It seems like I live in my car these days- anyone else? Some days it just seems so much easier to just grab something while I’m out, and I have to admit I’ve done it a lot. But in the effort of saving money and eating much healthier I decided to just start taking stuff with me. This goes way beyond the brown bag lunch! Some days I have to take all three meals with me- plus snacks! I’m not going to lie- It’s tough sometimes, but I know that I’m saving lots of money and lots more calories!
I eat breakfast in my car on the way to school most days. Here’s why. I usually leave around 6 am. If I eat at home before I leave I’ll be hungry again in the middle of my 8:00 class. And that just gets miserable when you are in the middle of a lab and you’re starving! And you know that you won’t be able to eat anything for another 2 or 3 more hours! Instead I eat my breakfast when I’m about 30 mins outside of Denton. That will usually carry me through until I get out of class.
So for breakfast in the car, sometimes its just a bar and some fruit (I like the Clif Z bars or sometimes I get Kashi bars). Sometimes its a good ole PB&J. Quite a bit though, it’s oatmeal.
Oatmeal in the car?! Yup- oatmeal in the car. There’s this awesome thing called a thermos. It keeps your food hot for about 7 hrs.(trust me it really does work!). I just pour in my oats (usually instant), add hot water, put the top on, and throw it in my bag! (when you have to get up at 4 in the morning the last thing you want to do is stand over the stove and cook something, not to mention clean up after yourself! that’s why I go for the instant.)
So here’s my thermos (I call him thermy).
Hi Thermy! 🙂 
And here’s what goes into it. Sometimes I do one package, sometimes 2- depending on how hungry I feel or if I have to go a really long time until lunch. I love the heritage path organic apple cinnamon- YUM! If I’m having 2 I’ll put a plain one in there with it.
Lunch is the standard brown bag stuff. Sandwiches, leftovers, fruits, yogurts, etc…
Sometimes I have to stay on campus all day, so I take it with me. Some days I’m driving home at lunch time and of course I’m starving so I’ll take my lunch and eat it in the car on the way home (that 1 1/2 hr drive home is REALLY long when your really really hungry!!)
I pack it all up in my cute little lunch tote.
Snacks- I always pack snacks! I throw a few things in my purse and I keep stuff in the glove box too. (it came in handy the other day when I was running late and forgot to grab something for breakfast. I just rooted around through the glove box and found a quaker breakfast cookie!) And I don’t know why but purse snacks always taste the best! (I know, I’m weird, lol) I usually keep more perishable stuff in my purse like fruit and stuff since I take it inside with me. But I keep stuff like granola bars and crackers in the glove box so that they can hang out there for a while.
Sometimes I have to take dinner with me- every other Tuesday I have rehearsal for the community band that I play in and that’s also a day that I’m gone all day for school. I leave around 5:30-6 in the morning and don’t usually get home until after 9:00. I know I’ll stop and get something unhealthy if I don’t plan ahead. I’ll usually pack a little extra in my lunch on those days.
Anyway, I hope I gave some proof that you can eat healthy, save money and time and NOT have to stop at the drive through to do it!
