Recipe/Prepping: Homemade Lunchables

Since Mr. Moon and I have SUCH a busy schedule this week, and a VERY strict budget, we knew we'd better do something about snacking and meals on the go. We've found ourselves allowing a splurge now and again of fast food (albeit not the worst choices in fast food) because we're out and about, hungry, and need something fast. Having decided to do something about this, we put a list of snack ideas on our menu plan, but haven't been great at using it. 

Enter the busy week. Now it's imperative that we have solid meal plans! And finger foods. And while staring blankly at the whiteboard, I suddenly blurted out, "Lunchables." Not so much exclaimed it, just blurted. And then I looked at Mr. Moon and said, "I don't mean buy them, I mean make our own." I think I could safely describe the look on his face as "ravenous" or perhaps "crazed," and he informed me that he had no idea what I had in mind but he knew it would be delicious. And so it began.


I don't know that I can call this a recipe, since there wasn't much cooking involved. Let's call this a list of suggestions. 

For 6 containers, we used:
Leftover salami, costing perhaps $2
Peppered salami, about 1/3 of a pound at $5.50/pound
Pepperoni, about a half pound at $4/pound
Cheddar cheese, about an ounce per box ($3/pound)
Mozzarella cheese, about an ounce per box ($3.50/pound)
Hardboiled egg ($1.24/dozen)
Pickle Spear ($3 for a half gallon jar, I'm calling this a dime per spear)
Two packages of crackers at $2.50 per package, each having three servings

Let's break that down:
$14.57 for six adult-sized lunchables, at just $2.42 apiece, each equalling about 3 Oscar Meyer Lunchables apiece (based on weight). We would have to buy 18 OMLs to make these, which would cost $1.87 each at my local Safeway, more than double the register price at $29.92, and the ingredients wouldn't be anywhere near as good. 

What else could we use?
Cold potatoes, seasoned or marinated in vinaigrette dressing
More pickles of various kinds
Olives
Pickled/marinated green beans
Different kinds of cured/stable meats
Different kinds of cheese
---------------------
What would you put in your homemade Lunchables?

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