By Annette Gallagher
Correspondent

Eating lunch out every day is hard on the wallet and the waistline, but most “brown bag” lunches are as blah as the bag. Even eating at a deli or sandwich shop such as Quiznos or Subway, although unquestionably healthier than a burger and fries, will cost you and is ultimately less healthy than bringing food from home. It takes a little planning, but you can bring lunches from home that are healthy, taste good and won’t break your bank account.

Option 1: Creative sandwiches. Bagels, pita bread, Syrian wraps, the new “bagel squares,” English muffins and bakery breads such as ciabatta are so much more interesting than white bread. The self-serve bakery departments allow for mix-and-match purchasing, so that you can choose a different bread for every day of the week.

Deli cold cuts and cheeses are better than ever, and so are the options in the pre-packaged case. Sam’s Club even offers a kit for making Italian subs, including pepperoni, hard salami, ham, provolone cheese and dressing. Rotisserie chicken makes great healthy sandwiches and can serve as dinner with a few lunches.

Sandwiches do not have to be boring. Add veggies such as sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, spinach leaves and sliced tomatoes to add a variety of flavors and colors. One note: Canned tuna has become abysmal. If you like tuna, do yourself a favor and buy only Genova tuna packed in olive oil. It costs a little more, but the flavor is worlds different from most tuna.

Option 2: Sushi. Hannaford has good pre-made sushi rolls, but it can get pricey to buy for lunch on a regular basis. For the same price as one 12-piece package, head over to their Asian foods aisle and buy all the ingredients to make a week’s worth yourself. It is incredibly easy to do, and the directions on the back of the sushi rice package are usually written well. (E-mail me at askannette@gmail.com if you need more step-by-step instructions than I can put here.)

Besides the seaweed, rice and rice vinegar, pick up canned or frozen salad shrimp, canned or frozen crab (real only, please), avocado, slivered cucumber or other steamed seafood or raw fish. A can of wasabi powder has a ton more uses than just sushi, and definitely invest in toasted sesame seeds to press into the finished rolls. With all sushi, make sure you can keep it completely cold until lunch.

Option 3: Salads. Buy several kinds of greens at once, trim the bottoms and limp leaves off, then wash well, tear up and refrigerate in grocery bags lined with paper towels. They will stay fresh and crisp for days. The 10-minute investment of time means that composing a salad in the morning takes seconds.

Have tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and carrots pre-sliced and ready to go, but please don’t buy them that way. The preservative taste won’t come off. Rotisserie chicken, tuna, hard-cooked eggs, leftover grilled steak and cold cuts are great with your salad.

Again, you can get a salad at most of the grocery stores in town, but this way you know who’s touched what. If you have a fridge at work, store a bottle or two of dressing there, along with a bag of shredded cheese. Croutons and accompaniments like pita or bagel crisps can stay right in the desk drawer.

Option 4: Leftovers. One of my favorites, but only if you have a microwave at work. Dishes such as meatloaf, chili, lasagna and stews or soups only get better over the first couple of days after they are cooked, so plan accordingly when you cook. Freeze individual servings in disposable containers such as Gladware.

Cooking dishes deliberately to have leftovers for lunch is a great use of money and time, allows complete control over what goes in and everything is to your taste. Sides like crackers can be kept in your desk, and what is better than a hot lunch with no travel required when it gets nasty out? Again, if you need recipes or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me for help.

­ If you have any questions about cooking, are looking for recipes or have any suggestions, send them to askannette@gmail.com.