bring your lunch

Does August's back-to-school mode have you in the mood for bringing your lunch to work? Good idea: not only will you be saving money, but you'll also be making healthier options while you're at it.

If you're ready to brown-bag it, bringing leftovers can be the perfect solution. Making a little extra when cooking dinner is a great time-saver; no need to carve out extra time to make a sandwich when you've already got a meal waiting in the pan, and you don't need to spend extra time planning out a lunch menu before you go shopping. But using leftovers for lunch doesn't mean that there's no preplanning required. Making sure you are safely and conveniently storing leftovers tonight means a happy, healthy lunch for tomorrow, so check out these tips for bringing leftovers as lunch.

Leftover prep. That huge dish of lasagna shouldn't stay out on your counter for too long. You should pack away your food (in convenient lunch portions if it's a big batch) within two hours at room temperature — but note that since Summer days can mean hot kitchens that you should refrigerate leftovers within an hour if the temps reach 90 degrees or more.

Read on for more tips on how to safely and easily bring leftovers at work.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to always bring my lunch to work. I'm trying to save money, eat healthier, and have more time so I can go on a long walk during my workday. So far, so good!

Of course now that I'm shopping at the market more often I'm trying to figure out ways to bring down costs there too. Two words: sandwich meat. For my sandwiches I like to use good quality meat, which means natural, organic, or minimally processed. And even though it's still cheaper than eating out, this stuff is really expensive! One 8 oz. package of free range natural turkey meat costs $7, and only lasts me a few days. As I sat eating my sandwich last Friday, I decided that I would try and make my own sandwich meat this weekend. I figure it's cheaper, will last longer, and it's going to taste better.

To find out about all the money I saved and how it tasted, read more

An easy way to get healthy this year is resolving to bring your own lunch. By doing so, you know exactly what's going into your meal — not the case when eating out. Even something that seems healthy like a takeout salad can be full of hidden calories. You also cut back on waste and save on money and time by bringing your own lunch. Instead of using my lunch break to stand in line and wait for food, I go for a walk around the neighborhood or hit the gym for a quick session instead.

It may sound silly, but one way I motivate myself to pack a lunch is to have some nice to-go containers to carry it in. If I buy special dishware that's meant just for my lunch, I feel bad if it goes unused. An easy way to solve this problem is by making sure it doesn't get neglected!

To hear about the cool BPA-free containers I've been using, read more

I'm in a lunch rut. For the last week I've been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and an apple. I usually make a big dinner the night before so I can bring the extras with me to work but I've been having a lot of guests over, which equals no leftovers.

I'm in desperate need of some lunch ideas and would love to hear what you take with you to work. What healthy lunches do you pack?