I generally always bring lunch with me to work. For the most part, I do this for cost (making is cheaper than buying) and quality (the cafeteria in my building isn’t anything to write to the internet about). For years, my lunches are one of two things:

  • Leftovers from dinner the night before, if there isn’t enough for another night of dinner.
  • Sandwich (whole grain bread, deli meat, cheese, and pickles, the only mandatory part being pickles).

In the past, I tended to work out a lot more with the intent of building muscle, and therefore thought that meat 2-3 times a day was reasonable (lunch, dinner, and possibly eggs for breakfast). However, I’m working more on cardio and maintenance body-weight exercises, and I could probably do with eating less meat, especially processed deli meats.

[Enter Rice and Beans]

I got the idea from, honestly, a couple of Imgur galleries on cheap college food for students (didn’t save the link, sorry). I’m not poor, but I do enjoy a certain amount of frugality, as well as customization in cooking. I make a big batch Sunday night, and that will last 3-4 days (this is where the laziness comes in). I’m still putting my own spin on things, but without further ado:

The Basics

The Beans

Doesn’t quite matter what beans you get, in my opinion, as long as they are dried (cheaper and healthier than canned). Soak them overnight. Yes, a whole 24 hours is preferable. And change the water a few times, too. I’ve read that reduces/eliminates the flatulence concern about beans, and so far, experience has borne that out.

Once they’re soaked, simmer them. The packages of dried beans I get tend to say 1–1.5 hours, but I usually need 2+ hours until they’re soft enough.

The Rice

I’ve switched over to brown rice, due to the supposed health benefits: more whole grains, and slower release of sugars into your body relative to white rice. Cook separately from the beans, according to the rice directions.

Proportions

I tend to do about 1 cup of dried beans, 1 cup of uncooked brown rice in a batch, which is enough for 3-4 days of lunches.

The Goodies

So… if you only made rice and beans, that would be boring. Not unhealthy, but really boring. My tendency up until now is to saute up a pan of veggies/spices, and then mix the rice/beans/goodies together. I’ve made a couple of different combos, depending on mood; my favorites at this point:

Mexican(ish)

  • Onions
  • Tomatoes
  • Cilantro
  • Jalapeno / Serrano
  • Spices to match

Mediterranean(ish)

  • Onions
  • Tomatoes
  • Olives
  • Pepperoncinis (cut up)

But really, the point is that you customize however you’d like. And experiment!