Help---Need Budget Lunch Ideas

[RookieDisneyMom]

I want or really need to start bringing my lunch to work everyday but I don't want to have ham and cheese or chicken salad sandwhiches everyday...What do you guys pack for lunch?

 

[maggieusa]

What about lefterovers.

 

[KT27]

• salads
• crackers & cheese
• fruit salad
• pudding/jello made at home & put into 1/2 cup Tupperware
• frozen grapes
• pasta salad
• carrots & dip (or other veggies on hand)
• leftovers from dinner
• different wraps (spinach, tomato basil etc) with veggies & meat/cheese
• chicken salad & crackers
• greek salad & pita
• hummus & toasted pita wedges
• smart ones/lean cuisine
• cheese plate

 

[gk90]

English muffins with turkey, bagels & cream cheese, pretzels and cheese

We look out for hearty canned soups like Campbell's Chunky ("the soup that eats like a meal") on sale and buy as many as we can when they're $1 ~ $1.25. The kids bring 1/2 a can to school in a thermos, with crackers or pretzel sticks. Do you have access to a microwave at work? DH brings a whole can & a big bowl and heats it up in the microwave.

 

[ElizK]

I like to take leftovers, too. I'm not a big sandwich eater. If no leftovers are available I take crackers, yogurt, and a piece of fruit.

 

[sydneysmom]

my DH and I work for the same company, so it's easy to pack both our lunches each morning. We usually bring the Healthy Choice steamers, a small cup of either peas or corn and a hunts sugar free chocolate pudding. It's really very good. Sometimes we'll throw in some fruit for a snack during the day so we don't hit the vending machines.

but I'll stock up on the Healthy Choice when they go on sale at our Kroger....last time we got them for $ 1.50 each ! so that makes for cheap lunches.

Other than that, my DH will do leftovers and I'll make a salad. it's nice to see how much money you save when you bring your lunch !!

 

[blanq]

• salads
• crackers & cheese
• fruit salad
• pudding/jello made at home & put into 1/2 cup Tupperware
• frozen grapes
• pasta salad
• carrots & dip (or other veggies on hand)
• leftovers from dinner
• different wraps (spinach, tomato basil etc) with veggies & meat/cheese
• chicken salad & crackers
• greek salad & pita
• hummus & toasted pita wedges
• smart ones/lean cuisine
• cheese plate

This is a great list!

I also like to take soup. Sometimes it's homemade, but I think the canned stuff is fine too. I will bring a few crackers and maybe some laughing cow cheese to have with it.

I have a weird lunch today: leftover homemade potato salad, an apple, and a sliver of a brownie. None too healthy!

 

[swilshire]

Leftover are my first choice, but if it's slim pickings in the refrigerator, I'll buy a head of lettuce and other salad stuff and make quick salads all week. Can't wait until I can bring homegrown tomatoes every day. I also keep a few cans of soup in my office cabinet. If I find a good deal on frozen meals I'll buy a few, but I tire of them pretty fast.

Sheila

 

[MrsPooh]

I bring my lunch every day and I'm not much of a sandwich person unless it is fresh from the deli or sandwich shop so I avoid bringing sandwiches.

I bring leftovers most days. I also like to bring salads. Somedays the pantry and fridge are nearly bare so I bring whatever I find. This week two days I grabbed some shredded cheese and a tortilla and warmed it in the microwave. I brought along salsa & sour cream - it was fairly yummy.

One day about a week ago I grabbed a frozen corn dog for lunch. Everyone at lunch was drooling over it and wishing they had it. It was my lunch only because it was the only thing I could grab fast and I was running late.

 

[pezheadmeg]

I ACTUALLY DON'T DO SANDWICHES! And I'm a religious zealot of a brownbagger.

Leftovers, Leftovers, Leftovers. I have access to a microwave, so it's easy to heat up.

The other thing I do is grill up turkey burgers or chicken early in the week. Then they're good to go. Add in some sliced veggies and they are done.

I've discovered that a box of pasta can pretty much cover lunches for the week. The trick to get it to keep is to toss it with olive or canola oil as soon as you drain it.

And I always have a bag of frozen pre-cooked chicken in the freezer. Worse comes to worse, that or a lean cuisine becomes lunch.

 

[Disney845]

Assuming you have access to a microwave and fridge (or lunch sack with ice packs) for some of these

Leftovers
Hot Dogs
Ravioli (Chef Boyardee)
Cheese and Crackers
Veggies and Dip
Fruit and Yogurt
Cereal/milk
Salads
Tuna fish (on crackers, on a salad, or as a sandwich)
Tortilla scoop chips with salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream (can add ground beef, beans, corn, etc)
Chilli with corn chips


Mostly though I eat:

Smart Ones-so many varieties you can eat a different meal every day...they are high in sodium like many TV dinners, so watch that if it is a concern...I stock up when they are on sale and then I use coupons (sign up on their website for emails)

or

I like to make wraps using the Flat Out Flatbread Italian, Laughing Cow Garlic cheese spread, Boar's Head chicken from deli, cherry tomatoes, and tons of the "european mix" of the salad in a bag mixes. I will eat this with baby carrots on the side. It is a yummy and low cal lunch.

One of my coworkers brings a can of soup almost everyday (I am NOT a soup fan) or she eats those more "mature" versions of the cheapo ramen noodles (don't remember the brand...).

 

[Danemom]

I do a thing at work with 4 of my co-workers where everyone brings lunch one day of the week for all five of us. We do it to lose weight (it has to be 5 Weight Watcher points or less) but I would do it anyway because it is so much fun to be surprised for lunch everyday! I've tried so many new things this way.
Maybe you could do something like that at your job?

 

[kellia]

I am so sick of sandwiches every day!! My sons are starting to agree.

We are starting to do more of:
- wrap lunchmeat or chicken in a tortilla for a wrap
-cottage cheese
-cheese and crackers
-yogurt
-salad- put lunchmeat or leftover chicken on it
-pasta salad
leftovers!!

 

[MommyJack]

I don't have access to a microwave and usually eat lunch in the car on the run. One of my favorites is Hummus with Triscuts and a Greek Yogert. I also bring a couple of pieces of fruit and a snack bar just in case I get hungry later in the day.

 

[sunshine74]

I do a thing at work with 4 of my co-workers where everyone brings lunch one day of the week for all five of us. We do it to lose weight (it has to be 5 Weight Watcher points or less) but I would do it anyway because it is so much fun to be surprised for lunch everyday! I've tried so many new things this way.
Maybe you could do something like that at your job?

what a very cool idea! You know it will be healthy, and at the same time you only have to think about prepping lunch once a week. I love it!

 

[amylynne01]

What about making a pasta salad to have a couple of days? There are tons of variations on a pasta salad!

 

[3boymthr]

I try to bring my lunch every day and while it's not necessarily the healthiest thing in the world a can of soup is always a good lunch. I keep a can of progresso chicken noodle and a bowl and spoon in my desk for those days I forget to bring something with me. Add some crackers and I'm good to go.

 

[buzz5985]

Our family are sandwich eaters. What we will do it (depending on sales) buy a chicken, roast beef or turkey breast. Bake them, I have a slicer and I slice up the meat for sandwiches. I don't really save that much money - but we don't get the extra sodium etc found in deli meat. We will also grill chicken for salads.

 

[swilshire]

I do a thing at work with 4 of my co-workers where everyone brings lunch one day of the week for all five of us. We do it to lose weight (it has to be 5 Weight Watcher points or less) but I would do it anyway because it is so much fun to be surprised for lunch everyday! I've tried so many new things this way.
Maybe you could do something like that at your job?

LOL. We did this one summer a long time ago. Four of us picniced at a nice park near work and we went out to a restaurant on Fridays. It started simple and the male member of the group escalated it quickly because his wife always brought in something terrific. We all gained weight and the group refused to repeat it the following summer.

I often think back fondly to that summer.

The secret to taking leftovers is to plan for them over the weekend. We cook extras of various foods and bring home doggie bags if we eat out.

When we have fresh veggies in the garden I do a homemade chicken salad and wrap in tortillas. No real recipe. Just chicken, spices, tomatoes and ranch dressing. YUM!

Sheila

 

[bookgirl]

Salad with cut up deli meat or leftovers

Homemade soup (make a big batch then freeze in the round ziplock containers, grab one from the freezer, then nuke at lunch) with crackers

tortillas rolled around deli meat/lettuce/salad dressing

WW frozen entrees & cottage cheese

Crackers and hummus

Leftovers from dinner

sandwich and chips


I usually pack one of the above with a fruit (either a baggie of dried or an apple/banana, and sometimes a couple of cookies or a ff pudding cup.