What is your go-to NON microwavable meal?

deniseg31

What non-microwavable food do you take to work besides sandwiches/salads?

I usually pack turkey sandwiches for lunch but I find that I get so bored of them and on days I don't even want to eat them. :sick:

If I'm being adventurous I'll pack tuna (prepared with a little mayo, tomatos, onion, cilantro & jalapeños) and have a couple of crackers with it.

Looking for new ideas. TIA!!!

willow229

I make a lot of bean-based dips like hummus or you can mash pinto or black beans and salsa together to make a fat-free refried bean dip...and take whole wheat pita wedges, carrot chips, cucumber slices, or pepper slices to dip them in. Because of the fiber and protein, they are very filling. I will usually bring a piece or two of light string cheese to go with these, too.

The dips keep pretty well...I make them on Sunday and store them in 1/2 cup portions in the fridge. I also cut up/portion my veggies and pita and keep them in baggies in the fridge so all I have to do in the morning before work is just grab and go.

Fit_Fox88

I LOVE imitation crab meat lol and I usually have a package or two on hand at all times. On days I want a light dinner I will usually have 2 servings of that with a veggie salad (just chopped up veggies, no lettuce). I usually top the salad w/cilantro and fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of dressing. Sometimes I'll have some crackers and cheese w/this meal too.

LB2812

A couple sandwiches I sometimes make - chickpea salad (basically cook and mash the chickpeas - but not too mushy, leave a little chunk - and then treat it like you would your tuna salad!) or a hummus sandwich.... i might have whole wheat with hummus, spinach, tomato, etc. etc. I pretty much like any sandwich I can put avocado on too.

Greek food maybe? Falafel can be eaten cold, grape leaves, tabouleh, hummus & veggies/crackers, etc. all lends itself well to non-microwaveable lunches.

Hard boiled eggs? Or egg salad? (i recently made egg salad just egg, avocado, salt & pepper and i was in love... i may of added a little bit of mayo i can't remember.) Sometimes i'll bring hard boiled egg or egg salad, fruit, crackers & cheese.

rm33064

What other lunch foods are served cold besides sandwiches and salads? Gazpacho? Cheese and crackers? Not much really. I'd donate a microwave to the break room at work. If you're broke you can pick and old one from the thrift store for 5 bucks....

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aldousmom

I do salads, altho you said "no salads!". one I had today was so good: big heap of arugula topped w/ a cup of cooked lentils, a sliced pear, and a little thinly sliced onion. Dressing made of 2t dijon mustard, 1t each balsamic and red wine vinegars, 1T water, 1t maple syrup or to taste. Its super delicious and if I feel like I need more savory flavor I add whatever kind of olives I have. I'm amazed at how delicious this salad is, esp for how quickly it goes together.

BarbieAS

But you can do SO much with a salad! I bring a salad nearly every day. While I tend to repeat the same/similar salad several times in a week (just for the practicality of using up ingredients), there are DOZENS of variations on what I put in them. Any and all veggies (THAT list is nearly endless), fresh or dried fruit, chicken, steak, salmon, shrimp, deli meats, leftover taco or fajita meat, goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, havarti, provolone, blue cheese, bacon, avocado, ANY kind of dressing you can buy or make, crispy onions, almonds, candied pecans, pepitas, sesame seeds, olives, croutons...obviously you need to balance the veggies to the protein to the toppings in order to achieve the level of calories and macro balance that fits your day, but you can get REALLY delicious with just a little of this and a little of that. You don't even need to use lettuce as a base - any kind of greens, cold pasta, quinoa, couscous, chickpeas or just various chopped veggies all work really well. Lately I'm loving this Asian cabbage salad made with a homemade peanut butter/rice vinegar/soy sauce dressing and topped with toasted sesame seeds, sliced almonds and ramen.

superdeformedchibi

I love cold chicken and cold turkey. I usually will mix it with some fruit or put it on a salad. I take it to work with me quite a bit. I've also been told that I'm weird.

lilRicki

sausge and crackers, salads (they don't always have to be lettuce salads), mexican salsa and tostito scoops, wraps/sandwiches, tomatoes with mayo and a slice of cheese on top, crackers and goat cheese, cucumber slices with goat cheese and an olive on top of each slice, hummus and zuccini slices, roll up some lunch meat with honey mustard and hard cheese, go on Pinterest and get some ideas.

sfbaumgarten

Eh... I was gonna say turkey sandwich :indifferent:

So now I guess I'm here for ideas as well.

Mcmilligen

You could invest in a thermos for soups, stews, chilli, quinoa dishes etc. An ice pack in a reusable lunch box also works for keeping things cold like salads, fruit or whatever else. I'm sure having those two items would open up a world of possibilities!

amberrenee813

plus a slice of lunchmeat turkey plus



and a fruit salad on the side. YUM!

maz504

Whole wheat pita with homemade hummus, fat-free feta and roasted boneless skinless chicken thigh and shredded lettuce.

JONZ64

Peanut Butter & Honey Sandwich It is yummy goodness!

Anthony7905

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. But at work I love to grab a bag of carrots or mixed veggies and roasted red pepper hummus

weird_me2

How about a Thermos full of: chili, soup, stews, etc. You can even keep taco meat warm in one for tacos. That's what we do for my DDs lunches at school if she's not in the mood for cold food.

Other ideas:

pita, stuffed with chicken, tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, red onion, maybe some lettuce and italian dressing (I'm partial to Olive Garden dressing for this, can buy it at Walmart)

toasted pita with hummus, some veggie sticks, maybe some cheese and nuts, a piece of fruit

pasta salad - cooked pasta, tossed with cut up chicken, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. and dressing of choice

switch up your sandwich- I like turkey on hearty 100% whole grain bread, spicy hummus instead of mayo or mustard, pepperjack cheese (or Kraft jalapeno white cheddar's good), tomato, onion, etc.

peanut butter and jelly - sometimes it just hits the spot

cold rotisserie chicken meat, shredded up, eaten plain or in a tortilla with toppings, some fruit and veggies to go with it?

Anthony7905

That is my son's all time favorite sandwich

WaterBunnie

Soups - in a flask if you don't have a microwave. Filling and wholesome.

mmm_drop

I know you said no sandwiches, but what about changing up the bread for a wrap or a pita? It makes a big difference!

I love a high fiber wrap, cream cheese (my personal favorite is onion and chive), your choice of deli meat, or better yet, leftover chicken or steak, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, green onions, peppers, just stuff it full of veggies! Delicious!

I'm also a fan of egg salad or tuna salad and scooping it out with your choice of crackers or get crazy and scoop it with veggie sticks, like celery or carrots (so there is no bread, therefore avoiding the whole sammich thing).

ttholke

Wraps! I often use a flour tortilla instead of bread to give me the feeling of something different without changing the caloric hit. 2 pieces of bread are about the same value as a burrito sized tortilla and keep easily in an office fridge (no one ever steals plain tortillas . I fill with can tuna or can chicken, cheese, lettuce, whatever and some mustard or cider vinegar for zest. For some reason I don't seem o crave mayo or anything since it's not 'bread'.

shannonshay1

Mine is a finger food lunch. Sliced chicken breast, cucumbers, snap peas, grape tomatoes, black olives and bolthouse ranch dressing.

WaterBunnie

Or how about taking cous cous in a flask and pouring on boiling water a few minutes before you want to eat it and stirring in something salady for a warm lunch?

spirit095

Wraps, salad + bread, cold pasta salads

Amberlynnek

There's a lot! I like greek yogurt yogurt parfaits, chick pea salads ( can chickpeas, diced onion, garlic, tomato, salt and pepper, a little red wine vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice) Veggie bacon, lettuce and tomato with avocado or hummus instead of mayo. Pita stuffed with Tuna that is mixed with kalamata, tomato, onion and a little feta. The options are endless!

alyjb1121

Cold pasta salads!

MelisMusing

Fruit, veggies, avocados
egg/tuna/chicken salad.

I don't do bread so no sandwiches. Salads are good sometimes. Why no microwave?

Tuala42

I generally have to eat at work standing up, so my lunches are either something quick to eat or something I can nibble on a little at a time--things like salads would never work, too hard to eat quickly. I can't handle sandwiches either, unbearably tired of them. I can handle rolled up deli lunchmeat though, so I'll take ham or turkey for the protein. Also there's hard-boiled eggs, greek yogurt, bananas, apple slices (I like mine with cinnamon sprinkled on them), baby carrots, or if I have the time to make it, a chicken breast sliced up with curry powder on it, so I can grab a strip here and there as I work. That's about it for the variety in my lunches, I could use some new ideas too I guess.

rebalee8

When you say salad, do you mean green salads? Because I pack all kinds of grain and bean-based "salads" - simply called that because they're served cold/room temp rather than hot.

One of my favorites is couscous (cooked in vegetable broth or you could use one of the flavored Near East ones), tofu, mandarin oranges, pecans, feta and scallion. If you're not a vegetarian, substitute chicken for the tofu - my bf uses either leftover rotisserie or those deli packages of salad-style grilled chicken you get in the same area where they sell bacon (I'm sorry, I suck at the names of these things because I don't buy the meat in our house).

zman1313

Egg sandwich is my go-to meal. Have one almost every day around 11am. 2 pieces of bread, 3 scrambled eggs, and a piece of cheese. Just under 500 calories and enough to hold meover until dinner. If I'm feeling extra hungry or did more cardio than usual that day I will have some greek yogurt with it

Pirate_chick

Avacado, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, 1/3 fat cream cheese on pita. Yum ola!