Healthy work lunch struggling for ideas.

[Ihopeyourcakeisshit]

I've recently started a new job, have half an hour for lunch.
I don't want sandwiches every day ( trying to lower my crap carbs a bit) and we are not allowed a microwave.
I've ended up eating crap stuff like pasties all week just to have something warm and filling.
All ideas welcome.

Well, pasties are as bad as sarnies for carbs, surely?
Could you get a food flask and take cous cous or something? I don't like to use mine for soup or stews because I only like them scalding hot, but I don't mind cous cous (with roasted vege) Luke warm.

Yes I know pasties are as bad as sarnies for carbs.
I don't really want to eat either, but I've ended up being hungry and wanted to eat something warm, so grabbed a pasty or a sandwich.
I wanted to try and get more organised but am out of inspiration.

I take soup in a Chilly bottle.
Do you have access to a microwave? If so, the world is your oyster in terms of leftovers.
Or thermos flask if you need hot.

No I have microwave access.
It's just going to have to be soup in a flask isn't it.
Then salads in summer.

No microwave access that should say.

Classic Mumsnet!

OP in her opening post: no microwave access.

One of the first questions: do you have access to a microwave? 🤣

I know

Buy a food flask then you can take warm stuff in it - soup for example or leftovers.

Maybe try a 'thanks' instead of all the hmm faces?

If you want warm, you need a flask. Spanish omelette is nice at room temperature. I sometimes mix a packet of flavoured microwave rice with bits and bobs like tinned sweetcorn. fried mushrooms, bit of cheese and take in a food flask. It makes enough for a couple of days.

@Scarby9

I take soup in a Chilly bottle. Do you have access to a microwave? If so, the world is your oyster in terms of leftovers. Or thermos flask if you need hot.

Does the Chilly bottle keep the soup really really hot?

A flask with soup or dahl or even pasta

Overnight oats are great for a portable lunch, ass different fruits or even cinnamon

Salads, pasta salads, crackers and cheese

Not necessarily healthy but naked noodles are popular where I work.
Salads are not just for summer!
There are some really good food flasks on the market - sho for example that will keep food hot until lunch time.

If you're using a flask or bottle heat it with boiling water before you add your hot food to keep it warm for longer

I gave one hmm face in response to the non reader.
Thanks for your contribution.

I am the same. Have to eat in the car. I am so bored of salads.

Overnight oats are great, as PP. I usually use tinned pears or tinned peaches in mine. They are quite filling too.

Ratatouille in a food flask
An avocado and a hot drink (maybe a sachet of Miso soup)

@dancemom

If you're using a flask or bottle heat it with boiling water before you add your hot food to keep it warm for longer

Someone suggested this on here a few months ago. I was surprised by how much of a difference it made. My curry was almost too hot to eat when I started warming my thermos up!

Get a thermos food flask. Keeps food fairly warm (if you ensure you heat it with boiling water first). Then you can have leftovers or whatever you fancy.

I think overnight oats might seem too breakfasty?
I do love an omelette though and also ratatouille.
Much obliged peeps.

I take overnight oats or yoghurt with granola and some fruit.
Tuna with mayonnaise or tuna and cannellini beans and a little onion.
We often have roast veg in various guises and a portion of that cold is lovely.
Cold sausages or boiled eggs with some salad or fruit.

Flasks for soup or food flasks for things like stew. You can cook a stew overnight in a slow cooker and then put it in a food flask for work.

Hugh F-W does a sort of home made pot noodle, prep the day before then just add boiling water.

Have a stash of fruit and other snacks on your desk.

I have a 'bento' lunch box with different compartments so I can do:

1-carb - noodles, rice, cous cous, bread, maybe a few crisps
1-protein - cheese, hard boiled eggs, chicken
1- veg - salad (with a nice dressing in a screw top jar) green beans, steamed asparagus, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, corn on the cob (cooked obviously) pepper strips
1-fruit - a satsuma, slices of melon, grapes, cherry tomatoes
1-treat - dried fruit/nuts/ chocolate if I'm having veg sticks I might make this a dip or hummus

It means I don't need to think too much or do a lot of prep.

Obviously you can change the fruit to veg or leave out the carbs altogether but the compartments make it easy to have a variety of foods.

Wrap

Rice salad (I mix rice with lettuce, onion and cucumber top with a spicy peanut soy dressing and add chicken on top)

Sandwiches with bell pepper instead of bread.

Honestly though - you don't want sandwiches bc of carbs but then buy pasties. Just take the sandwiches! Carbs aren't bad for you.

Try Warburtons sandwich thins?

I've taken jacket potato in a food flask. I had cold toppings so put those in a tub to add at lunch time. Worked well.

I've also taken soup and it stays pretty hot in a flask.

Home-made Pot Noodle

In a jar/flask/pot of some sort put:

Nest of fine noodles
Stock cube
Dried chilli
Garlic
Ginger
Blob of ketchup
Cornflour

Then whatever veg takes your fancy, chopped finely. I use:
Mushrooms
Carrots
Courgette
Sweetcorn
Spring onion
Pak choi

You could also use some small bits of meat.

All you have to do is full the pot with boiling water and leave for 15 mins. Best if you decant and give the sauce a mix before adding but I usually don’t bother.