich with homemade zucchini-pesto bread this weekend with mild provolone and sweet capicola, which is one of the least expensive Italian cold cuts, and with less than an ounce of meat and less than an ounce of cheese — you really don't need more — it only costs around $1.91 per sandwich.

Even a PB&J on homemade bread with homemade preserves becomes quite special, and I'm sure I could go on and on about brown bagging it, but the moral of the story is to be on the lookout for the very best quality raw ingredients you can buy for the least amount of money. Eggs will always top that list, then look for in-season produce and less-expensive proteins like cold cuts.

Mmm... now I'm thinking a BLT would be really good — see how easy that is?

Story & Image: Copyright 2009, Shoestring LLC.