Healthy Eating on the Go
By Tanisha Blakely, AOL Black Voices,
Posted: 2006-05-03 03:26:10
Many of us get into the daily routine of picking up coffee and a donut on our way to work, having lunch at the nearest greasy-spoon diner, and delivery when we get home for dinner. Not only is this practice hurting our pockets, it’s also unhealthy for our bodies.
You can save an estimated $75-200 a week if you plan your meals for the week.
Don’t feel bad. It’s easy to fall prey to fast food when you have to juggle a career, family, hobbies and hopefully a social life. Here are four tips to make eating on the go economical
and healthy.
Breakfast
It’s only the most important meal of the day. Instead of picking up breakfast on your way in to work, give yourself at least 30 minutes to eat, read the paper, check the weather for the day, and/or spend a little time with your family. Oatmeal, fruit, cold cereal and/or eggs are all quick meals that can assist you in starting your day right.
Time spent: 30-60 minutes
Money Saved: $20-35 a week
Jorge Cruise will help you lose weight even when you're eating on the run.
Lunch
Buying lunch or missing this meal all together is common. We don’t recommend either. Having a big lunch could save you time and money on dinner. Leftover dinner from the night before is one lunch option. The other option is packing a sandwich, salad, soup and healthy snack.
Time spent: 10-30 minutes
Money Saved: $20-35 a week
Snacks
Stop spending your money on snacks in the vending machine or the store located near your job. If you know that you like to snack during the day, prepare snacks the night before to bring with you. Cut up fruit or pack a sandwich bag of dry fruits or nuts to hold you over to dinner. Also, if there’s a nutritional snack that you usually buy from a local market, save money by purchasing it in bulk.
Take notes from TV One chef G. Garvin. He makes cooking look “super simple.”
Time spent: Less than 5 minutes
Money Saved: $5 – 30 a week
Dinner
If the day is almost over and you have no clue on what you’re having for dinner, chances are you’re going to eat something that comes in a box. Try planning your dinners for the week on Sunday. If you have your meals planned out, depending on the dish, you can prepare half your meal the night before. For example, if you’re cooking fish on Wednesday you can clean and season it on Tuesday night. When it’s time to prepare your dinner, all you have to do is prepare your sides and put your fish in the oven, on the grill or in the frying pan.
Time spent: 30-40 minutes
Money Saved: $30 – 100 a week
2006-04-05 11:18:46
