Whether you’re on a diet or just trying to cram in an extra hour to work on those dang spreadsheets, there are a million reasons to swap your daily run to the cafe with a homemade meal. It can be healthy and financially rewarding to prepare a meal at home, even if everyone in the office will be thinking you’re poor or bad with money and probably shouldn’t be put in charge of the Bradley account. Here are our favorite homemade lunches that will make your coworkers wonder if you’re doing okay.
1. Mason Jar Salad
Swap out Sweet Greens for this stackable salad that will inspire Brenda to look up your salary on Glassdoor. “A reusable container?” she’ll say to her friends. “She’s either going green or broke. But I usually just buy my Mason jar salads at Whole Foods.”
2. Ham Sandwich On Wheat
This classic standby is the perfect meal to satisfy your hunger and your coworkers’ insatiable need to gossip! Enjoy the savory pork, tangy cheddar and creamy mayo in this incredibly cheap meal as they Slack each other about how much student debt you must be in before they all go to Sweetgreen for lunch.
3. Avocado Rice Cakes
Top a plain rice cake with smashed avocado and a dash of sea salt. Before you know it, you’ll have a lunch that not only looks like poverty, it tastes like it, too! Later, Brenda will ask your boss if you’re on some kind of elimination diet while she quietly ponders why you didn’t just buy this at Whole Foods.
4. Mediterranean Mezze Box
Place leftover baby carrots, pita chips and grocery store hummus in one of those tupperware containers with sections, and you’ve got a meal (kinda)! You’ll be hungry again before your coworkers can say, “I think her partner got laid off? There is simply no other explanation for this.”
5. Steak Sandwich and Chips
“Wait, is she eating steak? It looks like filet. Is she not actually poor? Why would you bring your lunch if you weren’t poor? Steak isn’t even good for you. Gregg, you’ve been to her apartment. Does she have central A/C?”
6. Just Go to the Whole Foods Salad Bar and Bring Them As Leftovers The Next Day
Let’s be honest: Your cooking sucks, and that salad buffet is clutch. This will do the double-duty of costing you money but also making you look just as poor.
Lunch habits sure have changed over the years, but nothing is sure to make your coworkers in sales wonder what your whole deal is like packing a homemade lunch. Good luck – we hope you find somewhere else to work!
