We made it to the last blog!! Isn’t that crazy?
Originally, I was thinking about writing about my favorite high school memories, but I decided against it. (NOT because high school sucked so horribly, but because today, while I was looking at my poorly put-together lunch, I realized that this is a daily occurrence and it was a little funny.) ALSO, these lunches might be useful in college if you’re low on time (I’m not sure about budget though… these are my parents’ ingredients).
I’ve made my own lunch since my Junior year of high school when I became aware that the food at school is just not very appetizing. Spending a year online eating homecooked meals for lunches made raised my standards (to which I dropped… apparently) for food, so I began making my own lunch.
- Tortilla with chicken breast and some sort of salad mix
This one is the most convenient because it literally consists of throwing a few Costco Rotisserie chicken breast pieces and shaking some bagged salad mix into a tortilla. It works really well on days when I have only 3ish minutes to put my lunch together in the mornings, but it’s really easy to get tired of the taste of tortilla. It also looks kind of horrendous because the big chicken breast pieces make it look lumpy when you roll it. It’s tasty though, and it normally fills me up for a long time.
- Salad mix with chicken breast or tofu (+++ points if you put the dressing in a bag and it gets all over your lunchbox and now all of your tupperware is greasy because you didn’t put the salad dressing bag into the tupperware box with your salad and you never make that mistake again)
This is basically just a salad with a protein. It’s kind of basic and really easy, but it’s also really tasty. I feel like salads can be really refreshing in the middle of the school day. Salads are also one of the easier lunches to throw together when I’m in a rush. The biggest inconvenience, however, is the dressing. I don’t have one of those cute tiny plastic dressing containers, so I just use a plastic bag that gets oily everything oily without fail. I also tend to put crunchy toppings like fried wonton wrappers and slivered almonds in a separate bag so it doesn’t get soggy from the chicken and the salad.
- Sandwich made of entirely engineered ingredients (except for the lettuce)
I mean it when I say entirely engineered ingredients, I mean it. The discomfort that comes with knowing the ingredients of all of my food is part of why I don’t make this sandwich as often as I would otherwise (it’s really convenient). But then I remember why I’m going to therapy. Anyway, the ingredients I use are Sara Lee Honey Wheat bread (because my mom likes it the best with her peanut butter and apple breakfast toasts), American cheese (the kind that I used to bite “crowns” out of when I was little), chicken/turkey deli meat, and romaine lettuce (because I buy it for Toasty… and she can’t eat all of that by herself). This sandwich always smacks (albeit maybe a little too salty), and I like to cut it into 4 pieces instead of 2 so it feels like I’m eating little tea sandwiches.
- Sweet potato and an egg
Despite taking the longest, this has been my least favorite lunch. I always feel a little unhinged taking a whole lukewarm, microwave-baked sweet potato out of my fourth-grade pink zebra print thermos. Also, do not worry, I am not eating a plain hard-boiled egg with my sweet potato. Normally I eat a soy-sauce marinated egg that my grandma brings over on occasion. I kinda hate this lunch just because for some reason eating it at school makes me feel a little crazy. I normally only pack something like this when I need to get rid of some sweet potatoes.
- Last night’s leftovers
Not gonna lie, leftovers for lunch are pretty mid. For me, it feels weird to eat dinner food for lunch. My thermos also isn’t the best at insulating so it always ends up a little lukewarm. The condensation also builds up so it ends up lukewarm and soggy/dry at the same time. It’s not my favorite, but if I don’t have any “lunch” ingredients, it’s a way to avoid buying lunch at school.
Making and planning my own lunches has become a staple in my routine, and I might miss using the fresh ingredients that I have access to when I’m confined to the dining halls for my meals.
Last blog post guys!! We made it!
Hi, Elyse. This is either my first or second time commenting on your blog. The title intrigued me because while I do not classify myself as a food connoisseur, I tend to spend lots of time eating. Throughout the school year, I have struggled to eat enough food because there simply is not enough food in my fridge. Do not tell my parents that (I know I can cook too, but I simply am not motivated enough).
I never eat salads. Maybe this is a little bit immature, but I just do not enjoy the leafy greens. I probably should spend some more time eating vegetables, but I often do not simply out of laziness or preference. I take a multivitamin, though!
That sandwich doesn’t seem like it would be miy thing because I prefer ham to turkey and would rather have cheddar cheese, but I can see why it would be enjoyable. I was thinking eating a potato at school is a little bit odd, and it turns out you agree. I don’t think I could eat a potato at school but maybe air-fried sweet potato chips.
Leftovers or simple sandwiches are typically what my lunch consists of. Today it is tacos which isn’t just a dinner food, so it works for me. Glad I could read your last post!
Elyse. My babelicious babe. Are you not my favorite? Don’t answer that, my girlfriend would not like the answer. Thank you so much for all of your blog posts for the past two semesters, and being my go to babe to comment on. Your writing always draws me in, and I love reading what you have to say every week, even if I don’t respond to you. You are such a wonderful person, and I’m so happy I get to call you my friend. Now, let me get to some of my favorite lines from this blog post. “Slightly lukewarm sweet potato” got me good, but in your “zebra print pink thermos” REALLY got me good. Also, shout out to bag salads. They hit and they’re really good. The photo of the guy shrugging is fantastic. ALSO your greasy tupperware comment from the salad dressing spilling I have done that and it is SO FUN AMIRITE!!! ALSO ALSO “but then I remember why I’m going to therapy” is absolutely correct. Elyse, I love you so much and I am SO proud of you. I am beyond happy I get to call you one of my closest friends. Thank you so much for all of your blog comments & posts this year. You slay!!! <3 :))
Hi Elyse,
I really enjoyed your blog post! Personally, I have not packed lunch for myself since the sixth grade. The morning is simply too hectic, and I am simply too lazy to prepare a meal for myself every day. With that said, I think it is great that you manage to pack yourself a filling lunch every morning. For the last six or seven years, I have simply survived off the food in the school cafeteria. This comes with its own set of problems, especially the fact that the cafeteria food is usually too greasy for me. Taking the time out of your day to pack yourself lunch is certainly worthwhile, however, it seems I can never quite get to it.
I found some of your food combinations to be quite interesting. The ability to improvise and create meals with a minimal amount of ingredients is a skill that will come in handy throughout college. There are many food combinations out there, and it’s great that you are exploring them. In the future, I would be interested in experimenting with different food combinations to discover what is the easiest and most practical way to quickly create a filling meal!
Hey Elyse! I hate to admit it but I have extremely poor eating habits. I wanted to try and make my own lunch since the school food is pretty nasty. But the pain of packing my own lunch and dealing with a small backpack was too much. Also the appeal of off campus was very alluring. So I pretty much gave up after a week. I’ve always focused on proteins but now that you mention salads I don’t know why that never occurred to me. I’m not going to lie I’d laugh a little if I saw you whip out a whole potato and egg but honestly it sounds pretty good. I used to make this like rice bowl that hit all the food groups and I was proud but it was such a pain to make. Since the rice was different it took a while to make it, I had to separate the vegetables, and even the dressing would get all over the place. I’m dreading the dining hall food. It sounds convenient but I like having the freedom to make my own food. Lit was really fun with you! I wish you the best in the future Elyse!
Hi Elyse,
I think this is more of an indictment of my ineptitude than anything else, but high school Zach (which includes current Zach as of April 27th) could not even fathom putting this much effort into making meals. Throughout my adolescence and my time in high school, my eating schedule and habits have been outrageously poor. For most of high school, I got accustomed to skipping my lunches and really only eating when I was super hungry. This, if you ask any dietician or medical expert, is not good. Some of my friends joke that I have or had liver problems as a result of these eating habits, but in a few decades when my metabolism slows down and I get older, it actually may not be a joke anymore. Throughout quarantine sophomore year, I was also not good about making my own food. Crude PB&J sandwiches and cups of ramen were pretty much the only things I could make on my own when I got hungry. The nutritional value of those things was, of course, pitifully low.
I was reminded by my mother today that I need to check back on my excessive credit card spending on lunch. Chipotle, McDonald’s, and a collection of other restaurants in close enough proximity to be accessed during my off-campus periods have occupied a huge proportion of my AMEX statement this year. All of this is to say I majorly respect you for putting more thought and conscious effort into making your own meals. I think that if nothing else, you getting into this habit will promote better choices in college because you can look for ways to diversify your diet off the mid dining hall food.