Packing a Lunch
TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-761 -- More Projects »
TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham provides tips for packing a lunch.
- Carry your lunch in a thermal lunch bag (figure A).
- Keep your lunch cold by freezing your drink before placing it into the thermal bag.
- Purchase fun drinks to pack, such as iced coffee or sparking apple cider.
Go beyond the usual peanut butter-and-jelly on plain white bread. Pick out a specialty bread such as sourdough. Spread a little goat cheese or other soft cheese on the bread slices, then fill with tasty gourmet items such as sautéed zucchini (figure B). For a tasty Italian treat, make a sandwich with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella slices and fresh tomato.Avoid a soggy sandwich by packing ingredients in a plastic container, then wrapping the bread slices separately and building your sandwich at work.
A basic salad using lettuce usually doesn't travel well because the lettuce is soggy by lunchtime. Make a zesty salad that holds up better by mixing black olives, diced red onions, tomatoes and grated cheese with a little Italian dressing (figure C). Pack a nice thick slice of bread to round out your lunch. Pick up extra condiment packets at fast-food restaurants and keep these on hand to spice up your lunch. Packets of salad dressings or items such as Chinese mustard are great ways to add new flavors to lunch.Purchase gourmet snack items at the grocery store and create your own snack mix. Combine things like bagel chips, vegetable chips, spiced nuts or other items.
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2002/09/25/tip761_3a_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2002/09/25/tip761_3b_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2002/09/25/tip761_3c_e.jpg",350,450))
