In theory it would be great for me to pack a lunch every day. Eat healthy, save money, all that good stuff. But the reality is that it's just damn hard. Many evenings I simply don't have the energy to clean up the kitchen after cooking, much less make yet another meal. Mornings... well, if you've ever met me you know mornings aren't my strong suit. I can barely get it together to make coffee before I sprint out the front door. I've tried making double dinners and taking leftovers, but that gets boring quickly. I've also tried preparing a week's worth of food on Sunday but by Thursday, it's pretty gross. So, out to the cafes and restaurants it is.
Yesterday, however, made me realize I need a contingency plan. While I was in the mood to make one of my increasingly regular visits to Hannah's Bretzel for one of their tofu or alaskan salmon sandwiches to which I've become addicted, it was the day after the big Snowstorm of 2011 which meant that the temperature was in the negatives. The windchill just made it dip further into the negatives. My office building is right by the lake, so those of you from Chicago know that it was even more frigid right there. Despite my cravings I decided it just wasn't worth it to get frostbite while walking over the Chicago River, so down to the building cafeteria I went.
Our cafeteria really isn't too bad. There's the make-your-own salad bar, the fancy salad and wrap bar, sandwiches, soups, burgers, hot station, and more. Plenty of choices. But as I looked around, unsure of what I wanted, I also realized that there weren't many options that would fit an Au Naturale lunch. The specialty salad and wrap station, a favorite, was featuring a turkey wrap with asparagus and other tasty veggies and stuff. I couldn't help wonder what that turkey was made out of. Turkeys, yes, I know, but the super-pale and unnaturally pinkish color and the glossy sheen made me wonder if it came out of a large pack, stuffed full of nitrates and processed beyond belief. So a wrap was out.
I could have done the make-your-own salad bar, but beyond the obvious fact that all of the options were bagged from huge factories and non-organic, I just simply wasn't in the mood for a salad. So that was out, too.
Pre-made soups were most likely not made in-house and contained an absurd amount of sodium. The mexican station and custom sandwich station scared me off because I didn't trust the bread and tortillas (see the ingredient list from the beefsteak rye in a previous post and you'll know why). I was getting exhausted and overwhelmed.
Finally I settled on a veggie burger from the burger station. It was one of the few things in the cafeteria that specifically stated "made in-house" and contained barley, lentils, celery, carrots, and more. I was wary of the bun they put it on, but I no longer had options. On my way out, I grabbed a pre-made packet of mustard and inspected it closely. Only about 5 ingredients, and I recognized them all. I determined that the mustard was safe.
But the experience made me realize, like with my ongoing snacking dilemma, that I need to prepare some emergency options to keep in the office freezer for days like today. Right now I'm lunching on organic chicken noodle soup from the grocery store that I forgot I had at my desk. And Amy's Kitchen makes some really tasty food that is also completely all-organic and all-natural, and most often vegetarian and vegan. In fact, it's some of the best tasting frozen food out there. I will make a note to stock up on my next grocery run. But until then, either I freeze over the bridge to get my Hannah's fix or I find some other options that are closer.
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