Food ideas for 16 hour day!

[WinterKate]

In my new role I need to be in London one day a week. This means up at 4.30am to get ready, leave house at 5.15am to catch 5.45am train (I walk to the station). Then office all day and 7.30pm train home which gets me in the house at 10pm. Ideally I'd like to eat on the train there and back, but what?! Obviously not too messy or smelly. I can pick up something near the office for lunch but want to keep costs down so could do leftovers warmed up (microwave in kitchen) but then what can I have for dinner on the train home?! Any else do a long day like this? What do you eat?!!

Overnight oats for breakfast
Can you keep things refrigerated?

If so. Pasta salad with some protein for dinner?

On that day I’d buy a nice M&S salad for the way home.

Yes, over night oats or porridge heated in microwave and kept in thermos for the train for breakfast. You could also make breakfast flapjacks and have with fruit.

Lunch can be whatever you had for dinner heated in a microwave - or make a batch or stew / soup high in protein to have.

Snacks are your friend so bring a bag of apples / veg sticks / nuts and dried fruit etc to keep at the office for day.

Stick with a hot lunch and cold dinner - so pasta salad / potato salad with meat / protein, mixed grain salads etc. stuff you can keep in the fridge at work and bring home on the train. Again snacks are your friend so top the evening meal up with fresh fruit, high protein yogurt, high protein grains like quinoa or lentils.

It makes more sense to pick something up for the train on the way home, and take something you can reheat at work for lunch.

I used to do a cook up on a Sunday and freeze portions for the week. Either that or the slow cooker became my friend.

When I commute I take a cheese sandwich and some fruit for breakfast on the train. I just buy lunch because frankly I have enough to carry without adding a tupperware to the mix. I do take snacks though.

Can you warm something up at work to put in a thermos for the train home?

Or Hot lunch, cold dinner.

If you have access to a fridge and microwave at work then take a cool bag with meal to be heated up at lunchtime and a sandwich for eating on the train. Breakfast on the train really depends on the type of things you like to eat - cereal and toast are out but lots of other options. Maybe a smoothie made the night before including a decent amount of protein.

Yes, have access to a fridge at work. Great ideas and yes, cutting down on the amount of Tupperware I take is definitely a consideration!