Just looking for new ideas for lunches to take to work. In all honesty, I buy my lunch quite often but that adds up quickly. The little cafe is just down the street and everything is $5 so it's really not that bad (pricewise). It's just not the healthiest. Looking for some good tasting & healthy lunches/dinner/snacks. Our office has a mini-kitchen with fridge, toaster, microwave, and range. Let's hear it!
When we make dinner, we make a lot and I can usually get 2-3 lunches like that. Such as spaghetti. Make a bunch of sauce and noodles and then fill a couple tupperware containers. Last night I smoked/grilled a backstrap, made a bunch of rice and some gravy, greenbeans. We had that for dinner and there was enough for a good sized lunch. I used white rice but don't tell Vito and Hooker .
Yeah, where is Hooker? He could probably recommend some 'deconstructed' food. Or perhaps slum it with some albacore with olive oil mayonaise on escarole. :D I make big batches of chili, boiled eggs, baked squash.... fun, gassy stuff for K to eat at work. Also, roasted venison, sliced thinly for sandwiches.
Good ideas so far and I actually do a few of these things already mentioned. I boil a dozen of eggs ahead of time and grab a couple each morning. I do take leftovers when I work dayshift. It's the evenings and nights where I need help. I feel like I need something different tasting each day. I kinda envy the guy that can eat a Bologna sandwich everyday for 30 years. Talk about eating on the cheap!
I do leftovers like bruce said, also me and a co-worker split bread, peanut butter, jelly, sandwich meats and such every couple of weeks. That's pretty handy/cheap.
I grill a few boneless chicken breasts, buy a bag of croutons and a bottle of ceaser dressing, shred some lettuce and will bring it to work and will eat chicken ceaser salad for a week. Then switch it up the next week. Love some ceaser salad.
Homemade soups, chilli, crusty bread.... all kinds of things come to mind. In the summer I like to sometimes just eat a vegetable dinner. I'll boil some corn and cut it off the ear, cook some okra, black eyed peas, sliced tomatoes with some fresh mozzerella cheese and some pesto, any fresh veggie that's in season. It's good the next day to. Sometimes I just make it into a salad. On the grill I roast some summer and zuccini squash, and ear of corn, a red pepper and a couple large portabella mushrooms. I cut the squash length wise into 4 pieces...usually 2 of each. I coat them all with olive oil and salt. I cut the pepper in half and clean it out. I roast it skin side down until it turns black and you can peel off the skin. I do all the others on a fish rack. Don't want to over cook them. Mushrooms whole top side down. The ear of corn I soak in some water and then just throw it on the grill. I usually do the corn and pepper first so they can cool enough for me to slice the corn kernels off and peel the pepper. Turn the squash to get a little char on each side... but you don't want them as mush. Take them off and slice into 1 inch chunks. Cut the pepper into smaller pieces... like 1/2 inch squares. The mushrooms into 3/4 inch chunks. Throw everything in a bowl and mix. It can be reheated or eaten cold as a cold salad.
At the end of summer when I was dieting I got tired of all the whole wheat, turkey/chicken and salads. Started buying some of the weight watcher smart ones and other frozen single serve entrees. They actually have a pretty good variety of stuff that tastes good. Usually can find them on sale between one of the three main grocers in town for $1.79-$2. It's not an every day thing but it offers up some variety without breaking the bank. Breakfasts and snacks of apples, oranges and bananas. I'm living solo so when I cook it either has to be small or freezable meals. I was needing to lose a little weight as well so I was was counting calories with a phone app.
Roast beef or ham and Swiss on Italian bread. Toast in toaster oven for about 5 minutes. Delicious. I do cup noodles when I'm feeling lazy but mostly a sandwich and water and maybe a snack bag of chips or a few cookies or fruit. Frozen meals get expensive and I find most that aren't unhealthy taste bland. Oatmeal is another solid meal for lunch or breakfast. Save yourself some money and get the tube of Quaker quick oats. Add some brown sugar and milk or water.
