"Let's do lunch"

“Let’s do lunch”—welcome words to our ears—anything for an excuse to go out for lunch. But lunch out everyday can cease to be fun. Besides it’s expensive.

I’m not sure why lunch is such a problem—just the phrase “brown-bag” conjures up memories of over-ripe bananas and sandwiches gone soggy with dill pickle juice; or worse, wilted lettuce and an anemic slice of tomato. Let’s face it, packing a brown bag never really sounds great and morning isn’t the most inspiring time to create a great meal. But who feels like making lunches at night, right after cleaning up from dinner and looking forward to an evening with American Idol, Survivor or Desperate Housewives? In the morning hunger isn’t usually acute and it’s all too easy to tell yourself you’ll just eat an apple and walk during lunch. Then at 11:00 the stomach starts rumbling and heavenly smells begin to come from the cafeteria or the office microwave. Ooops—hafta have lunch—let’s go out!

Here at the inn, we have lunch “in” but with admittedly more flexibility than the general working population. Still, it can be a challenge to cook for myself and my husband sometimes on different schedules and diets. Most days, I just drew a blank and ended up eating peanut butter or going out.

Long ago, when I was raising four children, I devised a menu plan for breakfasts and have stuck to it all these years. It has the advantages of being healthy, economical, full of variety and flexible. Monday: cooked cereal and fruit or juice (hungry people can always add toast); Tuesday: eggs of some kind and fruit; Wednesday: pancakes, waffles or French toast/fruit; Thursday: English muffins, bagels or toast with cheese/peanut butter and fruit; Friday: smoothie made with yogurt, and muffins; Saturday: dry cereal, toast and fruit. Sunday: out or—whatever.

“Why not do the same thing with lunch?” I mused, when once more alternating between refrigerator and cupboard wondering what to fix for lunch. I came up with a plan using four basics to just keep rotating: soup, salad, casserole, sandwich. It’s working. Besides convenience, it’s also a marvelous way to use up leftovers. Just add chips, condiments, bread, fruit and a bar or cookie to make a hearty lunch for growing kids or thin, hungry adults. With the plan stuck on the refrigerator door, it’s easy to assemble a great lunch and feel virtuous as well.

Here to start you off, I give you some suggestions:

Soup:
For years when the kids were home, I emptied all the leftover veggies and meats into one of three empty ice cream buckets I kept in the freezer marked “red meat”, “poultry” and “other”. Once a week (usually Sunday night) I made soup by putting the marriageable ingredients together and cooking it with beef, vegetable or chicken stock. Unfortunately, being mostly boys, the kids dubbed this “garbage soup” which diminished its appeal somewhat. Renamed Sunday Soup or some such name it becomes a tasty and frugal lunchtime meal. If you’re a canned soup fan, try blending two different kinds (tomato and cream of mushroom, for instance), add an herb such as summer savory or basil and have a great soup. Make it with milk to sneak in some calcium to the non-milk drinkers in your house.

Salad
Buy a variety of greens—the trick here is to wash, sort, spin or shake immediately and then wrap in a tea towel or tuck into a plastic bag and put in the crisper drawer. Now there’s no excuse not to make a healthy salad for lunch or as a side for dinner. I keep hard-cooked eggs, shredded cheese and other “salad bar” ingredients around as well. Take to work in a plastic container, dressing separately packed, and add some crackers or good bread. I think you’ll agree—that’s a great lunch. Pasta and fruit salads make good alternatives.

Casseroles
The old-fashioned “hot dish” is still as good as it ever was, especially in the cold months. With the omnipresence of microwaves, a “hot dish” is a viable option for lunch. Leftover from dinner or freshly made, its appeal is universal. Specially loved by children are mac and cheese, spaghetti pie, goulash. Adults might be more impressed with a chicken and wild rice combo. You have your favorites; dig out your old recipe box and find a few you haven’t made in awhile.

Sandwiches
The old standby, of course, but nonetheless always a good choice if you have the stomach for making them in the morning. Try some new combinations. I have a whole list of unique sandwich ideas, but I’ll save that for another column.

Well, we still have to make the lunch, but with the plan laid out and the ingredients semi-ready, it really is better than always going out and a whole lot healthier and easier on the budget. E-mail me your lunchtime ideas!