5 cost-saving lunches

The food court at high noon always has a line that stretches out from the burger outlet. Expensive and fattening describe most of what's on the menu. Why is it that people travel to the food court every day, line up and then spend big chunks of money for something that blasts your daily fat intake right out of the water? The answer? It takes too much time, it's too much trouble and too complicated to pack your own lunches.

To entice you out of the food court toward your own healthy lunch, we've come up with a plan. We calculate the time it takes to get to the food court and stand in line, plus the cost and nutritional value, of the food court item. We then compare this to the time it takes to make lunch from scratch, the cost of ingredients and the nutritional value along with the nutritional bonuses that come with making lunch at home.

All of the recipes are quick and easy to make for four servings. You can enjoy some for dinner and take the remainder for lunch the next day, or pack lunches for the whole family or to share with friends.

Ginger Sesame Noodle Salad
Deep-frying is the reason to skip egg rolls, chicken balls, wings and ribs. Instead, satisfy your yearning for Chinese food with this salad full of flavourful noodles and crunchy vegetables. Precooked Chinese noodles are often used in this type of salad but because these noodles are coated in oil to prevent them from sticking together, their fat content is high. We use any long pasta or Chinese wheat noodles.

Deep-Fried egg Rolls or Chicken Balls:
Trip to food court: 15 minutes
Cost: $2.58 for 2 egg rolls plus $6.99 for
order of chicken balls
Fat: Two egg rolls, 18 g
Calories: Two egg rolls, 314
Sodium: None listed

VS

Ginger Sesame Noodle Salad:
Time to make: 20 minutes
Cost: $2.70
Fat: 13 g
Calories: 506
Sodium: 1,340 mg
Bonus: Almost 2 Canada's Food Guide
serving of vegetables

Deli Beef and Vegetable Sandwich "Burger"
A double burger loaded with cheese and sauce not only gives you more than half of your daily 51 g of protein but also clocks up half of your day's 63 g of fat. Reduce both the fat and protein with this sandwich of deli roast beef, a lower-fat sauce and lots of fresh vegetable toppings.

Double Cheese Burger:
Trip to food court: 15 minutes
Cost: $3.99
Fat: 34 g
Calories: 590
Sodium: 1,070 mg

VS

Deli Beef and Vegetable Sandwich "Burger":
Time to make: 10 minutes
Cost: $2.38
Fat: 7 g
Calories: 274
Sodium: 1,040 mg
Bonuses: Fibre from whole wheat bun; 1 Canada's Food Guide serving of vegetables.

See page 2 for fried chicken, taco salad and pizza stats and alternatives