Brown bag lunches can be fun, affordable

A lot of us are looking to eat healthier and save money. There is an easy and obvious place to start that can help accomplish both goals at one time: lunch.

Robyn Weltman packs her lunch every day.

"I do like it," she said. "Because A: it's more cost effective and B: it's less fattening. You know, I can pack what I want."

If you typically spend about $7 a day on lunch, brown bagging it just four days a week could save you about $1,000 a year. You could also cut down on calorie intake.

Take the Olive Garden's Caesar salad with grilled chicken. It costs almost $12 and contains 850 calories. A homemade salad costs about $4, and has just 550 calories.

Even sandwiches add up. At Panera Bread, a smoked ham and Swiss on whole-grain bread, with 700 calories, will set you back about $5. The homemade version costs a little more than $2 to make and contains about 400 calories.

At a restaurant, the average bowl of tomato basil costs more than $4 and has 200 calories. Make it at home for $1.80 and about 100 calories.

If you like appetizers, pick up some cubed cheese, roasted red peppers, crusty whole-grain bread and sliced meat. Or try a container of hummus and pita bread with vegetables for dipping. The key is to keep it interesting.

"The last thing you want is to get stuck in a rut, mix it up,” said Sue Perry, with Consumer Reports.

While salads are good for lunch, make sure to pack the dressing separate so that the lettuce does not wilt. Or just make a salad with crunchy vegetables and skip lettuce altogether.

With PBJs, put peanut butter on both pieces of bread and then add the jelly in the middle. That will help keep the sandwich from getting soggy.

You could also try forming a lunch-pool with work friends. Each day, one person makes lunch for all. It is easier to make five of the same lunches at once than to make five different ones every morning. Plus, it adds variety.