Healthy and Convenient

Fresh Express Asian Salad with grilled chicken
pieces added ~500 calories and very filling.

One of the troubles with trying to eat healthy is to do it conveniently and inexpensively. Let's face it, Fresh and healthy costs a little more and is more time consuming. It requires more frequent trips to the grocery store and more prep time. I have to say that I'm lazy and don't like either option. The nearby grocery store salad bar is nice, but again I end up with the same stupid salad with a little bit of everything. This perhaps includes a short person's sneeze germs.

Ultimately I have a goal of eating healthy, cheaply. I try to spend less than $5/work day on lunch, snacks. Here are a couple things that have helped:

• Drink water with meals. if you need your drink flavored, get some Mio or the like.
• Frozen "steamer" vegetables are often tasty, don't require much time to prepare and can be found on sale (in Minnesota anyway) for less than $2/package
• A slightly more expensive, but tasty option are bagged salad kits such as those made by Fresh Express. I can usually find them on sale for $3/bag. A full bag salad can be very filling and I sometimes substitute or supplement with balsamic vinaigrette dressing (the included dressing can be sugary), pre-cooked chicken and other high protein toppings. You can cut back or leave off any high carb additions (e.g. tortilla strips) if you like.
• Buy your own dressing bottle and healthier snacks in bulk so you can use them over time. Having your own dressing ultimately saves you a little at the salad bar as the liquids carry a substantial portion of the weight. Again I recommend balsamic vinaigrette. Newman's Own makes a great one.