Taking Work To Lunch Ideas

[hffmnheidi]

I will be going back to work next month and need some lunch ideas.

-I don't have a fridge in my classroom and can't leave my class, so the lunch ideas have to fit in a lunch bag with a cooler pack
-They have to be healthy, of course, since I am trying to loose about 60 more pounds
-They have to be able to be made/put together the night before since I have to be at work at 7:15 in the morning

Thanks!

 

[Justsyd2]

I usually take single servings of Hummus, Crackers, Mini Babybel cheese, and grapes. You can also take salad fixings with grilled chicken strips, Tuna kits, a Thermos of soup, Chicken/Turkey Wraps, etc.

 

[DISdreamin']

I am laughing so hard right now...I know it was a slip of the fingers, but taking work to lunch is priceless!

Seriously, though, I do sandwiches and salads in a cooler bag. Another idea is veggies, fruit and nuts. If you have a wide-mouth thermos, soup is a great idea too, except you might find you need to do that the morning of (heat it up), but at least you could make up a big batch and just reheat.

 

[Irin997]

To get me through the day I pack in a cooler bag:

Light & Fit Yogurt
Sandwich made with wrap or sandwich thins, swiss, and turkey
Some kind of fruit that is on sale (this week is watermelon & bluberries!)
Sliced cucumbers and carrots with hummus to dip
Protein Bar

So this is morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Turkey wraps are great to pack up for lunch, just watch what veggies you use and dressing - if you make it the night before, they can get soggy.

Have you tried the healthy choice pasta things??? Do you have access to a microwave??
I will take soups, sandwiches, leftovers, etc. Pack a salad maybe?? You could probably hit up Sam's or Costco and find little 2oz portion cups for your dressing since you don't have a fridge handy to keep your whole bottle there.

 

[bookgirl]

I make a variety of stuff that wouldn't need more than a cold pack and no microwave.

PB&cheese sandwiches
Turkey or Ham & cheese sandwiches
(toast your bread the night before, let cool then make your sandwich. Toast seems to stand up to a night in the fridge better)

Also will put sandwich stuffings in a baggie and take a tortilla with me to make a wrap. Make sure your tortilla is NOT in the cool area as it rolls better at room temp.

Salad with chopped up chicken everything in container the night before except dressing.

Pasta salad

Hummus and veggies or wheat crackers

Hot dogs are usually pretty good without a lot of heating up but they can be put in hot water in a thermos.

Soup heated up then put in a thermos (did this while in college) was still warm enough by 12 to eat with crackers no cream based soups only broth based.

I never did caseroles in a thermos because I don't think it's hot enough to keep it out of bacteria range.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I make chicken salad with olive oil mayo and cut up grapes, apples, and pecans (or almonds) and take a whole wheat pita or crackers to eat along with it (or put the chicken salad inside the pita if I feel like it) and eat mini carrots on the side.

Or I make a salsa with black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, chopped scallions, red pepper, and cilantro and eat it with baked tortilla chips.

I'll also make a healthy broccoli and cheddar soup on the weekends sometimes and bake some potatoes. Then I grab the potato, split it open and pour some of the soup on top and microwave at work with a little more low fat shredded cheese on top.

Pasta salad is good this time of the year. I make the dressing from the Good Seasons dry packets (with canola oil, olive oil tends to coagulate when it gets cold) then (after the dressing has sat) add either whole wheat pasta or the Dreamfields pasta and olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper (and any other veggie you like) with a little parmesan cheese.

There's always healthy sandwiches too. I like to roast a turkey breast on Sunday and that gives me enough meat to make quite a few sandwiches. I love a turkey sandwich on Arnold Deli Thins with swiss cheese and avocado.

 

[Kitzka]

I am a big fan of pasta salad. i don't like it to get too snoggy so i bring the dressing or oil separate and mix that with the pasta and veggies before i eat it.

i don't like sandwiches so salads are a biggie for me.

One thing i got was a very small fridge like this one http://www.pbteen.com/products/solid-mini-cooler/?pkey=x|4|1||6|mini fridge||0&cm_src=SCH

it's suppose to hold cans of soda but i put little containers of dressing, hummus etc in it.

i did not get this one but found a similar one at target for about $10 less. its so small it fits on my office desk and people barely notice it.

Lara

 

[ceecee]

My stand bys are Melba Toast and cheese or salads.

 

[Irin997]

One thing i got was a very small fridge like this one http://www.pbteen.com/products/solid-mini-cooler/?pkey=x|4|1||6|mini fridge||0&cm_src=SCH

it's suppose to hold cans of soda but i put little containers of dressing, hummus etc in it.

i did not get this one but found a similar one at target for about $10 less. its so small it fits on my office desk and people barely notice it.

Lara

Do you have a link to the Target cooler thing?? That would be perfect for my office!

 

[mommycrawford]

My DD takes maki rolls and either yogurt or a salad, plus some fruit Every blasted day! Healthy, so I shouldn't balk, but I am tired of making sushi rice!!

BTW, I believe BuyBuyBaby has a cooler like the above, and there are usually coupons floating around!

 

[aboveH20]

I have just about the same thing for lunch everyday because it is easy (and I have low expectations for lunch ). This idea won't appeal to everyone, but it works for me, and did I mentione the easy part?

I buy a pound of turkey ham and two loaves of high fiber wheat bread (80 calories a slice, but you could use any bread.) I get the turkey ham because I can put mustard on it. Then I make 8-10 sandwiches and put them in sandwich bags and freeze them. I also buy a bag of the small carrots and portion then out, usually into 10 bags. I get a bag of apples, and I freeze water in Gatorade or Powerade bottles. The water is my drink at lunch and helps to keep the lunch cool.

Before work I put a sandwich, bag of carrots, and apple into my lunch bag along with my bottle of water. My lunch is economical, healthy, I can do 2 weeks at a time, and just to review. . . it's EASY.