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Plain Yogurt + Farmer’s Market Berries

Hmm…methinks I’m forgetting something

Ah yes…the honey.

Delicious.

This is a self-imposed challenge. I haven’t prepared my own lunch on a regular basis since…well, ever.
My parents did such a great job making my lunch when I was younger, yet somehow the concept was lost on me. In college, I got accustomed to people making me food at the dinning halls. At work I never had time to buy groceries, so actually bringing something to the office was hard. Plus, grabbing lunch was usually the only time I got to see daylight. During grad school, there are just so many events during lunch that I didn’t need to pack anything.

And now here I am. Working again with time to buy groceries. Gasp. I’ve been buying my lunch everyday at our really nice office cafeteria, but I’ve been thinking (as I like to try and do every so often) that it’s probably more economical and somewhat healthier to bring lunch. So I’ve decided to do just that. Bring my lunch, brown paper bag style.

BUT I’m a foodie. Clearly a regular turkey and swiss won’t do on a regular basis…I need to mix it up! I want to make things that will compare to what I could be getting at the cafeteria so I won’t feel like I’m missing out. So here it is, my sandwich for today:

Prosciutto with sliced sheep’s cheese, basil, baby arugula and black olive tapenade. Ok….arguably healthier than the cafeteria. But then I realized these are expensive ingredients, so perhaps it’s not economical to make lunch. To figure this quandary out, I made a spreadsheet, ex-banker style.

So it costs me approximately $4.37 per sandwich (provided I use all the ingredients to their capacity), which is less than the ~$7.00 spent at the cafeteria. That’s a savings of $13.15/week or $52.59 per month. Hmmm, maybe I should start making this a regular challenge for the summer…suggestions are welcome for other great sandwiches.

So I might be a Bostonite these days, but my stomach is still on NY time…meaning I tend to eat dinner when most people in Boston are getting ready for bed.  Perhaps it’s because I don’t have any hungry mouths to feed on a regular basis (although my roommate has hinted my cooking skills should be shared with his taste buds) or perhaps because I usually end up eating lunch at 2 pm (time is a slippery slope I suppose).  Tonight of course was no exception since I didn’t return to my apartment 8:30 or so.  I quickly realized I wasn’t going to cool a full-fledged meal, so I went for something quick instead.

After a brief perusal of my kitchen inventory, I picked out eggs, chives, ricotta, tomatoes, and pine nuts to make an omlette.  I love eggs, and I love breakfast for dinner, or breakfast for lunch or just breakfast for breakfast.    

I fried up the tomatoes first, leaving the pulp in the pan to be mixed in with the eggs.  I prefer the one yolk/ 2 whites combo, with a couple added tablespoons of milk to make the eggs fluffier.  Just a few dollops of ricotta in the middle, plus the chives, pine nuts and tomatoes.  A bit on top as garnish and I was finished.  Done in under 10 minutes…approximately the amount of time it took me to eat it.

As a side note, I promise I’ll have some actual recipes on here later this week/next week.  I have an upcoming dinner party at my apartment for about nine people, which requires planning, unlike an omlette.