Almost Frugal Lunch and SAD Light

Today, exbf and I had a mostly frugal lunch. I bought one of the $2.98 salads from WM, and we halved it. Half the salad was plenty. We had slices of free Granny Smith apples and a half piece each of cheese toast I made on Texas toast. We were full, and only The salad was bought today.

The salads are in a bowl with a fork. Ingredients are Romaine, chicken, cheese, and Caesar dressing. Each bowl has 230 calories and 16 grams of protein. These are a healthy splurge. And, I know exactly how much I have eaten.

I asked him what he wanted for lunch. A lunch of two sandwiches for $4 was discussed as was a grilled cheese. I finally decided what we ate. Two people eating for $3 is good. I know it could have been better.

For dinner I threw potatoes and carrots in the crock pot and those cooked while I napped. He had two of the frozen, skinless chicken legs I had frozen for him. Those along with carrots and potatoes were dinner. He left full and happy. Strangely, there were not the numbers of potatoes and carrots I had planned. I was tired and decided to come back in a few minutes. I never did; I took a nap.

Altogether, it was a rather frugal day for eating. I did buy loose carrots for dinner and beyond. Plus, there were pretty cabbages for future cooking. I got a cabbage along with carrots and the cheap salad--$8.01. That makes $14 so far this week.

I sent him home with two packages of cooked and frozen legs, two in each package and one with bbq sauce. Three good-sized potatoes and two carrots from the crock pot will be eaten with the two package of chicken. I thought I put in four more potatoes and two more carrots for him. I was tired after lunch when I put on the vegetables. I suppose I cannot count when I am tired...lol.

The candy I bought to replace what I ate was appreciated. He did not even question what I had gotten. I will give him a Milky Way for good measure.  In this case, it is the thought plus chocolate that counts. I even gave him the little purple bag.

One of the potato sprouts has turned sort of brown. The other sprouts have leaves smaller than 1/4 inch.

One pot or piece of whatever, I am finishing the job J did not finish. She left the bagger absolutely full of grass. It will sour. Eventually, the life of the bag will be shortened. Is it any wonder I don't want to pay her full price for a job done poorly? I have given her mini lectures/suggestions on the best way to do a job for future employers. AND, she wants me to give her a recommendation.

I really hate it gets dark so early, and I will really hate DST in the Fall. The next time I go to my doctor, I am going to ask for one of the lights for SAD. I can live without it, but I think I will feel better with it. I feel blah, not at all depressed.

Your turn
Does anyone have a suggestion for the strength of the lights for Seasonal Affective Disorder? I have heard there are better and lesser ones. Should I snip off the brown sprout?

Lunch on the Cheap

This lunch is cheap several ways: free or cheap food, cheap transport, reusable transport, no buying lunch.

First, you start out with frugal dinner.

The chicken thigh/leg quarter was free. I took the skin off before I served the meal. eight of these, sixteen pieces of chicken went into the oven. The skin was brown and golden. Potatoes and tomatoes were free and  fine, just not fit to sell. I paid for the broccoli (it is steamed) and carrots. Still, this dinner was less than $1. Eating at home has benefits. You can have the same thing for lunch at work. Or, it can be a dinner for the next night. (Lots more carrots are hiding under the tomatoes! I removed carrots and tomatoes so I could heat the chicken. Then, I did not get the carrots uncovered.)

For lunches or dinners all ready to microwave, you collect divided bowls. I found this one at a garage sale. The green bowl had a pink lid in which the hens left a present, and it was not an egg. The lid blew off the bookcase on the porch. Hens found it accidentally. The clear Tupperware lid pictured above was a lucky find, as I bought it and it fit. Notice that there is no vent in the lid.

has a lid with vent for heating in microwave

While I plated the meal for exbf's dinner, I prepared another Tupperware divided dish for his lunch the next day. I accidentally put the raw vegetables in to be heated even though there is an insert for one of the holes, so he could take out the salad part and not heat it. The tomatoes are underneath the broccoli and carrots. He said the tomatoes were juicy and broccoli was marinated in tomato juice, quite good, he said.

This dish goes into one of the compartments.

Rounded area at the top is a thumb-hold to remove  from the larger dish. I usually put cole slaw or fresh, sliced tomatoes in this section..Cold fruit or desserts can travel in the little cup.

I don't know why I did not take a picture of the lid. It has a pop up vent to open. That way, the lid can stay on during microwaving. Your lunch won't be the one that spatters the microwave at work. Plus, it is more stable to carry. 

Even though this dish was quite expensive years ago, the lunch  savings paid for the dish in the first week I used it. I have an identical dish that was purchased at a yard sale for $0.50. The lid was at one sale for $0.25. That makes four, so if he doesn't bring one back because he leaves it at home, I have another for him the next week. Plus, I can use them myself.

Orphaned Tupperware is worth it. If I had not found the vented top, other Tupperware seals/lids/tops are pretty well standard sizes. Now, I can actually make four dinners/lunches in my dishes.

Note: I still cannot post pictures. This was written earlier.  I could not write a post tonight because I am still soooo upset.

Your turn

Do you own Tupperware with the vent? They make soup bowls, too. Divided dishes for lunch?