pack up ideas for 12 hour shifts

[OrlandointheWilderness]

I'm a student nurse out on placement. I do shifts from 7.30am - 8pm and I'm really struggling with food! I need to shift a few pounds too, but any ideas on food?! We have tea break at about 10.30, lunch at around 1 and another 10 mins break at around 6. No diet restrictions.

Hot food flask for soup or pasta.
Boiled eggs
Hummus and pitta/breadsticks and raw veg
Nuts, apples
Babybels

I'd take a food flask for your main meal with something like beans or chilli or a stew and some sandwiches or toast to go with it and decent high protein yoghurt some fruit. Boiled eggs are also good for filling you and low calorie. Cooked chicken pieces are great for a snack (I make a batch of spicy thighs and they get used up for lunches). You could make some good flapjacks for your morning break or some protein pancakes with a yoghurt dip.

The main thing is to keep it enjoyable, filling and with good calorie/nutrient to energy balance.

A tub of overnight oats made with protein powder and some blue berries or frozen berries chucked in. Or add some tinned fruit that 's been canned in fruit juice not syrup. bananas are a great snack.

A filling soup like lentil or broth or minestrone with a decent wholegrain sandwich with ham, tuna, mackerel or chicken etc would be a decent lunch.

slices of crustless quiche or frittata? Pasta salad?

Agreeing with the food flask, my daughter has one for school because she likes hot lunches but doesn't like school dinners (except for cheese flan on Thursdays).

We do:

Bread and butter then beans/spaghetti hoops/ravioli in the flask
Porridge with stewed fruit or peanut butter and cocoa
Sausages/fish fingers or chickens nuggets in the flask with some kind of bread/hot dog bun and a little pot of sauce
Soup
Left over spaghetti bolognese/lasagna/cottage pie from last nights dinner

Just make sure you heat the flask by putting boiling water in, sealing and leaving it at least 10 minutes before you put the food in. It stays hot for at least 4 hours.

DH has the Thermos metal food flask and he makes something hot to put in about 7.30 am and it's still hot for his lunch which might not be until after 1pm. He just makes sure it's really hot from the microwave before putting into a hot flask as pp says. With a fixed school lunch/work lunch break it's easier to predict how hot you want it to be to be perfect for then DH just needs to have his lunch whenever it fits in (ambulance driver) so he might end up eating at half 11 (in which case his hot lunch is sometimes too hot) or it might be pretty late.

You could also have your hot meal at morning break and have something breakfasty in the flask.

Ohhh thank you everyone, some good ideas. We do have access to a microwave as well. I just haven't quite mastered the organisation yet!

Oh great if you have a microwave. I'd recommend the Systema microwave bowls/soup cups. Just pack in any dinner leftovers or a soup or tin of beans and sausages or something and that should keep you going :)

It takes me a while to get out of the habit of cooking for 4 when DS2 is back at Uni but it's got me in the habit of using that to make up 1 or 2 lunch sized portions of stuff in the fridge or just generally cooking a little extra for DH to take with him or for other DS and I to used up for lunch time at home.

Best of luck in your studies.

I'd add scrambled egg to the list if you have a microwave, just take a swell sealed jar/Tupperware with the egg mix in, I like 2 eggs, some cheddar, salt, pepper and spring onion or chives. Then when your ready microwave it in 30 second bursts giving it a stir each time. Will take 1 and a half to 2 mins depending on how runny you like the eggs. A nice slice of buttered sourdough bread to serve it with makes a lovely lunch.

Alternatively take a Tupperware of prepped veg like mushrooms, green beans, asparagus, baby corn. Put some seasoning and a tsp of butter in with it and a tsp of water. Put it in the microwave with the lid crocked open for 3 minutes and you end up with fresh steamed veg, then add some chicken, boiled egg or ham bits for a warm tasty salad.

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo blimey that is a step up, sounds gorgeous! Ta!

Brilliant ideas, I can stop living off prebought sandwiches and crisps 😂