Lunch ideas for hospital employees?

malinowynos

So I'm a busy nurse who works 12 hour shifts. I am trying to do better and bring my own lunches to work but I'm having a hard time coming up with stuff that doesn't absolutely require a fridge. It's nearly impossible to sit down and finish a lunch without being interrupted every few minutes. Any ideas on some good, filling lunches that won't be a health hazard if not refrigerated and/or something that's easy to pick at between steps? After 12 hours one can get a bit hangry. :P

dklibert

Have you heard of mason jar meal prep? Mason jar salads are everywhere. You could take bottle water and pour just a little out then freeze. Place one or two bottles in a lunch bag with mason jar salads and snacks. When the water thaws you have water to drink.

Check out The Domestic Geek she does tons of meal prep with mason jars. She recently did soup jars that you just add hot water too and you have a meal. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iHZ2G8TwTwY

Some mason jar meals I have tried:
soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2015/09/recycle-tip-fruit-cups-mason-jars.html

dklibert

Also they sell thermos brand thermos that keep hot stuff for 5 hrs and cold stuff for 7 hrs.

aimsz

I make a huge pot of brown rice and black beans with chopped vegggies on Sundays and divide them up for my husband and I's lunches during the week. He likes to have a meat added to his which would require a fridge but I just eat mine with sliced avocado for a cheap and filling lunch that's protein packed.

mcpostelle

I work in a hospital 8 to 16 hour shifts with a few 12s thrown in there. I eat only one meal at work and try to bring mine's with me. If I forget my lunch I avoid the hospital cafeteria except for salad bar, but I tend to always order Jimmy Johns sub unwiched.

For lunches made at home I use this container: http://www.amazon.com/Trudeau-Corporation-31408288-Green-Bento/dp/B00N1CQDAA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454619712&sr=8-1&keywords=fuel+bento+box

I tend to eat a lot of nitrate free/preservative free lunch meats and red meats for my entree, and mix various sides in. I.E lunch tomorrow is pre-cooked ground meat, side of sour cream, side of cheese, and black olives for snack. Reheats fast and is easy to prep.

allysar

I am a night shift nurse and do 12 hour shifts, too. I am fortunate to have a fridge and microwave available to me because I refuse to eat anything from the cafeteria. They do have a few to go items like hummus and pretzels or granola bars and yogurt but nothing prepared there I would touch, yuck! I think a good lunch box with a couple of ice packs should get you pretty deep into your shift? Enough that you could do fruit and yogurt. Veggies with hummus or yogurt based dips. Even sandwiches. I love taking nuts for snacks. Every night I have some almonds and an apple around 10pm and that gets me thru until my lunch around 1am-2am. Definitely some high quality granola bars. You could pack some protein powder in a shake bottle and grab a skim milk from the cafeteria and shake that up with some PB2 powder? Cheese sticks? With ice packs just plan to eat your "must be cold" stuff first and the stuff that doesn't matter later? (cheese sticks early and protein shake later?)

It can be done but planning for 12 hours of meals and snacks definitely requires some work!

Queenmunchy

dklibert wrote: »

Also they sell thermos brand thermos that keep hot stuff for 5 hrs and cold stuff for 7 hrs.

I use these for my daughter so she can have homemade hot meals.

malinowynos

Thanks for the tips! I'll look into getting better meal storage containers. That's probably my main issue.

verptwerp

I've worked 10+ hour shifts for years ...... I bring the cutest insulated lunchbags filled with leftovers from previous night's dinner, also salads, yogurt, nuts, cheese sticks, fruit, and bottled water. It's helped me stay away from all the fast food, etc. Now my coworkers are doing the same