Packed Lunches

I have school and work all day, and where I live I cant go home to eat lunch. Therefore, I have to pack a lunch. Cold sandwiches and plain fruit get old, so i need some help.
what are some good things I can pack for my lunch!?
And FYI normally I can't get to a microwave to heat anything up, so it's usually cold. :(

Replies

  • Pinterest has a lot of ideas for lunches that don't get too boring - I have one of those segregated containers so I just usually put random stuff in each container and eat that. It's hard coming up with ideas though!
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
    I have a 500 ml thermos that I bring soup or stew in. I also have the occasional sandwich or salad. I bring cheese, fruit and crackers for snacks throughout the day. Sometime trailmix or carrots & hummus.
  • vyloran
    vyloran Posts: 11
    I have gotten a lot of great ideas from this site http://justbento.com/ everything is meant to be eaten at room temp and you can do a lot of the prep ahead of time.
  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
    Grilled Chicken or steak salad
    tuna & crackers
  • branson101
    branson101 Posts: 173 Member
    I take cereal or salads for lunch.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    beef jerky
    tuna
    yogurt
    string cheese
    dry cereal
    peanut butter
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    I think anything except soup can be eaten at room temperature. Usually I just bring leftovers from dinner. What are you looking for specifically?
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    Salads in a jar! Or you can take left overs if you want since you could probably just double the food you cook for dinner and immedately pack half of it and place it in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. Get creative and you can figure out a lot more tantalizing foods to pack for lunch :)
  • Hypoxic_81
    Hypoxic_81 Posts: 6 Member
    I also end up packing lunches on a regular basis (and I travel for work so imagine packing food for 3 days AND having to deal with restrictions on food when I cross borders...NOT EASY!).

    Although I do manage to heat up some of my food (I'm not too proud to beg hotel front desk staff to heat up my meal in their staff microwave) I do get stuck eating a lot of cold lunches.

    Here are some of my standby's:
    -crackers, veggies, hummus and *maybe* a few slices of cheese
    -frittatas (like a healthier version of a quiche without a crust...can be eaten hot or cold) with salad
    -bean salads with veggie sticks on the side
    -pasta salads (load them with beans/chicken/tuna/other lean protein and veggies and go easy on the actual pasta)
    -salads topped with sauteed veggies, a bit of cheese and nuts/seeds for crunch
    -make sandwiches using different types of bread (I tend to only eat "loaf" bread if I've baked it myself) - try pitas (either pocket or greek style), tortillas, nice whole grain rolls
    -greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit and nuts/seeds

    You can also try to pack a thermos with soup, chili or pasta. It should stay warm until lunch time.

    If I can think of anything else I tend to pack I'll post it. :) Good luck!
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    -chicken/tuna/egg salad sandwiches (i use plain non fat greek yogurt)
    -hard boiled eggs
    -cheeses & crackers/veggies
    -veggies & hummus/salsa
    -canned soup (eat out of can if you can't heat)
    -pasta salads
    -cottage cheese
    -beef jerkey
    -nuts
    -fruits & peanut butter
    -rice cakes

    I have a lot of these things (room temp stuff) that I just keep in my desk that I can pair with a sandwich or salad brought from home
  • Arakazi
    Arakazi Posts: 26 Member
    Sushi! YUM
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    i start back at work tomorrow for the first time this year. My plans for lunch consist of:

    - low cal yoghurt
    - fruit
    - crackers/weightwatchers chips
    - cheese (either with crackers or in salad)
    - salad
    - my fave courgette and carrot grated together with mint and lemon zest
    - mini muffin tin quiches (take ten mins to cook!)
    - water, herbal tea (i drink my herbal tea cold in summer and make it simply by putting a teabag in a water bottle and adding cold water.
  • Thanks guys, this really helped a lot!
  • OutsideCreativ
    OutsideCreativ Posts: 143 Member
    Fruit and nuts! If you go to some larger grocery stores, they typically have a huge variety of fruit&nut mixes... I usually go on sunday and pick up about three different kinds, taking a different one to work each day.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I have school and work all day, and where I live I cant go home to eat lunch. Therefore, I have to pack a lunch. Cold sandwiches and plain fruit get old, so i need some help.
    what are some good things I can pack for my lunch!?
    And FYI normally I can't get to a microwave to heat anything up, so it's usually cold. :(

    How long between leaving home and lunch is it? I have a wonderful thermos that keeps foods hot for hours! It is great! It is the Thermos Stainless King 16-Ounce Food Jar. It will also keep cold foods cold!
  • coachpepper
    coachpepper Posts: 8 Member
    Switching up sandwiches and salads helps, also they have this neat little crock pot thing that can be plugged in anywhere and stays warm, great for soups. Today I have a sandwich with left over steak and veggies, change it up!