Six lessons for weekday lunches

When my kids were going through youth group at church, I was the mom the youth pastor could call to organize lunches for after-church training for missions trips.  The pastor graduated to adult ministry, and so did I!  This past Sunday, I put together lunch for about 40 people, mostly adults but a few teens and older kids, interested in tutoring refugees over the summer.

I spent about $85 between Costco (for the large quantities of veggies, oranges, big tin of tuna and large bag of chips), Safeway (less-expensive bread, eggs, cheese and other items where I didn't need Costco-sized quantities) and Dollar Tree (for mustard, peanut butter and jelly - the latter as alternatives for vegans, not choices for picky kids).  I added about $5 in staples at home, but we brought home about 1/4 of what we took, so we easily spent less than $2 a person.

Some lessons for making weekday lunches for the family:

Spending 20 minutes chopping celery is a great investment.  I bought the Costco bag of celery because I needed one head for the tuna sandwiches.  I cut up another couple heads for the luncheon, and with the leftover I've been able to pull a handful out of the refrigerator to put in my lunch.  They go well with baby carrots from the Costco bag (no chopping required).  Fast, frugal and fit!

Quartered oranges are so much easier to eat at work.  Instead of cookies, I bought a 13-lb. box  of oranges at Costco, then quartered them.  Again, I grab a few pieces each morning for my lunch, which I don't have to peel like a whole orange.  And everyone at the luncheon appreciated the healthy alternative to baked goods.

Tuna and egg salad sandwiches are still the bomb!  I know it's very mid-Century of me, but I've always loved tuna and egg salad sandwiches.  I brought home the leftovers (made with reduced-fat mayonnaise); my husband and daughter have been enjoying sandwiches and wraps all week.  Both are easy enough to make on the weekends for school and work lunches during the week.

Lettuce wraps aren't just for the gluten intolerant!  I have been eating gluten free for the past year, and wanted to make sure we covered all our bases at the luncheon.  Gluten-free bread is expensive and I have yet to find one I like.  So I brought corn tortillas, and we also announced there was plenty of lettuce for wraps.  I was amazed at the number of people who skipped the bread and just wrapped their proteins in lettuce.

Buying in bulk really saves $$.  In the past, I would have bought variety packs of chips in individual bags.  But my life has gotten simpler over the years - as well as my tolerance for picky eaters.  I bought the 3-pound bag of baked tortilla strips for $3.59, and put them in a punch bowl.  Again, plenty to bring home, which my husband and daughter have been snacking on.

Leave some room for life's little pleasures.  I had extra cans of olives from the holidays, so we brought one along and put them out.  It was just a nice little extra, which didn't cost much. 

We learned a few lessons about putting on a luncheon, as well.  I left the egg and tuna salads in large containers, so people thought they were salads and kept asking where the forks were.  Two cans of olives next time.  And the white cheeses (Swiss and Mozzarella) were more in demand than the yellow (American). 

The biggest lesson, however, was I could do the same thing on a Sunday for less time and money, to prepare for weekday lunches for my family.