An Ode to the Lunch Bag

For those of us with 40+ hour workweeks in the city, it’s always tempting to dine out for lunch rather than dine in. Who wants to plan tomorrow’s lunch in advance when there's an episode of True Blood to watch and a bottle of white wine that's giving you bedroom eyes?


Well, I’m here to tell you that the benefits of planning your lunch ahead of time outweigh the tiny annoyance. I’ve come to learn that packing my lunch the night before a workday not only saves me time and energy come noontime, but also saves me money and encourages me to make healthier choices.


How, you may ask, did I make the switch?

I have a puppy. She’s not exactly a puppy anymore, but last fall, when she was still “acting out,” as her therapist likes to say, she chewed my former lunch bag to pieces. I wasn’t that attached to it anyway, and I ended up not bagging my lunch anymore. Then, for Christmas, my handsome, thoughtful fiancé gifted me a new lunch bag that I absolutely love.

Having a bag that I liked, I actually started to enjoy preparing my lunches in advance. Coworkers constantly compliment it. It gives the lunch-bagger the appearance of being organized and put together. On top of that, he also got me the most ingenious portable food container I’ve ever seen: the lunch cube.

As you can see, the lunch cube, a Martha Stewart Collection product, is a three-compartment plastic container that folds up into a neat little cube, perfect for stashing in my lunch bag. The nature of the cube allows each food to stay separate from the other: my crackers aren’t soggy from contact with the carrots by lunchtime. It’s also just one piece to pack, and, perhaps more importantly, one piece to clean. Unfortunately it wouldn’t work for liquids since it’s not watertight, but I’ve found it’s ideal for packing a sandwich, veggie or fruit, and crackers.

My bag was purchased at T.J. Maxx, but I also like the lunch bags by Vera Bradley. The "Lunch Bunch" and the "Lunch Break" bags are nicely designed, and make a stylish on-the-job accessory.


So give yourself a little incentive to pre-plan lunches. You’ll find, as I did, that packing your lunch is less of a chore than it was before. Your wallet and waistline will thank you.


Photo credit: Keira Lyons