How to Pack a Lunch: Introduction

I spend a lot of my time thinking about food. 

The other day, I realized that my favorite way to uselessly browse the internet is by checking out recipes and food blogs. I can do this for hours. 

Most of the time when I do this, I'm looking for the answer to a question or the solution to a problem. 

Such as.. can I make low-carb flatbreads with sweet potato and chickpea flour? How might one make refrigerator cookies? Is there a secret to making half-decent German potato salad?

One challenge I have revisited many times is how to pack a lunch.

When I was in school, I tried to cut costs any way I could. I found that while catching the bus to school was easy, it was much harder to reliably pack (and eat) my lunch every day. 

It sounds so easy, but there are a lot of obstacles to deal with when packing a lunch. 

How much food do I need to bring? 

Am I bringing food that needs to be kept cold? 

Will anything get squished, spoiled or otherwise ruined before I can eat it?

Do I need to pack ingredients separately? How many containers will it take? Will any of them leak?

How much weight and bulk will this add to my backpack? (Remember that heavy pack + long day = more fatigue, less productivity)

Do I really want another salad today? (No.)

Since this is a problem that I am constantly encountering, I have collected a bunch of little tricks and ideas over the years. I've decided to write a series of posts to share some helpful strategies to make the boring old brown-bag lunch a bit more enjoyable.

Stay tuned...