Trying to stop buying meal deals and having crap lunches in general

[AlansFungalFootPowder]

I manage to do all the ultra important things in life like keeping documents in a file, paying bills and hitting work deadlines. But anything I can “get away with” I am lazy about. I pay for a cleaner, buy convenience food, begrudge doing laundry etc. I am really fed up of eating a crap meal deal for lunch, but would like to hear from anyone who has been like me in the past but found a few go-to lunches they throw together the night before without too much effort. What made you change this habit? What lunches do you make for yourself?

TIA

Question to those mentioning thermos flasks - when do you heat the food to go in?

Do you mean you eat dinner, put in thermos, keep until lunchtime the next day, or are you heating it up in the morning?

I warm the flask with boiling water when I make my morning cup of tea, then heat my food (making sure it’s really hot!) pour the water out and fill it just before I go to work. It doesn’t take long and stays boiling hot until lunch.

I don’t actually like lunch.

I don’t get a leisurely break, so just need something to fuel me. I’m also lazy, so anything that requires much prep is out.

In warmer months I bring a wholemeal roll or bagel with a nice filling - Moroccan houmous, avocado & salad has been my summer favourite. Then fruit and nuts to graze on.

In winter I try to batch cook something tasty with lentils or chickpeas - soup, stew, curry etc - and have it reheated with a roll.

Once you get into the habit for a few weeks, meal deals won’t appeal.

Blugh - Don't put garlic in, it's vile for everyone around you, you will honk 😒😃

Shame. Until you clarified, I thought you'd found the solution with a lunch rota. Get together with a group of like minded colleagues and all bring lunch for everyone one day a week.

Of course it's never going to work in practice because people will never agree on the type of food and there would be endless scope for AIBUs along lines of AIBU to be annoyed about quality, calories, amount provided by colleague in our lunch circle?

i have no option really but to take lunch to work so often have the 2nd portion of dinner from the night before reheated, or things on toast, salads, homemade soup, very very rarely a sandwich as I don't find them particularly filling.

I’m determined to be better at lunches from September, so reading this with interest. I normally take oatcakes, Philadelphia and some fruit but then leave the fruit to go mouldy and eat crisps instead 😢

@BarbaraofSeville i've always said that would be a good idea! Things like soup and pasta are as easy to make 5 portions as 1 so a lunch roster would be great if you got some non-fussy people committed to it.

Batch grill chicken, slice store in freezer. Take out for wraps, salads adding to risotto or whatever.

I have also been treating myself to meal deals purely because a gluten free sandwich is still a novelty to me (coeliac, been diagnosed a really long time and readily available sandwiches have only just become reality. Sometimes they’re out of stock which is really depressing!) I don’t think £3 for a sandwich, smoothie or Starbucks drink that costs almost that on its own, and a snack, is expensive.

Surely it should start with the question of what you have in your meal deals?

The typical ones I've seen:

Sandwiches and wraps - making your own fillers is easy, much less mayo and better quality. I love a good chicken and bacon sandwich, so will often just fry some leftover chicken bits (from a whole cooked chicken, from a precooked thigh packet, or sometimes just making one extra as I prepare dinner), a little bacon and add some pepper, leave to cool while eating dinner, then add mayo and cover to spread onto bread or tortillas the next day. You can make all sorts of sandwich fillers that way.

Salads - a little harder and more fuss to make in advance, but given that you can freeze nearly everything bar actual lettuce you can always pre-cut your veggies, freeze in portions and then just toss into some shredded lettuce the night before.

Pasta salads - perfect to use up leftover pasta and is so versatile. See above on adding veggies, just mix leftover pasta with mayo, chuck in anything you like and cover.

Sushis - perfect to take to work and so little work to make. Boil sushi rice with a bit of mirin, leave to cool, spread thinly onto seaweed sheets, add a row of whatever you fancy in it (smoked salmon, thin cucumber or carrot sticks, shredded chicken with a bit of soy and suger added, pepper, sesame seeds, tuna all work really well and take little to no time to prepare. Roll up, cut into slices with a sharp knife, done.

What snacks do you have?

What is your drink of choice?

I drive past a Lidl to work, and they have pots of smashed avocado and lime / chilli, in sealed packs. I'm having them this week as I'm trying to eat more veg / fruit. I struggle sorting meals the night before (2 kids to get to bed) to things I can just grab and go are helpful, but I agree about meal deals. I found I preferred the snacks, egg and spinach, chicken satay etc. to the sandwiches so started with those sorts of foods and just having bread as an accompaniment.

Dp takes sandwiches or leftovers- saves approximately £20 a week. We aren't short of money we just don't waste it. I make food when I get home

I'm a grazer so I take lots of small bits.

Breakfast - Oatibix in a tub with raisins, a banana and a wee bottle of chocolate milk. Eaten at about 10:30 (450 cals)

Rice cakes, dairylea and soup or mega salad with leftovers like stir fry or fajita mix, sausages, or chickn bits (aim for 300 cals ish)

Then under 100 calorie snacks - some combination of crisps, Iced Gems / Party Rings / mini Oreo etc, Dairylea Dunker, Skinny Whip bars, popcorn, Babybel, etc. I'm veggie but you could also do Fridge Raiders or chicken satay etc.

I stick to about 1200 calories in the day so I still have a decent amount for dinner (heffer but losing), whereas I could easily get through that on a meal deal and then still be snacking from the inevitable sugar crash and eating bread and butter whilst the dinner cooked.

I hated lunches too, never had time in the morning etc. I've moved to intermittent fasting too and over time I've just naturally moved to 23:1 so I just have one big meal at 6pm and it keeps me going until the next day. All the stress taken out and I can come home and take my time preparing something healthy, like chicken avocado and veg etc. I am sure many will say thats extreme but it works for me, I no longer eat crappy food, no longer stressing myself out over it and I was never a breakfast person anyway

My method : (granted it's better in cool weather)
Sunday chop up a bunch of vegetables, usually sweet potatoes, courgette, onions feature but whatever is in the fridge and needs using up. Toss with oil, cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, chili flakes. Roast till soft/caramelised. At the same time, cook a pot of quinoa with a few spoons of dried red lentils . Sometimes I stir some oil and spices into the quinoa when it's done. Also toast some sunflower seeds in a little oil and spices. When all done/cooled, divide quinoa into four ex-takeaway containers. Top with vegetable mixture and seeds, then top with some ready salad greens. Lids on, into fridge - four lunches. (I work four days.) Doesn't need refrigeration for three or four hours, doesn't need heating. Or leftovers the other day.

If you have a slow cooker this is so easy. I make this for winter lunches because the dds won't eat stew.
Casserole packet from lidl, tin of stewing steak, tomato purée, some honey, seasoning, stock cube and spoon full of gravy granules, onion and garlic. Makes a lush beef stew and about 5 portions. I should cost it sometime but it's cheap.

Whatever you cook at home for meals, make more of and freeze the leftovers in portions

works best with dishes that goes with rice like chilli, curries etc. that’s what my oh has for his lunches, a stock of portions to choose from in the freezer

he hasn’t bought himself any kind of Lunch for at least 5 years

If you have a slow cooker at home that really helps as you bung everything in the night before, cook it while you’re out, have a meal to come back to at night AND leftovers for lunches

Dinner leftovers in a sandwich, on toast, in a pitta, nice roll, baguette... Always different, always cheap.

Not strictly left overs, as I cook specifically for this, but it's kept me and the kids fed for minimal outlay.

I made the pasta pesto and feta lunch suggested above. It was v nice and will make it again. Both pesto and feta must’ve been in my kitchen awhile as the use by date is July 2022! So I am pleased finally used it.

I have soup and toast most days now as WFH but previously when I bought meal deals I would get something different every day - pasta salad / grain salad / wrap etc and also vary my snack - fruit tub / yogurt / brownie / olives . Other days I would just buy a tub of bean salad or a mini quiche .

Those of you who always take leftovers in - don't you find there's always a queue for the microwave ? I used to take a baked potato or can of soup into the office sometimes and it took most of my lunch break waiting to cook it .

I like the idea of buying a pile of deli stuff and a bag of salad and leaving it in the fridge at work .

Glad you enjoyed! 😊

there’s enough for tomorrow too! so we will have it cold.

Thank you all so much for the ideas. I have not bought a meal deal today and my lunch is in the fridge for tomorrow 😁