If You Bring Your Lunch To Work, What Do You Make?

[iheartscience]

Okay, my husband and I are officially CUT OFF from eating lunch out every single day. It''s not particularly healthy and we are spending way too much money doing it! That said, I have NEVER brought lunch to work since I started working a good 12 years ago. Every now and then I get crazy and bring leftovers, but I''ve probably done that maybe twice in the last year.

What do you bring to lunch? A good old sandwich or something more creative? I would love some easy ideas! Fresh, frozen, ramen, whatever! I''m a little picky but my husband will pretty much eat anything, and I''m willing to try anything! We both have access to fridges, microwaves, hot water dispensers, etc.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

we''re about to be cut off (again...the first time wasn''t that successful

) so I''m interested too.

Our best bets before were:
1. leftovers from dinner the night before
2. ramen and fruit or veggie--something with vitamins we only use 1/2 packet in ramen b/c it''s so salty
3. frozen kashi meals (YUM!)
4. sandwiches--cheese w/ lettuce and tomato packed separately, or PBJ for me, turkey and cheese or ham and cheese for DH

 

[rierie26]

I try to always bring my lunch to work as well for the same reasons. I try to make enough food at night for dinner and then for lunch the next day. If there''s not enough I''ll usually bring a sandwich. I like to take everything separate and assemble it open-face style at work - makes me feel fancy, even if I''m only having turkey and cheese.

. Recently I''ve been making salad on toast. Basically what it sounds like, toasted bread topped with mayo, salad mix, whatever veggies you like, avocado, salt and freshly ground pepper -- open-face style of course.

Yum!

One thing I really like to make for dinner is pizza from scratch. It''s super easy - just throw together a dough, top with whatever you want, bake it off and it''s even better than takeout pizza the next day (and day afters, depending on how much you eat).

 

[wsu12]

I started bringing my lunch about a year ago when we stopped using any and all credit cards, paid them off and closed them. Bravo to you for recognizing the waste that is purchasing lunch out every day.

With that said I bring some variation of the following:
Greek Salad
Chef Salad
Tuna

Most people think this is boring but I have been eating almost the same thing daily and have yet to get tired of it. Then again, I love salad.

 

[swingirl]

I don''t any more but when I used to take my lunch to work I''d take leftovers. I bought a couple divided plates with covers. I always cooked extra for dinner and while I was putting away the leftovers I made up a plate or 2 for myself for lunches. It worked perfectly because it took care of leftovers using only one container. The portions were controlled by the divided sections. And it was ready to go the next morning. My co-workers would drool over my "real" food.

 

[elrohwen]

Usually just a sandwich and maybe a piece of fruit. Tuna, chicken, and egg salad are my favs. A lot of people I worked with just brought frozen lunches, but I feel like this might cost just as much as a cheap lunch in the cafeteria.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I took big salads occasionally, but had to give up on sandwiches, leftovers etc. My problem is that it would be gone by about 11am. Can''t leave it alone and can''t concentrate on work if there''s something nice shouting to me from the fridge.

I''d end up eating the nice thing as a morning snack then going to the staff restaurant about 2pm.

Salads didn''t tempt me, so they were safe. I like a huge bowl of leafy green salad with just a little coleslaw or potato salad to mix through at lunchtime. A handful of almonds and raisins was useful for dessert, too.

 

[Dandi]

We get provided with fresh bread at work and have a sandwich toaster, so I usually just bring fillings... ham/cheese/tomato toastie is a fav

I love tuna too. Cooking meals for two often isn''t easy, so there''s usually leftovers if it''s spaghetti or casserole. Most people I work with bring big salads with egg and ham in them, and maybe flatbread or pita to roll salad in, yummy! A tub of cottage cheese is always good too, I love the stuff!

I ALWAYS have a yoghurt and banana too

 

[zoebartlett]

I usually bring leftovers (but my husband gets something out every day). Sometimes I bring a frozen meal but I haven't found one I really like, so I don't do that often. If I bring something other than leftovers, it's usually a sandwich, fruit, and crackers.

 

[missy]

I have been bringing my lunch to work for almost as long as I have been working because I am so picky about what I eat and it is a nice side effect saving money as prices here are crazy.

I usually make a spinach salad with red and yellow peppers and celery and cranberries and green peas with a protein such as chick peas or black beans or edamame and I add cut up fruit in the salad for sweetness. If I am feeling energetic I grill veggies and add that to the salad.

I also always bring a midday (though I often eat it earlier LOL) snack such as fruit and almonds and walnuts.

In the past my dh always went out for his lunch but since the recession I have been making him lunch for at least 3 days of the work week with him eating out 1-2 days of the week. I usually make him a whole wheat or multigrain sandwich with turkey slices and Jarlsberg cheese with mayo. Sometimes I make him a PB&J sandwich.

 

[Tuckins1]

I usually bring a lean cuisine meal, and a whole raw cucumber/green pepper/carrots... whatever veggies I have in the house. I also like to have a yogurt, or cottage cheese with fresh berries. I try to only take healthy foods so that even if I am starving and eat a lot, it is all healthy stuff instead of snacking on chips or other junk.

 

[PinkTower]

I teach and am with my class during lunch. I usually keep canned soup handy at home and throw a can in my bag every day, with a spoon and a bowl. I stop and buy a large tea on my way to work every morning. I finish that ( room temp) at lunch. It isn''t anything to get excited about, but the prep the night before is mindless, so I like the tradeoff.
Some days, I will bring a bit of leftovers. Today I have a little salad of romaine, olives, parmesan, croutons, w/ dressing separately.
I went through a phase of Lean Cuisines, and I am over it. You just get sick of them all of a sudden.

 

[megumic]

We take lunch everyday and it saves us more than $75/week! Plus the calories...

Here are some of our usual suspects:
PBJ
Salad
Tuna
Chicken salad (usually from left over dinner chicken)
frozen meals (we find the deals that are 5/$10 - some flavors are getting better like thai peanut chicken!)
Leftovers
-spaghetti and meatballs
-chili
-fajita fillings w/beans
-quiche

 

[kama_s]

At my current job, we have a fully stocked kitchen including breakfast, lunch and snacks (for free). There is a board where we can put down our meal requests for the week. It''s SO awesome to not have to worry about packing lunch the night before!!

When I used to work/study elsewhere, I''d pack a sandwich for lunch - smoked turkey or ham, slice of cheese, special mustard and lettuce on whole grain bread or sometimes ciabatta when I was feeling unhealthy. Plus, cut veggies and fruit. Alternatively, I would pack leftovers from the night before. In the winter, I''d bring a can of soup.

 

[smiles]

My best lunches are usually left overs but if there are none I will take a big salad with either meet or feta/goat cheese in it and I always take LOTS of snacks. Fresh fruits and veggies to snack on all through the day. I will try and take something sweet as well because otherwise I will always be tempted to go out and get a chocolate bar or something - lately its been this Kashi granola cereal that is very sweet but still pretty nutritious and takes care of the craving. Best leftovers to date have been salmon (if I think it will be dry I squirt a tiny bit of maple syrup on it before closing up the container in the morning and it tastes delicious and another fave is chicken with rice and potatoes and a bruschetta topping. I try and assemble it all the night before because I have ZERO motivation in the AM into one container to just pop into a microwave~

 

[Laila619]

DH takes his lunch to work pretty much every day. Here's what he brings:

Ham sandwich on rye with cheese and lettuce
Chips (Baked Lays) or crackers
Apple
Fun size mini candy bar for dessert

He's also been known to take leftover spaghetti or pizza if we had it the night before.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

My usual choices are either leftovers or I make PB&J and bring chips.

 

[mayerling]

Usually previous night''s left-overs.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I try to bring my lunch every day, but the problem is that I HAAATE cold cut sandwiches. I don''t know why, but it''s a problem.

As part of the "let''s eat out less" plan, I started cooking on week nights. Over the past several months, I''ve focused on recipes that tend to reheat pretty well. Pasta is a no-brainer--I make that on nights where I''m feeling lazy and it reheats easily. I also like quiches, stews/soups/chilis, and casseroles! Last night I made meatloaf with roasted potatoes, which heats up nicely. And while I hate cold cut sandwiches, I do love leftover paninis. They are really easy to make at home and I always use white truffle olive oil, which for some reason seems to taste better the next day when the sandwich is cold. I can grab it out of the fridge and not reheat at all.

DH seems to really like tuna fish and crackers for lunch, so on nights that I don''t cook (or there are no leftovers), he''ll just bring that in for lunch.

 

[CurlySue]

I bring stuff to work every day, not only to save money but to watch what I eat. I eat something every few hours, so I load up a bag full of lots of goodies.

I''m pretty boring, but this works for me. I bring yogurt, a small bag of grapes, a banana or apple, a small box of raisins, a baggie full of baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, a few pieces of string cheese, a half-sandwich (usually turkey on wheat with lettuce/spicy mustard), and then a small sweet treat. I tend to get most of my day''s worth of fruits and veggies taken care of during the day.

One thing I found to be helpful is to plan out all my lunches on Sunday. After I get back from the grocery store, I pre-portion and bag everything up so that in the mornings (when I am usually running late), all I need to do is grab it out of the fridge and run out the door. It gives me fewer excuses not to bring food when it''s ready to go.

 

[sctsbride09]

I pack my DH a lunch every day, here are a few of the items he likes best..

leftovers from previous night (seems to be popular)

italian subs

homemade burritos / tamales

fried chicken ( I will make a huge batch and freeze half about once a month)

meatball subs (ditto above, sub roll packed seperate)

and for snacking homemade cookies of the week, a piece of fruit, and sometimes chips.

Packing a lunch is great, it tastes better and saves money! Win-win in my book

 

[PumpkinPie]

I have ALWAYS brought my lunch for work since I started working 12 years ago. The times I bought something for lunch I could probably count on both hands

at the moment, it''s either leftovers from supper or since we have a fridge at work I''ve been bringing in raw fruits and veggies and yogurt and nuts so I just make a bit of a buffet for lunch. The variety keeps it interesting and since I know I won''t buy anything, it forces me to eat healthy at lunch

 

[purselover]

If I''m not buying lunch I usually will bring in a bag of grapes or a container of berries, carrot/some type of veggie sticks, hummus, yogurt and granola. These things are great to just stick in the fridge and eat over a few days.

 

[LadyBlue]

I bring lunch to work everyday.

What I do is, I cook every Sunday, I make a whole meal that consist in: Chicken or beef and vegetables, rice and beans. I pack it in 5 containers, I put 3 in the freezer and 2 in the refrigerator.

 

[stephbolt]

FI and I used to make sandwiches or salads, but we realized planning and lunch packing would be much more efficient if we just took leftovers. So we always try to cook enough for at least 4 servings and pack it up right as we are serving up dinner.

 

[partgypsy]

I''m pretty lazy so often I default to my usual which is peanut butter sandwich, piece of fruit and yogurt. Or cold cut sandwich, or small container of hummus with cut up pita.

Better is leftovers (including left over pizza slices) and also love the lean cuisine and amy''s burritos. Look for sales and stock up.

When I can''t stomach another pb sandwich, my work has a couple inexpensive options, like 1/2 sandwich deal for 2.50 and the cup of soup. If I get one of their regular sandwiches I typically save half for the next day. Even if I plan on buying a sandwich I bring a piece of fruit or nuts or something else to fill me up. My weakness is sweets, so I also have in the office some kind of treat (box of cookies, bag of mini reeces cups) so I can have a couple with my afternoon tea.

Because my lunches are so bland, I sometimes go into cravings for something more spicy or exotic, which means breaking down about once a month and getting noodles or sushi from nearby restaurants. Moral of the story: I need to learn how to cook Thai food!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

8 times out of 10 I''ll bring leftovers with extra snacks to get me through the day. I also bring breakfast. The other two times I''ll bring salad or a sandwich which are supplemented by the snacks and breakfast I bring. You are definitely going to see a rise in your grocery bill, but it ''should'' be a lot less than what you collectively spend eating out during the week. The shock of seeing your grocery bill rise by $50 or so dollars a week is a big adjustment, but it''s worth it if you can stick with the plan. So be sure to NOT pack a lunch and then abandon it to go out. This is one of the more challenging things about bringing your lunch to work.

 

[Callisto]

Date: 4/20/2010 10:24:21 AM
Author: gaby06

I bring lunch to work everyday.

What I do is, I cook every Sunday, I make a whole meal that consist in: Chicken or beef and vegetables, rice and beans. I pack it in 5 containers, I put 3 in the freezer and 2 in the refrigerator.

That''s a really great idea. I may start doing something like that. I love cooked veggies and beans and rice and don''t mind them being rewarmed, but I don''t have the energy to make it every day and we rarely have leftovers.

 

[Callisto]

Date: 4/20/2010 9:31:49 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady
I try to bring my lunch every day, but the problem is that I HAAATE cold cut sandwiches. I don''t know why, but it''s a problem.

I feel you NEL - I hate cold meat. I tried to force myself to bring sandwhiches for a few months but I really just suffer through lunch. At home I always grill my sandwhiches so its not an issue but its not possible to do at work. I can''t really even meat that is rewarmed so that causes problems too. I''ve started taking vegetarian lunches for the most part.

T2o2- If you want some good frozen options SO and I like the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers - they''re bowls of veggies and meat and sauce, however we aren''t a big fan of their asian options for that. We like the Mediterranean and other ones better. I also am really starting to get hooked on Amy''s brand frozen lunches. I love her mexican rice bowl... YUM! They are a bit pricier since its mostly organic stuff so I just wait til they go on sale usually.

 

[TooPatient]

My office needs a microwave

Or at least a refrigerator.


FI and I took an all day class a couple of weeks ago (during Passover) and brought a thermos of matza ball soup (with little mini matza balls), fresh cut mango, cumin-carrot salad, and a couple of macaroons for dessert.


ETA: REI has a great thermos. Our soup went in about 7 in the morning. 5 hours later (sitting in a cold room -- 45 degrees) it was still REALLY hot for lunch. We got home around 7:30/8:00 and the rest of the soup was still hot. (hot enough to be safe to eat still)