Author Topic: Good "work lunch" ideas  (Read 12287 times)

cdub

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Good "work lunch" ideas
« on: May 15, 2014, 03:24:28 PM »
Mini face punch today... I was driving to the grocery store during lunch to get some super cheap frozen meals for lunch (lean cuisine) and I walked by an old chinese place I used to go when I was more spendy... and the smells lured me in.

Home life has been pretty rough recently (won't go into it) so I've been "depression eating" more so I gave into it an ordered something I used to get all the time. It'll be tomorrows lunch too but still.  Any tips to avoid "depression eating" would be awesome. Work has a free table of junk food snacks too and I can't resist. It's bad. I haven't really gained much weight yet but this can't be good. Maybe start going for a walk during lunch instead?

Anyways... I used to make PBJs for work. But that can get old. I was thinking of bringing in some hard boiled eggs.

Any other good mustachian good ideas for packed lunch out there?

horsepoor

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2014, 03:31:59 PM »
I like to make filling salads that have like tuna or shredded chicken with chopped veggies (green onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot) and whatever else I have around, like avocado or black olives, maybe some beans or chickpeas.  Then I'll dress the whole thing with some salsa or olive oil and vinegar.  Or yogurt and curry powder with some raisins instead of the olives or avocado.  Very flexible, tasty and nutritious, and you can make a few days' worth and it will keep well.  Can be eaten over a bed of greens too, if you want to up your veggie intake.

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2014, 03:42:15 PM »
So, I don't know if these are "good" work lunch ideas, but I often end up with an assortment of snacks for lunch.  I usually have some sort of leftovers, but with the kids getting bigger and bigger, it seems leftovers are harder to come by.   I don't like to spend a lot of time preparing a lunch, and I don't like to buy lots of convenience foods.

Today I had a large container of raw veggies that I chopped into bite sized pieces- cucumber, carrots, and celery.  I packed a small container of dressing to dump on them at lunch time.  I also brought along a small container of cheese cubes (we buy blocks from costco), 2 clementines, and a banana, and a cloth baggie of pistachios.  I call it lunch, but it came out around 9:30 and I basically ate all day long at my desk until it was all gone around 2:30.

My staples are nuts, fruits (fresh or dried) and raw veggies, and cheese.  Oh, and I'm a vegetarian.

No more than once per week, I go out with co-workers, and that typically runs $12-$15.  I enjoy it, and could stand to join less often, but I'm new at my job and want to be friendly.

sarahsmc22

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2014, 03:46:04 PM »
I usually bring leftovers... lunches typically include a bag of steamfresh veggies (or leftover from the night before) plus meat.

Lunches this week at my house:
Leftover turkey burger with fruit and veggies (corn on the cob, nuked in the microwave for 1 minute!)
Leftover pork chop with veggies
Salad with almonds, eggs, beets, etc.
Rolled turkey deli meat and veggies.

bogart

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2014, 03:53:31 PM »
Leftovers.

Assortment of cheeses, smoked fish (Trader Joe's is a good source of both of these for me), and veg (typically unprepped -- cherry tomatoes + snap peas + those mini carrots, all out of the package) or fruit.

Cream cheese + ? (smoked salmon?  cucumber?  tomato?) on a bagel.

Baked potato cooked in the work microwave + sour cream, butter, or yogurt, and chives or rosemary.

Fried chicken or rotisserie chicken bought at a nearby fast-food place or grocery place.  Hey, I'm no purist.  See above re:  veg/fruit.

Stuffed grape leaves bought in a packed-to-go container from the local mediterranean place, plus some yogurt and fruit.

Sorry to hear things are tough at home.  Hope they'll look up.






Zikoris

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2014, 05:16:28 PM »
Do you have access to a microwave or another way to heat things up? That makes a big difference.

I haven't bought lunch at work for about three years now. My favourite lunches from home:

-Burritos, made with chili or curried chickpeas
-Lentil barley stew
-Stir fry of any sort, especially with fried noodles, like yakisoba or yakiudon
-Calzones

For snacks, I bring fruit, nuts, and healthier muffins (bran, 10 grain, etc).

brewer12345

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2014, 05:22:19 PM »
Container of hummus with fresh vegies and pitas and/or chips?

windawake

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #7 on: May 15, 2014, 05:24:46 PM »
I make burritos and freeze them. Fill your shell with your preferred burrito toppings, fold it up, and place it on a cookie sheet. Freeze until they're frozen and put in a plastic bag. I cook up beans, rice, and veggies and make a batch at once. I can usually get 14 or so burritos out of one session, that's over 2 weeks of lunches.

I also like any big batch of a grain, a bean, and some veggies. One go-to is lentils, quinoa, red pepper (chopped), spinach, and feta with whatever sauce I'm feeling like. One batch of this lasts about a week (1 cup each of lentils and quinoa, 1 pepper, and several hearty handfuls of spinach).

Milspecstache

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #8 on: May 15, 2014, 05:43:58 PM »
Baked potato cooked in the work microwave + sour cream, butter, or yogurt, and chives or rosemary.

I've done that as well as bake a sweet potato (bring brown sugar to taste).  Also carried in mashed taters (sweet as well as plain).  Easy meal that is healthy and quick!

Greg

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #9 on: May 15, 2014, 07:03:27 PM »
One of my favorite lunches is fried rice.  Make rice and refrigerate it for a few days, it works better.  Then cut up whatever veggies you might have, add and egg or bits of other meat, season with soy sauce or seaweed sprinkles etc.  You can make a big batch and use it up through the week.  If your workplace has a microwave it's quick to warm up.

The other is last night's pizza, especially if I make it myself.  2 slices is a good lunch with a bit of something else like yogurt.

BZB

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2014, 08:30:33 PM »
Since things are stressful at home, you may not be cooking much at home and need minimal effort lunches that are healthy. The Lean Cuisines are actually not a bad idea (not as cheap or healthy as homemade food, but not bad). I have a stash of them in the freezer at work along with a couple bags of frozen steam-in-the-bag mixed veggies. They are my emergency stash if I forget to pack lunch. I will mix a Lean Cuisine with the veggies to make it more filling, and then I keep a glass container with lid at work to store the leftover mixed veggies for the next day.

Other low-effort lunches:
Grocery bag full of lunch materials for the week theme

On Monday bring a grocery bag filled with a loaf of healthy bread, jar of peanut butter, jam, some sliced lunchmeat, other sandwich materials you like, and just assemble whatever kind of sandwich you're in the mood for each day. Toss in a bag of fresh apples or oranges, and a can of roasted nuts or other salty snack food, and that should keep you satisfied through the week.

Same idea, different version: bag of soft flour tortillas, canned refried beans, shredded cheese, bag lettuce, jar of salsa, jar of sliced jalapenos. Make soft tacos, heat in microwave. If you get bored of the tacos, then use the tortillas to make wraps with sliced lunchmeat, cheese, and veggies.

Of course, you should also have an emergency stash of cans of soup and box of crackers.
 
It's the little details that trip me up. If I don't have a microwaveable bowl, or the office is out of plastic spoons, for example, and I'm stressed out anyway, it might push me to give up and buy lunch instead of using my food stash. That's why I keep a little "kitchen cupboard" on a shelf in my cubicle. I have a bowl, pyrex container, utensils, salt and pepper.

LAL

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #11 on: May 15, 2014, 11:09:15 PM »
Leftovers. Sandwiches use George Foreman to make into panini style. Or wraps.  Salads.

If how don't have a microwave thermos works well.

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Qwerty

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #12 on: May 15, 2014, 11:17:58 PM »
Homemade soup and crackers
Get some fancy mason jars with flip lids
I use slow cooker then bring soups in on rotation
Hot meal is always better than pbj
Can soups are super MMM BUT not so healthy


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Moonwaves

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2014, 02:10:34 AM »
If you don't have access to a microwave to heat stuff up it might be worth investing in a wide-mouth flask. I use one of these in the colder months. Typically I'll lcook something in the slow cooker on a Sunday night so when I get up on Monday morning all I have to do is fill my flask. On other monrings then I just have to get up a few minutes earlier to heat  it up first.

During the warmer months I'll usually bring salad. For the first few weeks after tomatoes make an appearance I'll often bring nothing more than a simple tomato salad - just tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil and maybe a small amount of mozzarella or feta cheese.

At the moment I'm a big fan of wraps with salad and something. So I'm buying a nice lettuce at the weekend and then every morning I put one wrap with about a fifth of that lettuce into a Tupperware container to bring to work. Then, in a separate container, I bring whatever my something is. Usually I do the same thing for a week but then again, I'm not the kind of person who gets bored with eating the same thing for a few days in a row. So if I cook meat at the weekend, I'll have the leftovers of that as my something. Or chickpea curry, for example (that wasn't as good as I thought it would be though - one to work on improving). Or tuna - for that I take a tin of tuna and put it in a bowl, mix it with a few teaspoons of quark, add some sliced scallions or a couple of dried tomatoes chopped into small pieces. Or a half a teaspoon of Thai curry paste. You don't need much  to add a bit of flavour and it makes a tin of tuna stretch to three or four days easily.

As a fallback, or for days when I'm doing a fast (I'm following the 5:2 plan at the moment) and feeling peckish. I just have a container of chicken broth powder in my desk. Can get boiling water so I spoonful of that in a mug of water and it'll keep me going for a surprisingly long time.

A word on containers. When I say Tupperware, I'm talking about the brand and not just any old plastic containers. I'm a big fan of Tupperware (I even used to sell it in a previous life and may end up doing that again when I change jobs and get rid of my horrible you're only allowed work for us clause) and really do think it is worth getting containers that are going to last for decades and still have watertight lids that work. The first couple of containers I got were presents when I was about 21 and they're still going strong. The only reason I can even tell which ones are the older ones is because of the colours. There are a couple of other brands that do decent stuff as well (apparently! ;)  ) but I'd stay away from the really cheap stuff. I've done that too, buying the box of 20 pieces for a tenner. I've done it twice actually and none of it survived more than a couple of years and even then, the chances of a lid coming off in my bag and spilling everything were always high. If you don't mind carrying the weight, glass jars or the glass containers with plastic click lids are also good.  I have found that the less hassle I have with things like spills in my bag, the more likely I am to keep bringing lunch in with me. YYMV. Same thing with the flask really - for a while I dithered about spending so much on a flask (mine cost 40 euro) and then I realised that if I used it to bring lunch to work for just four days, I would have already covered the cost of it. No-brainer when you think about it like that.

BFGirl

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2014, 04:43:29 AM »
Leftovers.  My kids will usually only eat the same meal twice before they start raiding the pantry for something else.  I have a bunch of glass storage containers with lids.  I will put the leftovers in the containers and freeze them.  Then I pull them out for lunch.  This week I had stir fry (not frozen), pot roast and veggies (frozen), chicken tetrazinni (frozen) and baked chicken with saffron rice and green beans (not frozen).

I love wedge salads for lunch , but can't justify going out for them any more at lunch, so I am going to buy all the ingedients and take that a couple days next week.

grantmeaname

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #15 on: May 16, 2014, 06:23:39 AM »
I'm going to respond to this thread by not responding to your question at all.

[psychoanalyst]A big part of Your Money or Your Life (YMOYL), the founding work of the whole FI/ER movement, is "No Shame, No Blame". It seems like your post is just dripping with the feeling of defeat over a little inconsequential screw up. Let it go, try not to in the future, and don't carry around the weight of making little mistakes sometimes. Try to put systems and habits in place such that you usually pack, but when you don't, just try to accept it as something that happens from time to time. It's all good![/psychoanalyst]

Scandium

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2014, 07:23:01 AM »

Milspecstache

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #17 on: May 16, 2014, 08:38:43 AM »

http://soylent.me/

Is this a joke?  Surely this is a play on the movie, "Soylent Green"...  Just can't believe anyone would name a food-product after cannibalism...

Scandium

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #18 on: May 16, 2014, 09:05:21 AM »
Nope. It's for realz. 100% of daily nutritional requirements in one simple package. Price doesn't seem to bad either. I'm excited about it, but unfortunately the backorder is 10 weeks!

As for the name; he's an engineer, not a marketing guy..


edit; I need to do the math on this some more, but it's not looking so good financially. About $4/meal. But my breakfast fritata for a week cost ~$2-3 in eggs. And my PB&J sandwich lunch probably <$1. Granted this fulfills all nutritional requirements. Maybe we need a thread on soylent. Is there one already?
« Last Edit: May 16, 2014, 09:13:49 AM by Scandium »

MsSindy

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #19 on: May 16, 2014, 09:31:08 AM »
Def come up with strategies to minimize depression eating - no good comes from it, not even a temporarily satisfied feeling.  You immediately feel like crap.  My challenge is at work (boring and lots of goodies around).  So yes, when the weather is nice, I go outside and eat my lunch - I've even brought a beach chair and sat on the grassy areas with a good book or my iPad. If the weather is crappy, I at least walk to another part of the building for a change of scenery.

A really good strategy is the one that BZB mentions - bring stuff to work and store it there.  I bring lunch everyday (leftovers, burritos, stews, salads - everything that's been mentioned), but I also have some back-up stuff in the freezer and my desk just in case I'm not in the mood to pack - or just run out of stuff at home.

Also, very important - bring stuff you like!  If you don't like salads, but you're packing them because they're 'healthy', you'll have a tendency to stray over to the goody table.  Make sure you're looking forward to your lunch and snacks.

Don't beat yourself up -- shake it off and move on!

HAULIN3

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #20 on: May 16, 2014, 09:40:20 AM »
Do you have access to a microwave or another way to heat things up? That makes a big difference.

I haven't bought lunch at work for about three years now. My favourite lunches from home:

-Burritos, made with chili or curried chickpeas
-Lentil barley stew
-Stir fry of any sort, especially with fried noodles, like yakisoba or yakiudon
-Calzones

For snacks, I bring fruit, nuts, and healthier muffins (bran, 10 grain, etc).

I'd love to know how you make the burritos with chickpeas? (I'm vegan and it sounds good)

Nickyd£g

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #21 on: May 16, 2014, 09:51:58 AM »
Salads topped with chicken/ham/egg/tuna/prawns & a bottle of dressing.
Potato for baking in a microwave and toppings - cheese & coleslaw/tuna payo/prawns in thousand island
Soups (tinned, packs, home-made) for reheating in a microwave
Leftovers for reheating in a microwave
Sandwiches/tortilla wraps with whatever filling you like.

Good tupperware or sandwich bags are essential.  I tend to batch cook meals once a week eg bolognese/chilli/stroganoff/curry, portion and freeze, take it to work and re heat however if you dont like eating the same thing all week or don't have a microwave, prep salads & fixings/fillings for sandwiches once a week then throw them in a bag/tupperware to take to work.  It does require a bit more organisation but it's easier than trying to figure out what you want (especially if you're feeling depressed) and mucg cheaper.

carozy

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #22 on: May 16, 2014, 10:38:48 AM »
I often have veggie curry and brown rice.  I make a large batch of brown rice in the rice cooker and bring it to work along with a container of the curry.

some veggie broth or can of diced tomatoes or a diced tomato or two
1/4 to 1/2 cauliflower, depending on its size
2-3 potatoes, peeled, diced, and nuked in a casserole for 4-5 minutes
can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
frozen peas or frozen mixed veggies
Madras brand curry mix (comes in tin can, very yummy) - put in enough to make the whole curry change color

Just cook everything in a large pot, stirring occasionally for about 7-10 minutes.  Take off heat and add curry.  I like to eat with the rice and sprinkle diced raw onion or (if I use veggie broth) some diced raw tomato.

Very yummy.  It really matters to me that I get the Madras brand curry.  I've tried other curries but this one is my favorite because it's not very hot but very flavorful.  This is the kind I get, although it's cheaper at Albertson's: http://www.famousfoods.com/macupo4oz.html?ref=lexity&_vs=google&_vm=productsearch&gclid=CJfyqprwsL4CFexZ7AodTWwAZA

I get a lot of compliments about the smell of my typical lunch.  :)

(I am set up with a kitchen at work that has a fridge and microwave.)

Mrs. Frugalwoods

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #23 on: May 16, 2014, 11:19:10 AM »
Good tupperware or sandwich bags are essential.  I tend to batch cook meals once a week...

This works for us too. We cook up a huge batch-o-lunch every Sunday afternoon and then eat it all week. Usually variations on: lentils, beans, quinoa, and vegetables. Healthy, filling, and often vegan.

I agree that work is the worst food-temptress. There's ALWAYS free, unhealthy goodies (why?!) and I just have to tell myself they don't exist. This is tough because it's FREE and I am the ultimate taker of free things, but, I gotta say, I'm happier and feel better not eating this junk.

My husband was so fed up (ha!) with his office's junk snacks that he lobbied and instituted a weekly fresh fruit delivery along with the junk. Now, he gets free organic fruit at work! Maybe your office would be open to the idea? I've suggested it at mine and no traction yet... but, hope springs eternal.

dude

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #24 on: May 16, 2014, 11:35:52 AM »
Leftovers, yes, but here's what I do all the time for really good, delicious take to work lunching -- USE YOUR GRILL!

Now, I have a charcoal grill (Webber kettle), and it's just a waste to fire it up unless I'm going to throw a shitload of stuff on the grill.  And throw a shitload of stuff on the grill I do!  Go to Penzey's spices, or Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods, and get you some various spice mixtures.  Then buy big packs of chicken, beef, pork, or whatever, and rub those various cuts of meats with your various spices.  Grill them.  Put them in a big container/platter in the fridge.

Buy some vegetables as well.  I love broccoli.  I buy a few huge heads, cut them up, steam them, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, put them in a container in the fridge.   Ditto for roasted veggies like brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, carrots, etc.  Toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper, place in a roasting pan, toss them in the oven at 450F for about 40 minutes.  Put in a container and refrigerate.  The possibilities are endless (try spicing the veggies up as well -- I love cauliflower tossed with olive oil and curry powder, then roasted).  Of grill veggies -- zucchini, squash, sweet potato, peppers, onions, etc.  When you take them off the grill, put 'em in a big bowl, toss in feta/blue/goat cheese (whichever you like), a bit of balsamic vinegar, more olive oil, salt and pepper and toss.  It doesn't get any better.

Make a big pot of rice.  Put in container, refrigerate.

You can easily make 5 days worth of good, healthy, tasty meals in just a couple hours.  Portion out a lunch in your lunch container each night before you go bed.  Voila.

Ftao93

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #25 on: May 16, 2014, 11:48:06 AM »
We're big fans of burritos and stir fry for work.   Make a ton and freeze it.

This also works with soups, stews, etc.   I don't like the plastic waste but you get many uses out of them before they're recycled.

Since both of my office locations are right on outdoor 'malls' that have nothing but tempting, fattening foods, I like to bring my lunch as much as possible.

Chranstronaut

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #26 on: May 16, 2014, 11:57:58 AM »
Pasta salad is a good option in warm weather when you don't want to eat a hot meal, but something like a sandwich isn't appealing.  It's pretty easy to make and could be good for dinner too. all you need is a little time to chop veggies and cook pasta.  You can mix so many things with the pasta, but here are two I like:

Italian pasta salad-
Cooked and drained pasta
Minced white or red onion
Chopped celery, bell peppers and tomatoes (or whatever veggies you like)
Italian vinaigrette
Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top if you like
Mix in canned tuna or chicken

Honey Mustard pasta salad:
cooked and drained pasta 
Minced white or red onion
Chopped celery
Honey Mustard dressing (I like Brianna's brand)
Mix in imitation crab meat
Delicious with avocado on the side

Chickpeas or hard boiled eggs are two other protein options you could add in.


I'm sorry to hear you are having a rough time OP.  Good luck and don't feel like you're not doing enough.  Trying is enough. 

One thing I've tried to do to combat depression eating is to bring myself a treat every day, like a mini-sized candy bar or a satsuma orange.  If I let myself have a reward and know that it's waiting for me at lunch or in the afternoon, it makes it easier to not overindulge in office food.  But there have been days that it wasn't enough and it didn't work... and that's okay, too.  It can really suck, but knowing that I will try again the next day makes it a little easier to keep moving forward and not increase my negative feelings about today.

rubybeth

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #27 on: May 16, 2014, 12:03:26 PM »
I am pretty lazy when it comes to cooking in general, so for lunch lately I've been keeping a box of granola in my office and a container of yogurt in the break room fridge. I'm not sure that this is 'good,' but I usually have protein at breakfast and dinner and veggies/fruits with dinner or as an evening snack.

myDogIsFI

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #28 on: May 16, 2014, 12:10:36 PM »
Another thing to try is writing out a full meal plan for the week and getting everything ahead of time.  You're less likely to get tempted if you don't have to drive to the store at lunch time and go past all of the temptations, or make a decision when you're already hungry and stressed.

horsepoor

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Re: Good "work lunch" ideas
« Reply #29 on: May 16, 2014, 12:12:22 PM »
Leftovers, yes, but here's what I do all the time for really good, delicious take to work lunching -- USE YOUR GRILL!

Now, I have a charcoal grill (Webber kettle), and it's just a waste to fire it up unless I'm going to throw a shitload of stuff on the grill.  And throw a shitload of stuff on the grill I do!  Go to Penzey's spices, or Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods, and get you some various spice mixtures.  Then buy big packs of chicken, beef, pork, or whatever, and rub those various cuts of meats with your various spices.  Grill them.  Put them in a big container/platter in the fridge.

Buy some vegetables as well.  I love broccoli.  I buy a few huge heads, cut them up, steam them, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, put them in a container in the fridge.   Ditto for roasted veggies like brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, carrots, etc.  Toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper, place in a roasting pan, toss them in the oven at 450F for about 40 minutes.  Put in a container and refrigerate.  The possibilities are endless (try spicing the veggies up as well -- I love cauliflower tossed with olive oil and curry powder, then roasted).  Of grill veggies -- zucchini, squash, sweet potato, peppers, onions, etc.  When you take them off the grill, put 'em in a big bowl, toss in feta/blue/goat cheese (whichever you like), a bit of balsamic vinegar, more olive oil, salt and pepper and toss.  It doesn't get any better.

Make a big pot of rice.  Put in container, refrigerate.

You can easily make 5 days worth of good, healthy, tasty meals in just a couple hours.  Portion out a lunch in your lunch container each night before you go bed.  Voila.

You can put all those veggies on the grill as well.  Wrap up whole beets, potatoes or sweet potatoes in foil and let them cook in the residual heat from the charcoal.