andreaindc
Well-known member
I can't face another turkey sandwich at my desk. What's your favorite thing to bring to work for lunch? Any suggestions to shake things up welcome.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Help! Lunchtime blues...
- Thread starter andreaindc
- Start date
Make Salmon, rice, carrots and broccoli for dinner >>
For lunch, toss them all together with lemon juice, olive oil, onions and parsley. Add nuts and feta cheese if you have them and pile it onto salad greens if you like.
I like to make extra rice when I'm at it (pilaf is even better) because the variations on rice salad are endless.
A similar menu with boiled potatoes can become a nice potato salad the next day, too.
For lunch, toss them all together with lemon juice, olive oil, onions and parsley. Add nuts and feta cheese if you have them and pile it onto salad greens if you like.
I like to make extra rice when I'm at it (pilaf is even better) because the variations on rice salad are endless.
A similar menu with boiled potatoes can become a nice potato salad the next day, too.
Dinner from last night: Especially if you have a microwave at work. . .
Spaghetti with sauce; meat, mashed potatoes and gravy with a veg; soup, glorious soup (try Ron's meatball minestrone--freeze the leftovers in small, lunch-sized portions, good stuff).
Make that turkey sandwich shine! Try different breads: wheat, multigrain, sourdough; have it on a roll, a good roll. Add avocado, bacon, tomatoes, alfalfa spouts, lettuce, arugula, grainy mustard, flavored mayo, broiled mushrooms, different and unusual cheeses, sliced fresh bell peppers, pickles, roasted peppers, what have you. If something is too gooey to leave in the sandwich till lunchtime, pack it separately and add it at lunch.
Try some cereal, new cereal and milk or juice or yogurt. Try yogurt and add stuff to it: granola, fruit, etc.
Try alot of little things: small amounts of sliced cheese, little tasty crackers, little pieces of veggies, different pickles, small dried fruits, pieces of fresh fruits. . .
Spaghetti with sauce; meat, mashed potatoes and gravy with a veg; soup, glorious soup (try Ron's meatball minestrone--freeze the leftovers in small, lunch-sized portions, good stuff).
Make that turkey sandwich shine! Try different breads: wheat, multigrain, sourdough; have it on a roll, a good roll. Add avocado, bacon, tomatoes, alfalfa spouts, lettuce, arugula, grainy mustard, flavored mayo, broiled mushrooms, different and unusual cheeses, sliced fresh bell peppers, pickles, roasted peppers, what have you. If something is too gooey to leave in the sandwich till lunchtime, pack it separately and add it at lunch.
Try some cereal, new cereal and milk or juice or yogurt. Try yogurt and add stuff to it: granola, fruit, etc.
Try alot of little things: small amounts of sliced cheese, little tasty crackers, little pieces of veggies, different pickles, small dried fruits, pieces of fresh fruits. . .
richard-in-cincy
Well-known member
Amazing. I was just sitting at my desk musing about this
and came in here to start a thread about it. Andrea, we must have been on mind link.
I do a lot of the "last night's dinner" lunches (today I'm eating Rindsgulasch on rice with green beans and cream of celery root, dried shittake, and cauliflower soup)--love those compartmentalized plastic lunch "semi-disposables". But sometimes it's just not possible and I too was wondering what others are doing for lunch when you haven't had the time to cook a lot at home and don't want to eat out and certainly don't want to eat one of those icky frozen dinner things.
I have my fallbacks: canned tuna, mayo, relish dumped into a rubbbermaid container and some bread or crackers are usually my going speed. It's quick, easy, and I like it.
Does anyone else have lightening speed quick "throw lunch together in 5 minutes" that morning with no preparation suggestions?
Breakfast too. I keep large containers of cereals, plain joghurt, cottage cheese, canned fruit, dry cereals, etc. on hand to throw quick breakfasts together (and again, these are usually tossed into rubbermaid and carried to work to eat at my desk), but new ideas are always welcome!
TIA!
and came in here to start a thread about it. Andrea, we must have been on mind link.
I do a lot of the "last night's dinner" lunches (today I'm eating Rindsgulasch on rice with green beans and cream of celery root, dried shittake, and cauliflower soup)--love those compartmentalized plastic lunch "semi-disposables". But sometimes it's just not possible and I too was wondering what others are doing for lunch when you haven't had the time to cook a lot at home and don't want to eat out and certainly don't want to eat one of those icky frozen dinner things.
I have my fallbacks: canned tuna, mayo, relish dumped into a rubbbermaid container and some bread or crackers are usually my going speed. It's quick, easy, and I like it.
Does anyone else have lightening speed quick "throw lunch together in 5 minutes" that morning with no preparation suggestions?
Breakfast too. I keep large containers of cereals, plain joghurt, cottage cheese, canned fruit, dry cereals, etc. on hand to throw quick breakfasts together (and again, these are usually tossed into rubbermaid and carried to work to eat at my desk), but new ideas are always welcome!
TIA!
vicki-in-tucson
Well-known member
I work at home, so usually it's whatever we had for dinner. . .
. . .the night before. However, today I capitulated and had Wendy's. Blech. I'm already regretting it.
. . .the night before. However, today I capitulated and had Wendy's. Blech. I'm already regretting it.
"Cold" ideas for lunch...
Funny, I had been thinking about this lately too.
Ideas that don't need a microwave:
Open-faced hummus sandwich on whole wheat
Peanut butter and honey sandwich
Leftover meat, chopped and added to mayonnaise to make a salad, then put inside a half of a cantelope
Tuna and pasta salad (mayo, celery seed, salt/pepper)
Deviled or pickled eggs
Yogurt with mint and honey added to it
Chopped BLT roll-ups
Spinach salad with "everything" in it - cheese, walnuts, ham or chicken, cold potato chunks, sliced strawberries, blueberries, mandarin orange sections, etc.
Sliced fruit and blue (or any) cheese
Cottage cheese with strawberry jam
Cream cheese on a slice of banana, mulit-grain, or raisin bread
Cold pizza
GORP (good old raisins and peanuts - and other dried fruit, choc chips, granola, peanut butter chips, etc.)
Many will think I'm nuts, but these are really good too: make pancakes the night before and in the morning fill with you favorite "meat" salad - I like pork). Top with ranch dressing and roll up. Keep secure with a toothpick until you eat it.
Crackers or breadsticks with salsa and cheese dip
Bran muffin with peanut butter or cream cheese
Maple mayonnaise chicken salad - mix maple flavoring (NOT maple syrup) with mayonnaise and add to leftover chicken. Stir in grape halves, walnuts, chunks of cheese. Kinda like waldorp salad with chicken. Good!
Also click on LINK for more ideas.
http://www.familycorner.com/forums/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=8011&highlight=lunch
Funny, I had been thinking about this lately too.
Ideas that don't need a microwave:
Open-faced hummus sandwich on whole wheat
Peanut butter and honey sandwich
Leftover meat, chopped and added to mayonnaise to make a salad, then put inside a half of a cantelope
Tuna and pasta salad (mayo, celery seed, salt/pepper)
Deviled or pickled eggs
Yogurt with mint and honey added to it
Chopped BLT roll-ups
Spinach salad with "everything" in it - cheese, walnuts, ham or chicken, cold potato chunks, sliced strawberries, blueberries, mandarin orange sections, etc.
Sliced fruit and blue (or any) cheese
Cottage cheese with strawberry jam
Cream cheese on a slice of banana, mulit-grain, or raisin bread
Cold pizza
GORP (good old raisins and peanuts - and other dried fruit, choc chips, granola, peanut butter chips, etc.)
Many will think I'm nuts, but these are really good too: make pancakes the night before and in the morning fill with you favorite "meat" salad - I like pork). Top with ranch dressing and roll up. Keep secure with a toothpick until you eat it.
Crackers or breadsticks with salsa and cheese dip
Bran muffin with peanut butter or cream cheese
Maple mayonnaise chicken salad - mix maple flavoring (NOT maple syrup) with mayonnaise and add to leftover chicken. Stir in grape halves, walnuts, chunks of cheese. Kinda like waldorp salad with chicken. Good!
Also click on LINK for more ideas.
http://www.familycorner.com/forums/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=8011&highlight=lunch
I'm at home -- so whatever we had for dinner last night. I pack lunches for my hubby
and daughter. She's on a peanut butter and jelly kick (Trader Joe's peanut butter and their raspberry jelly), so she's easy.
My hubby is harder. Sometimes, we do dinner leftovers (flank steak sandwiches with some spinach on a Panera cheese bagel, grapes, baked chips, cookie). I also keep frozen cheese tortellini on hand and it cooks up quick (5-7 minutes) in the mornings and I toss with some parmesan and olive oil or pesto or tomato sauce. It's yummy, even if he's too busy to go down the hall to microwave it and eat it warm.
and daughter. She's on a peanut butter and jelly kick (Trader Joe's peanut butter and their raspberry jelly), so she's easy.
My hubby is harder. Sometimes, we do dinner leftovers (flank steak sandwiches with some spinach on a Panera cheese bagel, grapes, baked chips, cookie). I also keep frozen cheese tortellini on hand and it cooks up quick (5-7 minutes) in the mornings and I toss with some parmesan and olive oil or pesto or tomato sauce. It's yummy, even if he's too busy to go down the hall to microwave it and eat it warm.
I hate leftovers, so usually it's a salad with lots of protein like...
grated cheese, cubed feta, chopped ham or chicken, crumbled bacon, garbanzo beans. Right now I'm into the garbanzos (or chick peas if you prefer).
Here's my favorite salad currently:
2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 slice red onion, chopped
4 kalamata olives, minced
1 ounce (about 1 inch square) feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
Toss together with dressing of choice. I like it with 2 tablespoons of reduced fat Ranch. Usually I despise any kind of "light" salad dressing but this salad is so flavorful that I'm able to enjoy it in spite of the light dressing. This serves one for lunch. Very filling and healthy.
grated cheese, cubed feta, chopped ham or chicken, crumbled bacon, garbanzo beans. Right now I'm into the garbanzos (or chick peas if you prefer).
Here's my favorite salad currently:
2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 slice red onion, chopped
4 kalamata olives, minced
1 ounce (about 1 inch square) feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
Toss together with dressing of choice. I like it with 2 tablespoons of reduced fat Ranch. Usually I despise any kind of "light" salad dressing but this salad is so flavorful that I'm able to enjoy it in spite of the light dressing. This serves one for lunch. Very filling and healthy.
andreaindc
Well-known member
Thanks, everyone! I knew I could count on you.