Yesterday was a big success: I was out of the house from eight in the morning to ten at night and didn't spend a dime on food. Not a snack, not a Diet Coke, not a bottle of water or a pack of gum. I returned home with a sense of triumph and a headache.
Today, I suffered a bit from lack of time in the morning: I had an early meeting and also overslept, so I was in a big rush and didn't get a chance to make the salad (spinach, edamame, a couple of hardboiled eggs) I was planning on pairing with a small serving of TJ's mac & cheese. I had the pasta ready in a container, and I grabbed an applesauce to supplement it, which is protein-deficient again, but should get me through the day (I have some trail mix in my office, and, if worst comes to worst, that ramen). I'll make the salad for tomorrow before I go to bed tonight, and probably add some feta cheese to make it a full meal. I do have to figure out how I'm going to get dressing to work with me, though.
I have a coffee date with two friends today (the girls with whom I'll be studying for the Lit GRE), and I'm happy to spend $5, but no more.
I think I'm going to extend the frugal-food effort through to next Thursday. It's really only three more workdays: my boss is taking me and our new intern out to lunch on Monday. I'm doing it partially to free up money for my IKEA payment and partially because I really think I'm starting to build a new habit, and repetition is how habits are built. I'll probably do my next round of grocery shopping on Saturday, and I'm already making a list--packing my lunch for five straight days has given me a better sense of what I need to have around to do this successfully.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Frugal Food Day 5
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I have trouble getting enough protein in my frugal meals as well--one thing I love (when I remember/am not too lazy to pack salads the night before) is the TJ's organic baked tofu--the one with the greenish and purplish label. Original flavor, I think. It's about $3.50 for two squares of it, and I will usually just chop up one square and put it atop a salad. Delicious. If you want a cheaper alternative, their raw tofu is only $0.99 per block, and you can even buy it in those convenient "single serving" packs (though I usually only eat half of a "single serving"). At least on the West Coast you can. I'm all about the tofu on the salad!
As for dressing, I suggest investing in a small tupperware container (I think mine were 2 containers for $4 or something). I make my own dressing in those little containers, and they usually fit right in the tupperware my salad is in.
Keep up the good work! I bring my lunch to work every day--unless I haven't been to the grocery store in 3 weeks and I happen to have an extra $5 lying around!
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