Blue collar lunch ideas

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TJ_Slade
TJ_Slade Posts: 22 Member
in Recipes
I'm an HVAC tech, so my lunch options are either buying lunch out (which helped me get to where I am now) or brown bag it.

Looking for some unique lunch ideas that don't require access to a microwave, refrigerator, etc. Something to break the monotony of sandwiches.

Thanks.
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Replies

  • rugratz2015
    rugratz2015 Posts: 593 Member
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    Salads, which can be bought ready to eat. Bring a wrap/slimbo and you can make a sandwich to 'bump' it out. John west pouches with fish and rice, the pouches with quinoa and bulgar wheat. Popcorn. I buy the snack packs of raisins/biscuit/chocolate/dried fruit they're handy to keep in the car. Multipacks of individually wrapped bars/biscuits so that I know the calorie count quickly. Porridge/oats mixed with yogurt and fruit. Have celery/carrots to snack on.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    Try different kinds of sandwiches? I'll send pb&j, for a treat I'll add marshmallow fluff, standard turkey, or salami (hubby's favorite). I've also done ham and cheese biscuit sandwiches. I'll dress up the boring turkey with lettuce and onion (tomatoes make it soggy). You could do egg salad, tuna salad, I've even seen recipes for ham salad. Sandwich variations are endless.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Honestly, when I worked landscape construction, a sandwich was about the easiest thing...I'd work a pretty wide variety of sandwiches into the mix. I always had a small cooler and would just put one of those frozen packs in there. If it was a meat sandwich of some kind I always kept the lettuce/tomato/etc separate until I was ready to put the sandwich together.

    My lunch was usually a sandwich or two...a couple pieces of fruit...and I worked in the heat most of the time so a pickle for some salt and usually potato chips too. I also usually had some trail mix with me...and sometimes jerky.
  • dm5859
    dm5859 Posts: 81 Member
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    Soup, stew or chili in a thermos. There are thermos made especially for soups. I just made a large pot of chili last night. Hardly any liquid to it but full of meat and beans. Sometimes I eat it on a salad like Wendy's taco salad.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
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    <a href="http://www.target.com/p/thermos-stainless-king-food-jar-matte-black-16oz/-/A-51958282?sid=1042S&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Sports+Shopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Sports_Local&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9007919&gclid=Cj0KEQjw2fLGBRDopP-vg7PLgvsBEiQAUOnIXBgUth-XUGgiw9avoN8Hh_a_U0DRcZfoEuxRSccGFfoaAum-8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds">thermos</a&gt;
    I have this thermos. If i pre heat it I can cook quino or farro or rice so that it is cooked come lunch. I sometimes bring pulled pork or chicken. If i prechill it keeps yogurt great or other cold treats.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
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    I have a food themos. If you pre heat with boiling water it cooks farro or quinoa before lunchtime. I sometimes even bring pulled pork or chicken
    prechill it keeps greek yogurt awesome and best of all it has a cute folding spoon in the lid so i never forget the spoon. I found mine at target for about 20 dollars
  • 007Aggie
    007Aggie Posts: 110 Member
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    Finger foods...cheese cubes, nuts, cubed salami/ham/turkey, cold meatballs, grilled chicken strips, cooked shrimp, veggies and greek yogurt based dips.

    Pasta salad in all forms...greek (feta, olives, tomatoes), pesto with chicken, yakisoba noodles with chicken or pork.

    Whole grain bagels with cream cheese.

    Chicken/egg/tuna salad with lettuce wraps.

    Cold homemade pizza (english muffin pizzas?).
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
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    When I was a roaming field tech, my mainstay was protein shake (two servings) in a liter size insulated vessel and assorted munchies: carrots and hummus, apples. . . These days I keep a stash of energy, protein bars handy (Zone Perfect, Aldi version of the Atkins Snack, Cliff Bar-- occasionally, Oh Yeah! ONE).
  • CaliMomTeach
    CaliMomTeach Posts: 745 Member
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    Costco has really good insulated lunch bags that come with their own icepack that stays cold for a long time. They may only sell them at the beginning of the school year, but maybe if you check on line. Salads will stay cold in there. I lost a lot of weight in since last summer, and I started eating Trader Joes salads with half of the dressing to keep within calorie limits. They are good salads.
  • cdgallagher943
    cdgallagher943 Posts: 46 Member
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    Good ole Montana coal miners lunch. Look it up, make a healthy version of it, I.e. Whole wheat, lean meats... etc.
  • cdgallagher943
    cdgallagher943 Posts: 46 Member
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  • priyamvada_k
    priyamvada_k Posts: 27 Member
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    Pita toasted with lots of olive oil to keep it soft; hummus; hard-boiled egg; cut fruit; yogurt - all packed in a cooler with an icepack.
  • sbchadwick71
    sbchadwick71 Posts: 1 Member
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    My husband recently got a Yeti thermos as a gift and he has been taking all kinds of warm food for his lunch. He usually heats up the previous night's leftovers and puts it in his thermos. I'm sure any thermos would do, but might give you another option.
  • jcsgirl86
    jcsgirl86 Posts: 53 Member
    edited March 2017
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    I've also done a pasta salad: whole wheat penne pasta, diced grilled chicken breast, chopped bell pepper & onion, and a little basil. Toss with light italian dressing and parmesan cheese. Keep it in the lunch box with ice packs. Makes a hearty, filling lunch.
  • MeginBliss
    MeginBliss Posts: 30 Member
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    I do lots of soups, pastas etc in a thermos. Put the sink on as hot as it will go and let the hot water sit in the thermos for 10 mins while you heat up the food then put the food in the thermos. I find it's still hot enough I have to let it cool sometimes by lunch, about 5 hours. I just bought a cheap thermos at TJ Maxx.

    Other options are pasta salad, hummus and veggies, chips and salsa, salads, do veggie sandwiches instead of the normal meat and cheese (avocado, cheese, hummus, cucumber, onion, cherry tomatoes cut in half, spinach, and bell pepper is a good combo), fruit with yogurt to dip, bagel sandwiches (Neufchâtel cheese, deli meat, and veggies).
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
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    I used this technique a lot when I was in the military and it was pretty effective, but you have to be careful about ingredients and food safety and such. Whenever I could I would pack leftovers from the night before in a glass container and leave it in the windshield of my car (if I drove) or in a sunny spot near a rock or reflective surface and just let it heat up all morning. Granted, this worked in AZ, not sure it would work the same in a cold climate or during the winter. By lunchtime, my food would be hot and I wouldn't be stuck with the same old sandwich or salad. Of course, no dairy or other food that wasn't already all the way cooked through, but it worked wonders with rice, beef, chicken, etc., and all manner of veggie dishes. I've also been known to stash a can of soup (or box or soup) inside/next to/near a hot engine/heater and make a harness out of string to cool off a soda in front of an A/C.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    DamieBird wrote: »
    I used this technique a lot when I was in the military and it was pretty effective, but you have to be careful about ingredients and food safety and such. Whenever I could I would pack leftovers from the night before in a glass container and leave it in the windshield of my car (if I drove) or in a sunny spot near a rock or reflective surface and just let it heat up all morning. Granted, this worked in AZ, not sure it would work the same in a cold climate or during the winter. By lunchtime, my food would be hot and I wouldn't be stuck with the same old sandwich or salad. Of course, no dairy or other food that wasn't already all the way cooked through, but it worked wonders with rice, beef, chicken, etc., and all manner of veggie dishes. I've also been known to stash a can of soup (or box or soup) inside/next to/near a hot engine/heater and make a harness out of string to cool off a soda in front of an A/C.

    I had a friend who worked in snowmaking at a Vermont ski resort. The guys would stick their lunches in strategic places in the machinery to have them nice and hot by mealtime.
  • jimk92
    jimk92 Posts: 2 Member
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    make meal prepping your best friend haha
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Burritos.

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