Mid-Morning Snack

This morning I was sitting at my desk and my stomach started growling at me.  This isn’t a particularly extraordinary occurrence on a Wednesday morning, as I generally eat a ton of crap on Tuesday night at synagogue.  However, today, my tummy was clearly telling me to put something nutritious.  Having few options for a quick snack, I headed to the Starbucks in the lobby of my building.  I ordered my caramel macchiato and then looked into the refrigerated food section.  I had every intention of buying my usual fruit, yogurt and granola parfait, but my attention quickly turned to the new Power Protein Plate.  It is a little box with a hard boiled egg, red grapes, apples, a mini whole wheat bagel, cheddar cheese and peanut butter.  I decided that it was worth a shot, since everything in it sounded health and delicious – a rare combination in my world.  I handed it to the cashier and gave her my card, paying little attention to the total price.  I brought it up to my desk and began enjoying its contents.  It was just as delectable as I anticipated, but halfway through my mini bagel, I noticed the price tag on the box.  Those bastards are charging $4.95 for 5 grapes, 2 slices apple, a couple wedges of cheese, a itty bitty packet of peanut butter and an egg!  I can’t really blame anyone but myself, because I didn’t pay enough attention to the price.  What I did decide, is that I can make my on Power Protein Plate for around the same cost, only mine will last WAY longer.  

• Apples are about $2.00 per pound, and 1 pound is about 4 apples.  4 apples cut into slices would give me about 24 slices.  At 3 slices per day that’s 8 days of apple snacks.
  
• 36 Mini Bagels are $4.66 at Costco, which would last me almost 2 months at 5 per work week.
  
• A 2 pound block of sharp cheddar is $11.65 at Sam’s Club, which would likely last me a lifetime at 4 wedges per day.
  
• Grapes are $5.86 for 3 pounds, which would last about a month.
  
• 18 Eggs are $2.29 at Sam’s club, which would last, duh, 18 days.
  
• I have a bit of an addiction to peanut butter, and I already have a Costco jar in my drawer, so there is no cost incurred there.
  

So you see, for only $26.46 I have my very own power protein plate to enjoy for a very long time.  I may even branch out and add some delicious nuts into the menu, assuming I actually go out and buy the ingredients.  One thing is for sure, I will NOT be purchasing this item from Starbucks ever again.