Add a touch of green to lunchtimes.

It's estimated that we can save about £500 a year by switching to making our own lunches instead of just grabbing a sandwich at a shop and by adopting a few simple tips it'll even save you time at lunch to relax instead of having to dash to the shops.

Making your own lunch has a number of benefits:
- Reducing packaging thrown in the bin
- Reducing containers thrown away by using a lunchbox
- Cutting your food bill
- More time to relax at lunchtime instead of waiting in line at a shop
- Easier to eat healthily

The easiest way to making quick lunches is to use leftovers from the night before. Things like pasta, bolognese/chilli are perfect either cold or reheated the next day. If you've got access to a microwave at work it becomes even easier, meaning you can reheat practically any meal. If you're going for this option just make more than you usually would and chill some down and keep it in the fridge overnight.

The other option is to make big batches of a meal and freeze them in single portions ready to defrost overnight and grab the next day. Soups are perfect for this - you can use vegetables that you're not going to eat before their Use By or throw together a meat stew (see my recipe for a chicken & veg stew here). Freeze it in individual portions, defrost overnight and heat in the microwave in the morning. Pop in a thermos and you're good to go!

This idea can also be used to replace things that you would usually buy from shops - for example you can make your own sausage rolls to put in the kids' lunches or to take to work as a snack. You'll be greatly reducing the fat and salt content with very little effort on your behalf.

Sausage Roll Recipe
You'll need sausages (as many as you like) and some ready-rolled pastry (or you can roll out your own pastry to cut costs further).
Cook the sausages as normal, then roll them up in the pastry. Follow the cooking instructions for the pastry (usually bake in the oven for 15-20 mins) then allow to cool. They'll keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or you can freeze them to last up to 6 months.

Using a lunch box will cut down on huge amount of packaging that get thrown in the bin every day. And what's more, using tupperware for your lunch means you can buy things like raisins, nuts etc in bulk - saving money and packaging - and only take the amount you need each day to work.

So why not start making your own lunch? You could always test it for a week or two to see how easy it is, or even just do it a few times a week to cut down your food bill.