5 Cheap and Easy Office Food Hacks For Working Parents

With everyone returning to the office, here are some easy, cheap, and healthy food hacks for working parents.

Working parents may find their wallets “bleeding” because a meal in the mall can cost PHP 250.00 to PHP 400.00 depending on where they buy their food. Ordering takeout works as well, but it’s not sustainable in the long run because deliveries usually charge an additional PHP 50.00 ~ PHP 60.00 for service and delivery fees.

Without further ado, here are some food hacks for working parents especially those who are in offices that need them to come in five times a week and have no time to cook themselves lunch in the morning.

1. Source out canned goods.

Canned goods (if it’s not Spam) go for about PHP 30.00 to PHP 70.00 in the supermarket and most of them come in either water or oil. The only concerning part is the sodium and preservatives but, that doesn’t mean eating all the oil and water. To heat it in the company’s microwave — you only need half of it. Or, use the water from the company’s water dispenser to steam the food.

After that, just buy takeout rice which costs around PHP 10.00 ~ PHP 20.00. For extra flavor, there are a lot of stalls around that provide soy sauce and chili garlic for their Siomai or their pulutan snacks (i.e. chicken skin, fishball, etc.)

2. For extra flavor, buy spice sachets.

Canned goods unfortunately don’t have much variety in terms of sauces but it’s time to think of the supermarket or convenience store as your “personal” giant pantry. In the spice section, there are little sachets that contain a variety of spices like salt, pepper, garlic, turmeric, paprika, etc. Each sachet costs around PHP 10.00 ~ PHP 30.00 and knowing certain combinations can elevate your meal.

3. Buy vegetables that don’t need much prep work.

For working parents trying to be healthier and subscribe to a strict diet, lettuce — iceberg or romaine — costs PHP 40.00 ~ PHP 80.00 for 2 heads, which is enough for one person. Some vegetables like corn and mushroom come canned with an easy-open lid to add extra fiber. Spring Onion has a softer flavor than onion and it’s easy to cut using a pair of scissors. Then, there’s fresh basil and malunggay in packets and sachets to add more texture and flavor to the salad. For something juicy, grapes offer the same texture and sweetness as tomatoes.

Dressings like Ranch, Thousand Islands, Vinaigrette, and Honey Mustard are also sold in sachets, costing around PHP 20.00 ~ PHP 30.00.

For much-needed protein, there’s canned chicken or canned tuna where you can drain the water or oil to reduce the salt. And if eggs are preferred, there are some boiled eggs in the convenience store that sell for PHP10.00 ~ PHP15.00 per piece. Then, for something crispy, there are veggie chips made out of cassava, kamote, mushrooms, okra, and many others.

Total cost should be a minimum of PHP 100.00, depending on the protein. It’s a lot cheaper than the typical PHP 300.00 salad.

4. Soup sachets are good, too!

Soup sachets aren’t just for those days you don’t know what to cook. They also make spending in the office cheaper. There are some bouillon cubes (those little cubes you throw into the soup to add some flavor) that you can melt with boiling hot water. Then, maybe add a bit of malunggay that’s easy to find in the supermarket and some hard-boiled egg from the convenience store. It may not be a complete meal but the salt should keep you hydrated with the malunggay having some nutrients along with the boiled egg serving as protein.

5. Look for preserved goodies: Kimchi, Fishcake, etc.

One thing we love about all those convenience stores is that they sell preserved goodies at cheap costs, with a medium (~250 mL) container being at least PHP 80.00. After buying some piping hot rice, add the kimchi and mix it with the rice. Then, you can add any protein of your choice be it chicken, tuna, or even eggs. It’s like a makeshift bap bowl! Depending where you are, it should cost around PHP 200.00 but it’s a lot bigger than the usual servings.

Still, nothing beats a home-cooked meal!

A meticulously and lovingly prepared meal will always win over these cheap hacks but when office life gets too hectic and stressful, sometimes, a quick and cheap bite is all we can afford. Besides, with food not getting any cheaper, we’re always trying to maximize our take-home pay so that our kids won’t have to compromise for our sake.

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