Creative Take-to-Work Lunches

[trenty]

What is your favorite take-to-work lunch that does not require re-heating at work or that can be kept warm in a thermos if necessary?

 

[disneychrista]

My go to is usually just a Turkey Sandwich, apple (cut into slices) and chips or crackers.

I am trying to increase my veggies and decrease my "carbs" so too am looking for new things to take. The only thing came up with is to make veggie soup and put it in the thermos.

 

[trenty]

My go to is usually just a Turkey Sandwich, apple (cut into slices) and chips or crackers.

I am trying to increase my veggies and decrease my "carbs" so too am looking for new things to take. The only thing came up with is to make veggie soup and put it in the thermos.

Me too - or egg salad. Trying to change it up a bit.

 

[JenLovesMM]

I do what I call picnic lunch. When we go on a picnic as a family, I bring a variety of things in containers and everyone makes up their own plate. I basically do the same with my lunch and then I can vary with what I have/want each day. Examples of what I put in: boiled eggs, cheese, deli meat, almonds, prepped fruits and veggies with a dipping sauce. Sometimes I add crackers. I find this allows me variety while including both veggies and protein. This is also my go-to kind of lunch when I am going away somewhere for the day or out doing errands over a meal time.

 

[DisneyTexan]

Do a google search for lunch bowl recipes. Getting a few recipes together is initially a hassle, but now I have 7 or 8 recipes with notes so that the Sunday afternoon cooking goes reasonably quick. It is quite a production line on Sunday, but I love to be able to just get a bowl out of the refrigerator in the morning as I leave for work.

 

[KPeterso]

I have access to a microwave at work for my lunches. But for the thermos, there are tons of different types of soup. I like to make a big pot of homemade soups on Sundays that I can then eat off all week for lunch at work. I make split pea, chicken and rice, minestrone, lentil, navy bean. And by the time I get through the list, I am ready for the first one again. Works really well and super easy.

 

[_19disnA]

Several people where I work use those insulated bags to keep their lunch cold and at their desk until time to eat. This gives you a lot of flexibility on what to bring and you don't have to put it in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage (if your office even has one.) The refrigerators we have usually aren't anything you would want to put your food in since too many people are careless, spill things or somehow 'forget' the still have leftovers stored there.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

My fav is a chicken Caesar wrap. When we have leftover chicken we cut it into small chunks, put in small Rubbermaid container and do the same with lettuce, finely shredded Mexican cheeses or mozzarella, Caesar dressing and a flat bread. I pack these in separate containers so one ingredient doesn't change the texture of another. Once I go to lunch I pull open the wrap, put some dressing on, add all the ingredients, and roll it up. I usually bring some sliced cucumbers to dip in the leftover Caesar dressing. It's very filling. I eat lunch at noon and dinner at 6 and I'm good until around 5 pm. If I liked tomatoes and onions, I'd add those too but I don't.

ETA: we keep the wraps all rolled up and wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer. We'd never be able to use up a whole pack before they go bad.

 

[trenty]

Several people where I work use those insulated bags to keep their lunch cold and at their desk until time to eat. This gives you a lot of flexibility on what to bring and you don't have to put it in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage (if your office even has one.) The refrigerators we have usually aren't anything you would want to put your food in since too many people are careless, spill things or somehow 'forget' the still have leftovers stored there.

Yes - I have one. Just need some more ideas on what to put in it! LOL

 

[trenty]

My fav is a chicken Caesar wrap. When we have leftover chicken we cut it into small chunks, put in small Rubbermaid container and do the same with lettuce, finely shredded Mexican cheeses or mozzarella, Caesar dressing and a flat bread. I pack these in separate containers so one ingredient doesn't change the texture of another. Once I go to lunch I pull open the wrap, put some dressing on, add all the ingredients, and roll it up. I usually bring some sliced cucumbers to dip in the leftover Caesar dressing. It's very filling. I eat lunch at noon and dinner at 6 and I'm good until around 5 pm. If I liked tomatoes and onions, I'd add those too but I don't.

ETA: we keep the wraps all rolled up and wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer. We'd never be able to use up a whole pack before they go bad.

Thanks! This is the type of thing I am looking for.

 

[ZJ5/9D47]

PB or hummus sandwich on homemade whole wheat bread and a sliced apple or carrots. I prefer to spend as little time as possible prepping and cleaning up my work meals.

 

[LovesTimone]

So this is perfect timing... DH works in essential services, and has been so busy and with everything shut down when everything started he had to get something more than drive thru, fast food... In some of the places that he would have to go, there wasn't even the option to get fast food... So he started taking his lunch... and since we live in Florida and its hot and humid something that would not be to heavy... Even now with things opening up and returning to normal, he has decided to keep taking his lunch...

So not in any order...

If he is going to be in the field here's a combo of what you will find in his lunch bag
Pepperoni
Smoked sausage like summer sausage the all beef,
Ham, - from a whole ham that I made
Turkey - from a couple of turkey breast that I roasted.
Boiled eggs, you can add a bit of salad dressing to them
Pickles
baby Carrots with some type of dip or salad dressing for dipping.
Cheese - sticks, string cheese, babybells, sliced chunks off a block
Cheese wrapped with prosciutto
Grapes, Cherries, apples a couple of times...
I have made like green salads, and chef salads... it make sure to put the dressing in a small container...or the salad will get gross.
Left over potato salad, pasta salad
Fruit cups
Crackers, like the lance peanut butter.
100 calorie pack of cookies, Motts gummy fruits
bottled water and gatorade and a diet coke once in a while.

He has an insulated bag, and we use a gel freezer pack on the bottom, and a couple others small freezer packs to keep everything cold...
another tip is making sure you have on hand different sizes plastic containers, and ziplocs to put everything in... I found these baby salt and pepper shakers, and plenty of napkins, and plastic fork and knives...

When he is in the office and knows he will be there around lunch time, to be able to use the microwave..
He takes left overs from whatever we had for dinner that week or hit the grill over the weekend...

When I was working outside of our home, in a office... I took my lunch... if you have access to a microwave to warm things up...
basically leftovers from week nights dinners or the weekend from the grill...
or I would make and take some of the following...
Egg Salad
Chicken Salad, Turkey salad - all fancied up, with things like cranberries, and other dried fruit, or mandarin oranges, peas, or edamame
Pasta salad
Potato salad
Taco salad - leftover taco meat, and left over cheese, lettuce, tomato, or you can bring a tortilla to warm up and have a burrito, or break up the taco shells and use like chips to eat the all the goodies with.
Pickles - olives
Broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots, celery sticks, grape tomatoes with sometime to dip them in
Salad everything from a basic green salad to a full on chef salad and anything in between...
Crackers of all sorts
any type of berries, cherries, grapes
Ham, Turkey, Roastbeef, Chicken - I would slice them ahead of time to make it less messy at lunch...
Roasted potatoes and other root veggies
Summer Chili
Homemade Chicken noodle soup
Beef stew
BBQ pork and a bun for a Pork sandwich.
Fruit cups, 100 calories cookies, Motts gummy snacks, peanuts, or mixed nuts...

In my desk drawer, I had a can or two of Progresso soup, crackers, and a box of 100 calories cookies or snacks.. I even went as far as to bring a 12 pack of drinks and keep under my desk. Again it is important to have lots of different size plastic containers, different size ziploc, plastic utensil's, napkins, salt and pepper either packet or small containers. I would use any left over napkins from parties, or birthday, holiday gathering for my lunch, this way they did not go to waste, and it made me smile when I would sit down to eat... My co-workers always thought it was a hoot, and wanted to see what napkin I brought this week, it made for some small talk...

 

[trenty]

So this is perfect timing... DH works in essential services, and has been so busy and with everything shut down when everything started he had to get something more than drive thru, fast food... In some of the places that he would have to go, there wasn't even the option to get fast food... So he started taking his lunch... and since we live in Florida and its hot and humid something that would not be to heavy... Even now with things opening up and returning to normal, he has decided to keep taking his lunch...

So not in any order...

If he is going to be in the field here's a combo of what you will find in his lunch bag
Pepperoni
Smoked sausage like summer sausage the all beef,
Ham, - from a whole ham that I made
Turkey - from a couple of turkey breast that I roasted.
Boiled eggs, you can add a bit of salad dressing to them
Pickles
baby Carrots with some type of dip or salad dressing for dipping.
Cheese - sticks, string cheese, babybells, sliced chunks off a block
Cheese wrapped with prosciutto
Grapes, Cherries, apples a couple of times...
I have made like green salads, and chef salads... it make sure to put the dressing in a small container...or the salad will get gross.
Left over potato salad, pasta salad
Fruit cups
Crackers, like the lance peanut butter.
100 calorie pack of cookies, Motts gummy fruits
bottled water and gatorade and a diet coke once in a while.

He has an insulated bag, and we use a gel freezer pack on the bottom, and a couple others small freezer packs to keep everything cold...
another tip is making sure you have on hand different sizes plastic containers, and ziplocs to put everything in... I found these baby salt and pepper shakers, and plenty of napkins, and plastic fork and knives...

When he is in the office and knows he will be there around lunch time, to be able to use the microwave..
He takes left overs from whatever we had for dinner that week or hit the grill over the weekend...

When I was working outside of our home, in a office... I took my lunch... if you have access to a microwave to warm things up...
basically leftovers from week nights dinners or the weekend from the grill...
or I would make and take some of the following...
Egg Salad
Chicken Salad, Turkey salad - all fancied up, with things like cranberries, and other dried fruit, or mandarin oranges, peas, or edamame
Pasta salad
Potato salad
Taco salad - leftover taco meat, and left over cheese, lettuce, tomato, or you can bring a tortilla to warm up and have a burrito, or break up the taco shells and use like chips to eat the all the goodies with.
Pickles - olives
Broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots, celery sticks, grape tomatoes with sometime to dip them in
Salad everything from a basic green salad to a full on chef salad and anything in between...
Crackers of all sorts
any type of berries, cherries, grapes
Ham, Turkey, Roastbeef, Chicken - I would slice them ahead of time to make it less messy at lunch...
Roasted potatoes and other root veggies
Summer Chili
Homemade Chicken noodle soup
Beef stew
BBQ pork and a bun for a Pork sandwich.
Fruit cups, 100 calories cookies, Motts gummy snacks, peanuts, or mixed nuts...

In my desk drawer, I had a can or two of Progresso soup, crackers, and a box of 100 calories cookies or snacks.. I even went as far as to bring a 12 pack of drinks and keep under my desk. Again it is important to have lots of different size plastic containers, different size ziploc, plastic utensil's, napkins, salt and pepper either packet or small containers. I would use any left over napkins from parties, or birthday, holiday gathering for my lunch, this way they did not go to waste, and it made me smile when I would sit down to eat... My co-workers always thought it was a hoot, and wanted to see what napkin I brought this week, it made for some small talk...

Thank you. This helps! I want to avoid using the shared microwave at work. But many of these will work in a thermos.

 

[The WDW 3]

This is my go to packed lunch...

turkey, lettuce, mayo on bread.
Yogurt
Cheese or fruit
Water or iced tea

I use 4 ice packs in my lunch cooler and it’s fine being in my car for at least The 4 hours before I eat.

 

[LovesTimone]

Thank you. This helps! I want to avoid using the shared microwave at work. But many of these will work in a thermos.

I worked in large office with only one small pitiful microwave, and I can totally see not wanting to wait to use it, so that you have more time to sit without rushing through your lunch... I would take my food in a thermos, that was made for thing like this, it was like short and squatty looking... and was about 50 years old that was my grandfathers, and it would keep things hot for 6 hours...

Once it gave out, I got another thermos, that was just okay... maybe a couple of hours and it would be warm... So I did this little trick, When I would go on my break, at 10:30 I could or would warm up my lunch, in a plastic bowl that I would bring from home, and then return it to the thermos so that it would be hotter at my lunch time which was 1:00 or later depending on how many people did not come back on time from lunch... then when I finally made to the break-room there would be a long line waiting for other to warm up their food... I could just sit down and eat instead of waiting...

I would spend for a good thermos if this is something that you plan on doing for the long term. It would be worth the investment... there is something call and electric lunch box, that my SIL requested Christmas this year... he works out of his truck so this would be really great for him... it plugs in to a normal outlet and the car as well... you can check it out on Amazon, is around 35.00 bucks... reviews are pretty good...

 

[Cynt]

I like the tuna packs with crackers, fruit, carrot sticks and bottled water. Walmart and Krogers will have those tuna packs 10/$10. That's when I stock up on all the different flavors. You can also toss them on top of salads.

 

[JenLovesMM]

I got another thermos, that was just okay... maybe a couple of hours and it would be warm...

Do you warm your thermos for a few minutes with boiling hot water prior to putting the warmed up food in? That's what we do and it stays hot much longer. Otherwise your warm food transfers its heat to the cold thermos.