Sandwich Free Work Lunch Ideas

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  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    where are you based? There are laws in the UK regarding workplaces and what they should be providing, which includes a means to heat food. The only time I notice smells from a microwave are when fish or curries are heated in there.

    heating leftovers in the morning and taking in a thermos is a good one - there are a number of wide-mouthed thermos flasks you can get hold of. Not all insulated flasks are equal, it's worth spending the money on a proper Thermos or Stanley flask (speaking as someone who has gone through many many varieties....)

    I'm not a sandwich fan myself, so leftovers, salads of myriad concoction, rice-based dishes etc are all good. I often make a 'base' of a vegetable rice or salad to last a week then mix and match with the protein element so as not to get bored. I tend to steer away from just the remains of yesterday's dinner, just because the same meal twice in a row can be dull.
  • Steff46
    Steff46 Posts: 516 Member
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    I like to keep canned food at my desk. My favorite is mixing a can of chicken with a can of Rotel. Most canned items don't need heating up. I also keep peanut butter to eat with cut up veggies.
  • iwannagofast8231
    iwannagofast8231 Posts: 1 Member
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    Try planning dinners that you can use leftovers for lunch. Hot dinner ingredients that make good cold salads.
  • myfitnesspalsophie
    myfitnesspalsophie Posts: 79 Member
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    You can buy heated electric lunch boxes
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    Like some others on here, I am a fan of the Thermos for keeping lunch hot. I often eat dinner leftovers for lunch the next day.

    Here are two links to some tasty lunch ideas and recipes. Don't discount the website - the recipes are tasty. The first link is cold lunches. The second is mason jars you add hot water to.

    https://goop.com/food/recipes/easy-packable-work-lunches-2/

    https://goop.com/food/recipes/ingenious-noodle-pot-lunch-recipes/
  • LPintheCity
    LPintheCity Posts: 26 Member
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    My go-to work lunches are my signature squash-bowls. My coworkers are always surprised when I tell them the delicious aroma from my tupperware containers are just days-old leftovers. You can use this general recipe with any squash, vegetables, and protein and I guarantee it'll change the way you think about work lunches! Simply cook an entire squash for dinner one night and use the leftovers for lunch the next day. Personally, I think it tastes best the next day cold or room temp.

    Slice your preferred squash (acorn, butternut, or spaghetti) in half. Rub with olive oil, garlic cloves, and S&P
    Bake at about 375 for 45 minutes.
    Sauté your favorite greens (my favorite combo is green beans and peppers for butternut squash)
    Mix and smother with your favorite toppings: dried cranberries, nuts, vinaigrette, sun-dried tomatoes, whatever!

    Using squash as your base is great because they absorb such great flavors. They also compliment almost any cuisine. So whether you're in the mood for Asian, Mexican, or Italian, there are endless veggie/spice pairings you can use while avoiding high calorie starches like rice, tortillas, and pasta. I hope this helps!!!
  • shannonprovenzano2812
    shannonprovenzano2812 Posts: 60 Member
    edited January 2018
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    I bring breakfast AND lunch everyday and don't microwave, but I do tend to eat "light" throughout the day and eat my biggest meal after work (for dinner). I have a lunch box and it keeps my stuff cold through the day as long as I use two ice packs. This is usually what I have in my lunchbox:

    Breakfast: A container filled with cereal (usually multigrain cheerios) and 2% milk in a different, smaller container so that the cereal doesn't get soggy. I also pack a banana.

    Lunch: Usually tuna or deli ham/turkey (not on bread, just out of the container) with a string cheese and apple. I've also done chicken in place of the tuna/ham/turkey. I don't mind chicken cold so as long as it's cooked I'll eat it right from the container the next day.

    Snack: A clementine and some cut up strawberries.

    I also bring coffee and green tea with me! Also, I used to love bringing apples and dipping them in peanut butter!
  • danrhess
    danrhess Posts: 7 Member
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    The only thing I hate more than deciding what to eat for lunch at work is prepping it. Which is exactly why I prep it 2 weeks out in little baggies.

    1 cheese stick
    1 carrots serving
    1 banana
    1 peanuts serving
    1 granola bar
  • r3488
    r3488 Posts: 77 Member
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    I love my Hot Logic Mini (as others have suggested). Down side, you have to remember to plug it in at least an hour before you want hot food. Up sides, you don't have to eat it right away when the hour is up (it will keep for several hours) and the food tastes better than microwaved (at least to me--maybe that's just a placebo effect). If you decide to get one, you MUST have containers with lids that seal well. Also, the foods need moisture. Sauce-based foods like sloppy joes and BBQ shredded chicken reheat well. When I use the Hot Logic to reheat non-sauce based foods like pan seared, oven roasted chicken tenderloins, I put the chicken in one side of a 2 compartment meal prep container with water in the other compartment. (It's still not as good as fresh made, but it's the best way to reheat chicken that I've found so far.)
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    DellyC93 wrote: »
    Hi!

    I'm hoping I can get some inspiration from everyone on here. I am looking to get some nutritious lunch ideas that are not sandwiches as I'm not a big bread eater. I've been eating salads so far but they of course get boring real quick!

    My workplace only has a kettle - no microwave *groan*. So I can't even re-heat last nights stir frys etc!

    Does anyone have any ideas or tips they can share? :)

    Much appreciated!!

    Look up bento boxes. They are generally meant to be eaten at room temperature.
    Expand your salad repertoire. Pasta, potato, beans, quinoa, rice, meats, egg, cottage cheese, fruit, nuts could all be different types or additions. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10270725/things-to-go-in-salads/p1
    Oatmeal, muffins
    Hummus and veggies
    7 layer dip
    Lettuce wraps

    https://kalynskitchen.com/90-healthy-no-heat-lunches-for-work/
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
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    When I was young (back in the 1970s) it always amazed me that my aunt woke up to cook food at 4:30am for her husband to take along in a Thermos flask. He worked on building sites and would stop work at a specific time, eat his hot food, and start again until time to knock off.

    Now in the 2000s, construction workers would never think of bringing food from home, as a whole industry has developed with people vending food if all sorts from vans driving around to different locations.

    Even in office situations like where I am, these food vans visit, starting with breakfast and continuing throughout the day with lunch and others such as fruit van and pastry van. Some people of course leave and go to one of the ever increasing number of fast food restaurants around.

    Don't know what would work for you, but I eat my breakfast at home, go back home for lunch, and eat at home again at the end of the day. I'm either old or old fashioned, but that's what works for me.
  • jessieknh
    jessieknh Posts: 52 Member
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    You could try this as well for warming lunches at work https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-20-Ounce-Lunch-Crock-Warmer/dp/B006H5V8US/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1515159490&sr=1-5&keywords=hot+logic
  • Bailey00030
    Bailey00030 Posts: 30 Member
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    I sometimes bring homemade soup in a thermos. It stays hot until lunch. I also LOVE making mason jar salads. I add boneless chicken and mix up the veggies. I do them up on Sunday for the entire week and they stay fresh. Really easy to transport to work too 08pmlvsw33c6.jpg
  • joprice1803
    joprice1803 Posts: 10 Member
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    I make a big crustless quiche which is good cold. I also like barley and then mix 4 beans,green beans or baby brocolli with lemon juice, wholgrain mustard and balsamic vinegar and a hard boiled egg. My other go to is ryvita with cream cheese,hummus,egg,meat, tuna anything i have really and a cup a soup.
  • mic1018
    mic1018 Posts: 70 Member
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    Make up a batch of your favorite chicken salad. Divide it into small containers. Add celery sticks, crackers, cheese cubes and a boiled egg. Quick and easy...with no reheating.
  • AudreyJDuke
    AudreyJDuke Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Great ideas!!!!!!
  • maritimegirl10
    maritimegirl10 Posts: 5 Member
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    Pho soup in mason jars just add boiled water. 410 calories use chicken and it would be lower
  • thelettermegan
    thelettermegan Posts: 49 Member
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    I make salads - two heads of lettuce, a bag of chopped vegetables, a pound of deli meat and one container of stuffed grape leaves turns into 8 salads - 4 for me to eat, 4 for my bf.
  • saragd012
    saragd012 Posts: 693 Member
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    This has inspired me to go get a really nice thermos for sure. I don't know how other people feel about cold potatoes, but I don't mind them. Some weeks for lunch I'll stuff a baked potato with protein (usually beans or tempeh, but any (cooked) meat of your choice would work) mixed with cottage cheese along with spices and hot sauce for a nice filling lunch. If it's a nice day I eat it outside still chilled with a small salad and fruit. Very customizable so you don't feel like you're eating the same thing every day.
  • Frmgroundup
    Frmgroundup Posts: 2 Member
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    Quinoa salad is really good and easy to make. We do a Mexican style quinoa with black beans and corn. It’s good hot or cold.
    You can really season it however you like, change it up pretty easily

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