Need cooler ideas... Again

elphie754

emaline1219 wrote: »

I don't know how much time you have but if there's time to reheat meals: I have a thermos that keeps soup hot for about 7 hours. My husband didn't have access to a microwave at work for a period of time, so I put his hot lunches in the thermos. I would make a giant pot on Sunday so I'd just have to heat it up in the morning for a few minutes before packing it. I've also put other things in it like pasta or rice and veggies. As long as you heat it up enough before putting it in the thermos, you should be ok!

Unfortunately there is never a guarentee if I have access to a microwave or not. Sometimes we are lucky if we get a chance to eat lol. I usually bring cold food but might mix it up.

meritage4 wrote: »

You could use a thermos-just add hot water to the thermos-microwave the food-then dump the water out of the thermos and add the hot food. I use thermoses with metal linings-not the old fashioned glass kind. If you want to eat out of thermos look for the wide mouth kind.
Then you can have soup, or hot meals ie chili, casseroles, meatballs or whatever you desire.

I will look for one on amazon later for one, although very water soup may not work since I usually have to eat while the vehicle moving.

elphie754

I know this is from 3 years ago, but once again looking for cooler ideas for work.

ladyreva78

So if I understand correctly criteria are:
- cooler friendly
- not eaten with hands (I assume fork/knife/spoon are available for use)
- gluten, wheat, barley, oat and red dye free

The place where I tend to eat my lunch has 1 microwave for over 1000 students. I don't have the patience to wait for said microwave to be available. So the ideas below are all things I eat regularly for lunch without heating/reheating. I tend to eat them for supper the night before, then again for lunch. Some keep well for 2-3 days in the fridge, so I'll have them as a supper/lunch again later in the week without having to prep again.

Ideas:
- chickpea/lentil salad with veggies and a yogurt dressing
- Tabouleh (made with bulgur. Does that work with your allergies?)
- veggie/chicken stirfry
- Fresh fruit mixed with yogurt. Add some roasted almonds/walnuts before eating for a bit of crunch
- Cheese/breakfast sausage salad with veggies and a light ranch dressing (rather calorie high depending on how the veggie to cheese/sausage ratio is)
- Mashed potatoes with a veggie and chicken sauce (yes. I like cold mashed potatoes...)
- Risotto (my current favorites are pumpkin with pomegranate seeds and dried tomatoes)
- Wraps made with omelette instead of wheat flour wraps (I usually put ham, cheese and veggies in while it's still warm. The cheese them melts around everything. I usually wrap it in grease proof paper to keep it holding together, then place in a tupperware to prevent it getting smashed up)

(Let me know if you're interested in any of those, and I'll type out the recipes)

kommodevaran

How do your colleagues manage their eating? Can you eat enough before and after work instead of during? Bulgur is wheat.

ladyreva78

kommodevaran wrote: »

How do your colleagues manage their eating? Can you eat enough before and after work instead of during? Bulgur is wheat.

Brain fail from me then and I was too lazy to look it up.

elphie754

ladyreva78 wrote: »

So if I understand correctly criteria are:
- cooler friendly
- not eaten with hands (I assume fork/knife/spoon are available for use)
- gluten, wheat, barley, oat and red dye free

The place where I tend to eat my lunch has 1 microwave for over 1000 students. I don't have the patience to wait for said microwave to be available. So the ideas below are all things I eat regularly for lunch without heating/reheating. I tend to eat them for supper the night before, then again for lunch. Some keep well for 2-3 days in the fridge, so I'll have them as a supper/lunch again later in the week without having to prep again.

Ideas:
- chickpea/lentil salad with veggies and a yogurt dressing
- Tabouleh (made with bulgur. Does that work with your allergies?)
- veggie/chicken stirfry
- Fresh fruit mixed with yogurt. Add some roasted almonds/walnuts before eating for a bit of crunch
- Cheese/breakfast sausage salad with veggies and a light ranch dressing (rather calorie high depending on how the veggie to cheese/sausage ratio is)
- Mashed potatoes with a veggie and chicken sauce (yes. I like cold mashed potatoes...)
- Risotto (my current favorites are pumpkin with pomegranate seeds and dried tomatoes)
- Wraps made with omelette instead of wheat flour wraps (I usually put ham, cheese and veggies in while it's still warm. The cheese them melts around everything. I usually wrap it in grease proof paper to keep it holding together, then place in a tupperware to prevent it getting smashed up)

(Let me know if you're interested in any of those, and I'll type out the recipes)

Those all sound good (with the exception of the bulgar).

kommodevaran wrote: »

How do your colleagues manage their eating? Can you eat enough before and after work instead of during? Bulgur is wheat.

Many of my coworkers with grab fast food or food from a deli (if we have time).

nowine4me

Batch cook a bunch of veggies - I like zuchinni, butternut, eggplant, mushrooms and bell peppers and put in Tupperware containers. Eat cold with a fork. They last for up to 5 days. Easy, peasy and filling. Add (keep in a separate Tupperware or ziploc) chicken, beef, shrimp, whatever. Finish with a Greek yogurt -- via spoon. Boom.

elphie754

Great ideas everyone. Will be trying them out this work week. Thank you !!