Lunch
$5 (or Less!) Lunches to Get You from Monday to Friday
Repeat after us: no more sad desk lunches.
I went through a phase earlier this year during which I ate a toasted English muffin for lunch every single day, for three weeks. I started out with a bang. Think, flashy towers of toasted muffin halves, swathed in mayo and sambal, cradling fried eggs. Grilled cheeses with a whole gang of melty constituents and caramelized alliums. And then, as time went on, things took a turn. One Wednesday, the toaster wasn't working, and all I could rustle up was a handful of wilted arugula and olive oil. A few days later, I found myself tucking into a muffin-half swirled with a single teaspoon of peanut butter, from a jar a colleague had intended to discard.
By about day 19, even my polite seatmates could no longer avert their gazes.
"I have some leftover rice pilaf!" blurted Eric. "It's in the fridge. You should really, um, switch it up."
In an effort to prove I could take a hint—and, honestly, because I started to find cornmeal crumbs in all of my pants pockets—I decided then and there it was time to make a change. With the help of my colleagues, I compiled the following list of $5 or less lunches to get me through a full work week (plus, one bonus).
A quick note about how our math works: We base prices on local markets or online delivery services, like FreshDirect and Amazon Fresh. When it comes to pantry staples (think: salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar...), we assume you already have those on hand.
Ready?
The math:
- About $1.00 of squash ($3.99 for a whole one)
- $2.36 of kale ($2.36 for one bunch)
- 44 cents' worth of almonds ($6.99 for 16 ounces)
- 81 cents' worth of cheddar ($5.64 for 7 ounces)
- 55 cents' worth of lemon ($0.55 for one)
The total: $5.16 for two servings: $2.58 for one serving
The math:
- $2.58 worth of potatoes (2 pounds at $1.29 per pound)
- $1.19 worth of onion ($1.19 for one)
- $2.33 worth of eggs ($3.49 for a dozen)
- About $1.50 of Parmesan ($4.75 for a quarter-pound)
- 40 cents' worth of butter ($3.79 for 8 ounces)
The total: $8 for six servings; $1.33 for one serving
The math:
- $2.58 worth of canned chickpeas (2 cans at $1.29 each)
- 20 cents’ worth of celery (from 1 bunch, at $2.99)
- 20 cents’ worth of shallot (for one small shallot)
- $1 worth of mayo ($4.99 for a 15 ounce jar)
- 30 cents’ worth of curry powder ($3.99 per jar)
- 30 cents’ worth of turmeric ($3.99 per jar)
- 50 cents’ worth of parsley (99 cents for a small bunch)
- $2.32 worth of sliced bread ($6.99 per loaf at the sandwich creator's neighborhood market)
Total cost: $7.40 for four servings; $1.85 for one serving
The math:
- $3.99 worth of basil ($3.99 for a bunch)
- 23 cents' worth of garlic ($4.99 for a pound)
- 55 cents' worth of lemon ($0.55 for one)
- $4 worth of walnuts ($7.99 for 8 ounces)
- About $1.75 of broccoli ($3.49 for roughly two heads)
- $1.78 worth of apple ($1.78 for one)
The total: $12.30 for three servings; $4.10 for one serving
The math:
- $1.09 worth of quinoa ($5.99 for 16 ounces)
- $2.38 worth of goat cheese ($2.99 for 4 ounces)
- $3.49 worth of arugula ($3.49 for large container)
- 55 cents' worth of lemon ($0.55 for one)
The total: $7.51 for two servings; $3.76 for one serving
The math:
- $1.09 worth of spaghetti ($1.09 per pound)
- $5.62 worth of sausage ($5.62 per pound)
- About 30 cents' worth of garlic ($0.51 for a head)
- 49 cents' worth of red chili flakes ($2.94 for a bottle)
- $3.92 worth of Parmesan ($7.84 for about 5 ounces)
- 75 cents' worth of parsley ($1.49 for a bunch)
The total: $12.17 for four servings; $3.04 for one serving
Written by: Ella Quittner
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9 Comments
Take the chick pea salad, which I made today: celery ($3.99), parsley ($1.50), curry powder ($3.69), turmeric ($3.34), chickpeas ($2), shallots ($1), tomatoes ($2.79), whole wheat pita ($1.39). I already had the mayo, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper at home. I also had a 20% off coupon for some of the groceries, so the total cost to me was: $16.91 or about $4.23 per serving.
Was it good? Yes! But realistically, no one buys one stalk of celery or half a bunch of parsley or half a cup of mayo. Some stuff you already have, most you don't.
For the fritters, I already had the quinoa, salt, pepper and oil. So all I bought was the log of goat cheese ($3.99 minus 20% =$3.19) , the arugula ($3.99 minus 20% =$3.19) and the lemon ($0.49), for a total cost of: $6.87. But two fritters per serving wasn't enough for me. I'd say this works out to more like 3 servings, at $2.29 per meal. That's actually less than the author's estimated price per serving, but ig you didn't have the oil and/or quinoa this would cost significantly more too.
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