Lunch... for Teachers?

samrockrocks

Hey everyone,

I'm starting my first year of teaching in a month! I don't yet know when my lunch hour will be or how long it will be... but I know I don't want to eat frozen meals every day! I would love to hear all your suggestions. I also plan to look through other posts on the message boards, but I thought I'd start a new thread, too. (The search function on here really stinks.)

cchardy82

First, ask your school if they cook special meals for the teachers. My elementary school offers salads and baked potatoes for us.

On Sundays, I cook chicken or other lean meat and put it in the fridge. Every day I will take it with salad fixings and eat a salad or just eat the meat with some cheese and fruit.

I also like Zone bars and Atkins bars. They are good options for those days that you are too busy to eat or your kids will not let you get a decent lunch LOL. I work with first graders and many times I miss lunch because I am so busy helping them get everything opened!

I also keep healthy snacks like almonds, whole wheat crackers and so on in my desk.

craziecat84

Hi Sam,

First, congrats on your first year of teaching! My first two years of teaching, I would alternate between making my lunch at home (hotlunch) and paying for the (WORTH IT) salad bar and opt for tuna salad on top of mixed salad and fruit, cottage cheese combos. Depending on the school lunch quality, you could consider that.

I kept water on hand and nuts like almonds in my desk always. Don't be caught unprepared. Hunger often strikes in the form of stress, especially for teachers.

BEWARE: The teacher's lounge, teacher appreciation week, teacher treat days. So often, "appreciation" is in the edible form.

Kristen_nicole95

I like to take a sandwich popcorn and some kind of fruit to work with me, but then again we don't have a microwave so i have to bring cold foods. (I pop the popcorn at home and bag it)

scookiemonster

Will you have access to a fridge and microwave?

I basically never use the cafeteria. We have a decent sandwich counter, which I've used if I don't have time to pack something, but the hot food is pretty nasty and not particularly healthy.

I generally pack a few pieces of fruit, a yogurt or cheese stick for a morning snack, and either a sandwich, salad, or leftovers for lunch. Whatever is in the fridge. In a pinch, I keep a few microwaveable soup things for when there's nothing else in the house. Just be sure to bring healthy snacks - you're on your feet all the time, and I get hungry throughout the day. I gained a lot of weight my first year teaching because I'd be so exhausted and starving by the end of the day that I'd stop off for fast food on my way home just to keep myself going until dinner. Now I bring extra fruit and lara bars instead.

jsmith2377

I've only ever worked in schools in which teachers must bring their lunch. I usually bring a sandwich, a veggie (carrots, celery, broccoli), a fruit (strawberries, etc.) and babybel cheese or string cheese and some chocolaty thing. I also bring almonds to snack on throughout the day. Sometimes I bring leftovers from the night before, but it depends on the time I will have for lunch that day. Sometimes I have 10 minutes (no time to nuke it) and sometimes I have close to 40 minutes. Check out your schedule and plan to bring quick fix foods the first few days until you are used to your schedule. Congrats on your new job and good luck!

jsmith2377

. In a pinch, I keep a few microwaveable soup things for when there's nothing else in the house. Just be sure to bring healthy snacks - you're on your feet all the time, and I get hungry throughout the day. I gained a lot of weight my first year teaching because I'd be so exhausted and starving by the end of the day that I'd stop off for fast food on my way home just to keep myself going until dinner. Now I bring extra fruit and lara bars instead.

I also do this. I like to keep foods handy for when I forget my lunch (and you will). I always have some packets of oatmeal in my desk and keep granola bars handy.
I also like to keep deodorant in my desk for when I forget, but that's not for eating.

MySlimGoals

Hi, I'm about to start elementary teaching as well and this thread is excellent. My school does not provide lunches although students and teachers can order in the occasional subway. There is a kitchen in the staff room with a fridge and microwave.

Synapze

Im not a Teacher, Im in the Trades, but my lunch is fairly the same every day (with the occasional leftovers), fills me up for a good 4-5 hours (im over 100kg), packed with protein, simple to prep for the week and takes 1.5mins in the microwave to heat up.

To break it down to a daily serve i have-

Tuna 150g
Peas 60g
Cheese 15g (just for flavour)
Dry Pasta 40g (i use shells )

440cal, 41carb, 8fat, 50protein

+ Fruit ")

christianteach

I work for a small private school without food service. I take the same thing almost every day: Dannon Light & Fit Greek 2X protein, salad or raw veggies and fruit. I also bring a snack for after work, usually either fruit or a protein bar. I also bring plenty of water. Congrats on your first teaching job!

shutupandlift13

Deli meat, Greek yogurt, cheese cubes, veggies, peanut butter, nuts, chocolate, chicken/tuna salad kits...

I don't take much time in the mornings to pack something for my job. I have precut/preweighed baggies of lunch meat as well as cheese and nuts, throw them in my backpack and head to the jobsite.

I don't eat much during the day though. We don't get a "lunch" time really, we work through it usually. Or I'm underground and its just grungy down there. I drink tea throughout the day to fend off the occasional hunger pangs but most of my cals are consumed with a HUGE delicious dinner when I get home and I can play around in the kitchen.

Intermittent fasting can be a wonderful tool for people with busy or hectic work days.

cheesyrunner

I'm starting my first year of teaching in a month! I don't yet know when my lunch hour will be or how long it will be... but I know I don't want to eat frozen meals every day! I would love to hear all your suggestions.

1) I pack a little container, inside a large mug, to save space. The little container holds some dry foods (nuts, goji berries, dried fruit), along with 2 green tea bags.

2) I usually scope-out if I have lunch duty or not + the availability of fridges/microwaves... Depending on findings, I bring one container with a high caloric meal (w/ utensils inside it, obviously lol). It could be a sandwich, leftover stirfry, etc. but it’s usually something that won’t make a mess of your hands, like fruit.

Quick and easy is usually a go. Good luck!!! :flowerforyou:

slkehl

I've always packed my own lunch. Sandwich, fruit, leftovers, cheese and crackers, ect...

Not so much for health reasons but because I'm way too poor to eat out for lunch.

ltkasmala

I was in grad school (subbed for 1.5 years so my schedule varied from day to day sometimes) and started a regular teaching job back in January. My suggestion is to find recipes you like and cook 2 or 3 on the weekends. In all honesty, it sounds like a lot of work but I have found a number of them that I like and once I get everything together can usually have it all done in under 2 hours! Then you can portion it out and just grab one for lunch each day. I add a yogurt and/or some fruit. I taught high school and didn't usually eat until 12:45 so having a lunch ready to go was helpful! Not sure if you are single like I am but this way there is always something ready for dinner when you get home too! This keeps one off the fast food route on both counts!

kimi131

I'm a teacher and, sadly, 95% of the time I end up with a frozen dinner.They're not very appetizing and leave me unsatisfied and still hungry, but we only get 25 minutes to eat so there isn't enough time for a good meal anyway. What does leave me the happiest after lunch is a good sandwich, a salad, soup, sometimes a special quick meal I made specifically for lunch (I save most leftovers for dinner).

Check out the teacher group on MFP:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/350-teachers-take-charge

Nicolee_2014

I was only ever allowed a 30 minute meal break at my work I always took in my own things that I had made either the night before or on the weekend. They were frozen meals in the sense that I'd make a big batch & then take them out for the week. Can you do that?
Wraps, salads, soups. Anything is an option.

DancingMoosie

I usually do salad prep (chopping veggies or making tuna salad) on Sundays and then just put two handfuls of salad mix with a cup of my pre-cut veggies and lunch meat or tuna salad in a container the night before. Add a piece of fruit and lunch is made. I also keep almonds, and south beach diet protein snack bars in my closet, and cheese sticks and diet soda in the fridge at school. Sometimes I bring a banana or yogurt to eat as a snack.

Redbird99ky

When I taught, I would brown bag it. Our staff lounge had a fridge

jody664

I'm not a teacher, but I pack my lunch (and breakfast and snacks) every day. I bought a soft-sided cooler with a couple of ice packs, so I know the food will stay cool. Here is what a typical lunch bag looks like:

Breakfast:
*Coffee
*Yogurt
*Fruit

Snack #1:
*Nuts

Lunch:
*Leftovers from dinner the night before
*Carrots or sliced cucumber

Snack #2:
*Grape tomatoes
*Fruit
*String cheese or other pre-portioned cheese
*Turkey pepperoni

I also keep instant oatmeal and a box of protein bars in my desk for emergencies.

Morgaine_on_the_move

I only have about 30 minutes, too, like 99% of the teachers I know...less time if I have to talk with students or other teachers. I bring a variety of stuff: indian spiced lentils with greek yogurt, black bean and chicken wraps, soup, leftovers, salads, etc....anything I can keep reasonably cold with an ice pack and heat up in the microwave.

DawnieB1977

I'm a secondary teacher in England. We get 30 mins for our lunch break, at 1:35, and we also have 30 mins for break at 11:10. Of course, by the time the pupils are dismissed and you've tidied up a bit, you've used a few minutes, and then at the end you need to go set up for next lesson, so we usually end up with 20-25 mins.

I take a salad usually as we have a little mini staff room in our teaching area with a fridge and kettle. I just do lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and chicken or tuna. I sometimes take some rice cakes, or a banana, or a yoghurt, things like that for snacks. And coffee of course!

trudijoy

i'm a teacher... in summer I take salad, fruit, maybe a yoghurt.

at the moment (winter) I usually steam vegies the night before and mix in some cooked chicken or leftover meat with some sunflower seeds and a big of dressing, reheat it at work.

don't underestimate kids lunchbox food too.... I have a stock of (healthy) ones of those in my cupboard.

lots of raw veges, fruit, crackers, all sorts. easy as

SunnyDuckling

Another teacher weighing in!

I struggled a lot with this my first few years of teaching. It's one of the reasons I gained a lot of weight when I started teaching, because I wasn't eating properly and was working long hours. As someone pointed out above, you work through lunch and grab something (usually unhealthy) to eat after school because you are soooo hungry!

As a high school teacher, I don't get the benefit of my own classroom. I am in a communal staffroom, which has some lunch facilities like a fridge, boiling water, microwave and *spoilt!* a cafe sandwich press toaster.

What's worked for me:
I have a light breakfast at home, around 6am.
I have another light breakfast at work around 8-8.15. By something light I mean a small bowl of porridge, usually made on water.

Morning Tea: 10.20-10.40
Something I can eat quickly and will be filling, and usually keep my hands clean. Pre-cut fruit, rice crackers, airpopped popcorn.

Lunch: 1.10-1.40
This will depend if I have preparation/correction time on this day or if I am working all the way through. On days where I have P/C time, I bring in food that I can take time to eat - stuff that needs reheating like leftovers or soup. On the no-time 'go-go-go' days, I will bring in a sandwich.

Afterschool: 3-4.30
/This/ is the most important for me. Because we often have meetings or other commitments afterschool, I can't bear to go without eating from 1.30 to 7.00 (which is when I'll have dinner). I'll bring food with me to whatever we do afterschool. These are usually the same unobtrusive snacky things that everyone else has mentioned, almonds, fruit, vege sticks, yoghurt, crackers.
If there's no meetings, but I know I'm going to be home late because I'm going to a dance class at 6.30, this after school time is when I will eat my dinner. Most evenings, I stay back and work at school until around 5-5.30, just because I don't have a study space at home. All my resources at school, so it's easiest to just stay there. This means I'm driving in rush hour traffic and am home somewhere around 5.45-6.00.

I also struggled in my early years of teaching with coming home and then having to cook dinner. As it was just one person, it was so hard to motivate myself to cook and eat properly. I fell into a lot of bad habits, like eating a packet of 'microwaveable side dish pasta & sauce' as dinner. *Every night*. :frown:
I told myself that I was making it healthier by dropping in a handful of frozen veges in the last 3 minutes of cooking. <--What a lie!

The turn around for me came when I started to take Sunday as a cooking/prep day. On Sunday, starting after lunch, I take the time to cook two or three different meals, which I can portion out and put into the freezer. This means that I don't have to worry about dinner on the nights I get home late, or don't want to cook (many a Friday night!), and I always have something to take to school for lunch if I forget to make a sandwich. I will always label the container with the date that I made the food, so if I come across something that is the same food type (eg: bolognese), I know to pull out the older on first.

It's something I have gotten out of the habit of since moving cities earlier this year, but as I am on school holidays now for two weeks, and it's winter, I am going to stock my freezer up once again!

Good luck with your first year of teaching!! Hope you enjoy it! :flowerforyou:

ellepribro

Be advised, a teachers lunch can go by quickly. That's the main reason I don't like bringing frozen dinners - takes too long to heat them (esp. if there's a line for the microwave). I usually bring chicken lettuce wraps or a chicken salad coupled with fruit and crackers. Sometimes I will bring leftovers from dinner.

MyJourney1960

good luck!

I'm not a teacher but my sister is and she takes her own food with her - depending on her schedule, it is usually yogurt, fruit, cheese, or a sandwich or two (whole wheat bread with PB&J, tuna, chicken etc), or a salad with a protein (low fat feta cheese, tuna, chicken etc). (I'm not a teacher but i take food to work on a daily basis - I make a pile of chicken breast or turkey or whole raost chicken, or patties, etc on the weekend, portion it out, and freeze. Then i make a salad and add the protein - I don't even keep it in the fridge. At lunchtime i either eat the protein cold with the salad or microwave it).

She mentioned that they have these buffet meals every now and then (not sure if it's weekly or monthly or once a semeseter, anyway, there are various occassions when there are food offerings). she learned to first look, decided what she will take, and then eat. so if it's Pizza and Salad - she'll fill up on salad and take a slice or half a slice. if it's chinese, then she'll take veg and chicken. and so on.

mlogantra76

Your post has sent me in a panic because I realize soon school is starting:)
I have about 30 minutes for lunch. I have access to a microwave and a frig to keep my lunch in. Here are some of the things I take. I don't mind eating the same thing for a week so I pack ahead on Sunday so I only have to grab it and go in the mornings.


Greek Yogurt and PB2
Fruit
Nuts
huge salad with grilled chicken on top(I freeze the grilled chicken for later in the week or make more mid week).
Whole Wheat wrap with lettuce or spinach, hummus, and cheese
Whole Wheat wrap with spinach, a lean protein, and cheese(I microwave mine to melt the cheese).
Oatmeal with fruit


I do not eat from the cafeteria. We do get a discount but the choices are slim and it saves me time to not even have to go to the cafeteria and through the line. In the 13 years I've been teaching, I've never eaten in the cafeteria.

Hint: Bring some healthy snacks! There is often not so healthy food in the teachers lounge and if I'm hungry, my will power wains. I rarely eat anything at school that I didn't bring!

mickey2168

Congrats on your first year! Teaching is the best job in the world. Hang in there those first years - it'll be worth it in the end! If you can, read The First Day of School by Harry Wong. Best teaching book ever. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Make friends with the secretaries and the custodians,
As far as lunch goes - I keep microwave popcorn and protein bars for the busy days I forgot to pack a lunch in the morning rush, I have a small fridge in my room with apples, peanut butter, bread and or wraps. If I take a lunch, it's usually chicken or turkey and a wrap with a little lettuce and light dressing. The school only provides school lunch for the kids which we can buy but as the kids will tell you - it's not very good.

WillowWindow

The good thing is you should be burning off a LOT of extra calories teaching.

When I was teaching ( retired now) I used all the suggestions above. My mainstays were natural peanut butter sandwiches on toast, ( soy) cheese sandwiches, hummus wraps, cut up veggies-- or sometimes just washed if I was in a hurry, apples ( whole), bananas, raisins, nuts, oranges, any whole fruit easy to eat. I brought a leakproof large cup ( from LL Bean) with coffee or tea that I could recover and drink from all morning( before school and breaks). I kept a supply of water, napkins and utensils in my desk, not that much different from everyone else. My tip is for leftovers, cut up fruit, or anythng "messy". Put them in mason jars. There are small and medium ones that work the best for portability. The great thing abut mason jars is that you can fill them up after dinner with leftovers, keep them in the fridge overnight, put them in your pack, then remove the lid and put them directly in the microwave. Or if not heatable stuff in them, they are easy to eat out of without spilling on your lap. Then you can put them in the diswasher. Just have to say it -- teachers need a decent lunch hour like everyone else! Have a good first year.

hmuh

Hint: Bring some healthy snacks! There is often not so healthy food in the teachers lounge and if I'm hungry, my will power wains. I rarely eat anything at school that I didn't bring!

The lounge is a sugar trap for sure!

Congrats on accepting the new position! Education is a very rewarding field. The key is to remember to take care of yourself while you're helping everyone else all day. If not, you can look up at the clock, an entire day has slipped away, and you havent refueled yourself. It's not a pretty sight! lol
It helps to have a huge tumbler of water and lots of balanced snack choices stored away for the days that you're busy such as nuts, dried fruit, meal replacement bars, etc. On most days, you can take leftovers or whatever else you like because your campus will likely have a microwave and fridge. My biggest advice is to try your hardest to use your lunch time to refuel yourself physically and mentally (Don't spend those precious twenty or thirty minutes returning calls, emails, etc. You can do that at the end of the day!). Your students deserve a healthy, happy, calm, but energetic teacher! Best wishes.

ajbloomu

I've been teaching for 8 years now (glad to see so many fellow teachers on this thread! Add me as a friend, teachers should motivate each other!) and I avoid the cafeteria food like the plague. Nothing healthy there most of the time, so I take the time the night before to pack my own lunch. I would echo a lot of the comments made here already. I usually take the same thing every day:

1. Wheat bread turkey sandwich (110 calories)
2. Fat Free Yoplait yogurt (90 calories)
3. Fat Free Chocolate Pudding (90 calories)
4, Mini Raisin Box (90 calories)
5. Apple (48 calories to 80 calories depending on size)
6. Orange (44 to 80 calories depending on size)
7. Bottle of Water

Total: Usually between 450 to 500 calories a day. I never find myself hungry and it is all good tasting and healthy for me. It is what works for me, find what works for you and go with it!

grrrlface

My OH's mother is a teacher and very health concious.
She takes her own lunch of salad, with which ever lean meat has been prepared and left over, with a few small squares of cheese, nuts, seeds and her own dressing. Then she takes different fruits for dessert.

I'm always jealous of her lunches, they are delicious!