KENDRA BAILEY MORRISThe Accidental Chef DEAR ACCIDENTAL CHEF:

I work in a large office in downtown Richmond. For the past year or so, I have made a bad habit of eating the food that's in the cafeteria, and as a result, I have gained a few pounds and lost a few too many dollars. I want to start packing my lunch, but I need some ideas for healthy foods that are tasty but not boring to eat day after day. - Downtown High Rise in Richmond

DEAR DOWNTOWN: As someone who eats lunch at her desk nearly every day, I can certainly relate to your dilemma, and as a result, I have made it a point to pack my own lunch as often as possible.

Eating out at lunchtime not only breaks the bank, but can bust the buttons right off your pants if you're not careful. Fast foods, prepared foods and restaurant meals, while mighty delicious, tend to boast larger portions and higher fat content and calories than a typical brown-bag lunch.

Plus, when you tally up an average $7-a-day meal at the cafeteria, you'll find that over time, those numbers add up to around $35 per week, $140 per month and $1,820 a year.

The keys to packing your lunch each day are to make packing as easy as possible and to think outside the lunchbox when creating healthy lunch options.

It's easy to cave and simply put a few extra dollars in your pocket for the hotdog cart, especially when it's 10 o'clock at night and you haven't packed your lunch. So my advice is to pack it early in the evening or in the morning before you leave for work. If you save your packing for late at night, after you're all curled up in your jammies, there's a good chance it won't get done.

Make life easy, and use what you've got. Leftovers are the perfect way to stretch your dollar and save time. For example, when you find yourself making up a batch of whole-wheat penne for dinner, drop a couple extra handfuls of noodles in the pot for an easy pasta salad the next day. Toss the extra noodles with a couple of tablespoons prepared low-fat Italian vinaigrette and a few chopped red peppers, broccoli and chickpeas for a super-quick, super-healthy pasta primavera.

Same goes for meats and chicken. Store-bought rotisserie chicken can be shredded and mixed with a little minced onion, celery, sliced grapes and mayonnaise for a flavor-packed chicken salad, and leftover London broil or flank steak make the best steak sandwiches when garnished with a smear of horseradish mayonnaise (mix ½ teaspoon horseradish to 2 tablespoons low-fat mayo).

Marinated meats make great salads as well. Take a package of prewashed mesclun greens or baby spinach and add sliced, cooked meat, some crumbled goat cheese (blue cheese works well, too) and a handful of toasted walnuts for a protein-packed lunch.

Also, when watching calories, allow yourself a splurge here and there. As a substitute for high-fat potato chips and a sugary brownie with your sandwich, pack one small piece of high-quality dark chocolate along with baked chips or a handful of tortilla chips and a container of fat-free salsa. This way, you'll still have a treat at the end of your meal and something to crunch on, but you won't go overboard on calories and fat.

Speaking of getting your crunch on, packing plenty of healthy snacks such as baby carrot sticks with low-fat ranch dressing, all-natural mixed nuts (be wary of nut mixes cooked in oil), or apple slices to dip into plain yogurt mixed with honey, will help keep you satiated throughout the day without expanding your waistline.

Finally, have lunch out every once in a while. Packing your lunch doesn't mean there has to be a moratorium on eating out. Allow yourself to have lunch out once a week (or even once a month if you want to be really good). Grab some of your favorite take-out and enjoy it outside or have a leisurely lunch in a restaurant with friends, because the recipe for eating healthy at lunch is as simple as a hefty pinch of planning along with a dash of moderation.

Kendra Bailey Morris is a Richmond-based food writer, culinary instructor and author of "White Trash Gatherings: From-Scratch Cooking for Down-Home Entertaining" (Ten Speed Press). Send ideas, tips or culinary questions to info@theaccidentalchef.net or visit www.theaccidentalchef.net.