Budget Paleo: Work Lunches, Part 3

Another week in the office, another week of lunches, budget paleo-style.

Here’s a paleo confession for you:  Every once in awhile, I reminisce about eating giant sub sandwiches with standard-issue mayo, empty-calorie white bread, and full-o-junk cold cuts.

Of course, as soon as I start to analyze the latent harm in the sandwich, and remember how physically bad I’d feel after a blood sugar spike and unhappy belly (it’s a sugar and gluten bomb) the sandwich is longer so appetizing.

But there’s another way to break down the craving for that sandwich, and arrive at a happy (and yes, budget-conscious) lunch!

The sandwich provides a variety of flavors, textures, plus delicious protein and fat.  And all of that is very paleo.

So this week of budget paleo lunches is called “ODE TO THE MEMORY OF A SANDWICH” and I must say, when I factor in the happy feeling I get from eating it, and that sandwich doesn’t stand a chance.

1. Organic Arugula:  $3.99
2. Applegate Organic Genoa Salami:  $5.99
3. Applegate Coppa:  $5.99
4. Black mission figs:  $5.99
5. Organic Kale, pre-chopped:  $5.99

Divide the above into 5 days of lunches, add some of the the balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil you already have stocked at work, and the individual lunch total is: $5.59, about the same price as a $5-footlong Subway Cold Cut Combo with tax, and with a ton of flavor and texture.  Maybe you want to get two Arugulas, and skip the kale.  Maybe you want to add 5 roma tomatos, one to slice for each day of the week.

Below are a couple of amateurish photos from this week of salads. Today’s salad had a chopped-up green apple in it because somebody gave me a green apple.

Note:  The Applegate cold cuts, while gluten free, and free of a lot of other junk typically found in grocery store cold cuts, may contain “less than 2% of…” a few non-paleo ingredients (depending on what type you get). Also note that the piggies are fed grains and veggies, and not pasture raised.

Is it perfect?  Nah.  Is it better than, say, Oscar Mayer bologna? I’d say so (even without having looked at a package of bologna in quite awhile).  Should it be eaten every day for the rest of forever?  Nope.  But I will say that this was a happy way way to break up my weeks of tuna and sardines and chicken, AND knock out that ol’ sub sandwich from getting top billing in my food memories.

Tangy vinegar, bitter arugula, sweet figs…

 

And in case you’re interested, here’s Part 1 and Part 2 of my budget paleo thing.  It’s a series, wheeee!