My lunchtime dilemma this week…..

My lunchtime dilemma this week…..

For some reason, I have not brought a lunch to work all week. Which, for me, is unheard of. I LOVE spending time the night before making healthy food, planning things out. But, I just haven’t done it this week. Which is kind of like going to work naked for me.

So, that’s put me in a pickle millions of people who don’t bring lunch to work are in.: What should I do for lunch? I’ve actually had a few items that have been in my desk drawer which helped, but not so great health wise. I had a package of ramen noodles one day (boring!), I had a can of Progresso Soup (also boring!) and yesterday I even had a can of spaghettio’s in my drawer that I am pretty sure has been there for a year…and I checked the expiration date, and it still has 2 years to go before it expires!

Even with those lack luster lunches, I STILL didn’t bring a lunch today to work. By 11:00 a.m. I was already starting to get hungry. Now I work in an area where I have LOTS of choices. Subway, Cosi, Red Hen Bread, New Pot (chinese), Starbucks, Jimmy John’s, Erik’s Deli, The Pasta Shoppe, Flat Top Grill, Mancini’s, Puree’s Pizza, 5 guys Burgers, The Cozy Corner, Bar Louie, just to name a few within walking distance of my office!

Now, without planning, for me, I start to rationalize getting something not so good. What I really wanted was french fries to be honest with you! But, I called Red Hen Bread and they had Chicken Enchilada soup which I had once before, so I decided on that.

As I walked over there, the line was BIG! I should mention that I am also a few blocks from the local high school, and apparently its finals week this week, so there were TONS of kids walking around. I didn’t want to wait in line, and just a little further down the block was this:

Tasty Dog!

Now, as you can imagine, Tasty Dog DOES sell french fries, and yummy burgers, and hot dogs….I walked in the door, it smelled amazing. There were only a few people in line BUT every table was bustling with high school kids, it was like being in a school cafeteria. Kids were shouting, laughing, texting, etc… It brought back memories, because I went to the high school which is only a few blocks from my office AND I used to frequent Tasty Dog a lot during my 4 years there. Well, that was 25 years ago though!!

As I waited in line, I scanned the menu….I could get a small chili AND fries. Or I could get the fries and just a diet pop, or just a hot dog. I was justifying all the reasons why I could go off my healthy eating plan. Just as I was about to order, I saw they had a “Chicken Taco” Shredded chicken, lettuce, salsa on a pita. I ordered it before I could change my mind. I asked for NO CHEESE and NO SOUR CREAM.

And you know what? It was really good! And I’m sure the Pita was a few hundred calories, but I could have done ALOT worse, so I was happy I didn’t cave…

T-Dog!!!

AND, I am bringing my lunch to work tomorrow, so I don’t have to fall into the unhealthy eating trap!!!

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6 comments

  • I’m a sucker for Subway, although they’re really expensive if you stop and think about it! Even the $5 footlong – you could buy a whole week’s worth of deli meat for that price!

    I used to come home for lunch, but sometimes I would talk myself into a craving and get Panera. Which at the time I thought was healthy. But since you posted some of their shocking stats I’ve gone and looked and it really isn’t healthy at all! Some of their stuff is worse than McDonald’s so now I remember that the only way I know it’s healthy is if I cook it myself and control the ingredients!

  • I’m so happy you made the better choice, it’s so hard to pick something good for you vs, the I want the fat cheeseburger. It is a struggle, but it’s also good to be conscious of what is being put in your body 😀

  • My friend was telling me she makes homemade burritos and freezes them, that way on weeks she doesn’t feel as much like preparing a lunch she can just grab one of those babies… it’s a great idea, I just haven’t figured it out myself yet.

    That looks amazing!! Mmmmmm pita.

  • That looks awesome!!! Sarah…the frozen burritos are really easy..just cook n mash black beans and cook n mash a few sweet potatoes. layer onto whole-wheat tortillas with a bit of shredded cheese and freeze. they’re sooo good!

    Karina, thanks so much for that tip! It sounds awesome and that would be easy for me to prepare when I can’t think of anything, or I’m in a pinch! Jenn@slim-shoppin

  • Wow, you dodged a bullet with that one! This is the reason why I bring my lunch to work – too many bad options for me, and I’m afraid that I would go for them instead of something decently healthy.

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