Packing Med School Lunches on a Med Student Budget
- Mimi
- Jan 29, 2016
- 2 min read
Food is one of the things that connects my med student and me. We enjoy dinner dates when he’s not studying and I’m not working, and we love cooking for one another. So while we can’t eat every meal together, I still can pack his lunch to remind him I support him and to connect over food I’ve made for him. Not to mention eating out every day for lunch can get expensive.
Their school only has a few microwaves, so a cold lunch was a better option than spending most of lunch waiting in line. The main thing I’ve learned to do is buy a small amount of versatile lunch ingredients while still providing variety. Having the same chicken wrap for lunch can get monotonous and boring, so I shake it up when I can.
My shopping list usually consists of bread, wraps, pitas, deli meats, chicken (it’s cheaper to buy it raw and cook it than buy precooked), spinach, mixed greens, cheese, and seasonal items. I’ve already made the initial commitment and built up my pantry with items like sun-dried tomatoes, olives, dressings, peanut butter, etc. But being on a budget, I’ve also learned to let sales drive some of my purchases, which actually helps shake up lunch anyways.
Through recipe hunting, I can pack a Mediterranean turkey pita (with cucumbers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, spinach, and feta) one day, an Arnold Palmer sandwich the next (it’s a real thing, ½ egg sandwich, ½ tuna salad sandwich, basil, and all awesomeness), and an Elvis burrito the next (peanut butter, banana, bacon, and honey wrap), then recycle the ingredients into new lunches. I usually make a sandwich, wrap, pita, or salad, but with revolving ingredients and all on a med student budget.
If food connects you and your med student or if you’re just looking for ways to stretch dollars during med school, I’d recommend looking into packing lunch. It’s really not as hard as it may seem, and I truly enjoy doing it for him. Sometimes, I even slip in little notes of love and encouragement to brighten his day.
Some recipe inspirations found here:
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