What does everyone make for lunches at work?

[HoopaLoo]

Need inspo. Have been terrible recently at getting meal deals etc for work lunch. I want to start brining my own but I am fussy (eg has to be made the night before I won’t eat 2+ day old food; don’t like cold food like cold pasta and I can’t bare to spend Hours / ages making food that will be inhaled in 2 minutes - I have a big appetite .. butttttt…. I am also very busy full time working mum to a very active toddler with little time in the evenings) shall I just get a cook??! Joke! . I am very bog in to flavourful foods and something satiating to balance blood sugar levels through the afternoon. Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance!

What kind of stuff do you buy for lunch? Can you make your own of whatever that is?

I have the previous nights dinner

If I know I have a double shift I’ll bring a chicken pasta salad however 90% of the time I’m asked to stay longer on the day and then it’s a trip for a m3al deal or a takeaway.

Usually dinner leftovers in some form, or a salad with tuna or cheese or something. Occasionally sandwiches.

Sandwiches and yoghurt

I have half a pack of lentils (the merchant gourmet ones are really nice) with some chopped veg (tomatoes, peppers, beetroot, whatever you like) and chopped feta. You could add salad dressing or salsa if you prefer it less dry.

I but a pack of chicken breasts. Cook them and slice and put in freezer.

Then the evening before I take a few out. I either stick them in a wrap with some salad or if I have had rice night before do rice and salad in a tub. Just new to make sure you have a few sauce type things in fridge to add to wrap.

Wraps, rolls or sandwiches normally ham salad or tuna salad, or sometimes chicken and stuffing leftovers from Sunday roast.

I don't like them made the night before, but often I'm too lazy to make them in the morning, so end up eating at the work canteen.

Following this also need some ideas 💡

Couscous is good, the instant kind, either leftover from dinner or make up with 1-1 boiling water, a pinch of salt and knob of buetter, leave to cool. I have with eg chopped cucumber, tomato, feta, maybe lettuce or parsley, if ther is not a leftover bean dish to go with it.

Do you have any kitchen access at work? Darl ( any variation of spelling!) can be made easily and cheaply
Veggie/vegan curries
Chickpea "choona"
Homemade breads ( wraps, rolls ,loafs etc)
Rice noodles ( boiling water required)
Tofu ( literally hundreds of recipes)

I used to make rice salad with those sachets of savoury rice, add jarred peppers, onion, finely chopped cucumber, grated carrot then I used either fat free vinegarette or flavoured Olive oil, either garlic or lemon flavoured. I either cooked a chicken breast portion or used feta cheese, it is also nice with balsamic glaze drizzled over it. I took snacks as well, a bag of crisps, malt loaf, fruit or veggie sticks & dip, usually thousand islands, garlic mayo or yoghurt & mint.

Wraps are quick and easy. If you don't like foods that are in the refrigerator for 2 days then you need to get a new refrigerator.

You guys are brilliant thank you so much for the ideas!

I usually go for the shite stuff for a meal deal - stodgy BLT, prawn mayo baguette, chicken and bacon mayo baguette then all the extras (crisps, chocolate, fizzy drink) so really trying to turn it around this month.

I think I’m going to take on the idea of a salad (even making my own prawn Marie Rose salad full of lettuce, cucumber and peppers) or chicken salad wraps with sweet chilli sauce. I know the added mayo / sauces aren’t the best but it’s a start and I need something tasty to actually to get me to eat my lunch otherwise it’ll fester in the break out room fridge (been there done that). Greek salads with chicken and feta. Maybe a little bread roll on the side as I need SOME carbs to get through the afternoon.

There’s nothing wrong the fridge just something wrong with my brain! The food is perfectly fine, I know! I’m just funny with it - won’t eat it. One of my quirks. It’s like food stored in plastic containers - won’t touch it. Has to be glass or ceramic.

Does anyone else have this thing where salads taste so much better when someone else makes them?? Maybe just silly me!

No kitchen. Just microwaves and kettles. I could batch cook and freeze though!

If we're having rice for dinner I quite often make extra rice and then do chicken fried rice with the leftover rice in the air fryer. It's very quick, easy and tasty and I usually make enough to do a couple of lunches.

For a zero prep lunch I take in some flatbreads, cooked chicken (shop bought one in a coating eg mango and lime) and houmous. Heat the flatbreads up in the toaster in work.

I take leftovers and heat them up in the microwave. There’s also some good recipes in the Quick Roasting Tin for lunches. (Although I find a lot of those recipes with grains work well the next day for lunch.) Giant cous cous has been a revelation here! I find if I take leftovers, I actually stop to eat properly and then I’m less likely to reach for the rubbish later rather than a sandwich on the run.

Well today I had one of those John West Tuna 'on the go' things that don't need fridging. Only thing is there was no fork in it and I had already gone around to the porters rest room and could not be bothered to go back for a fork so improvised by using the lid! I also have ryvitas so when I remember I get cottage cheese - full fat though as diet cottage cheese is rank.

Sometimes in desperation I get a sandwich but I don't really like them. Sometimes I get those pots of 2 boiled eggs (yes I know I could boil my own but I never seem to have eggs when I want them!). I must start eating more fruit too.

Soup now that we're turning the corner back into autumn (homemade and freeze)

Our boss was craving a fish finger sandwich so badly last week he went across the road to Aldi and bought an air fryer for the office and I think we all had fish finger sandwiches every day for lunch 🤣 highly recommend an air fryer for work!

Chicken, cheese, tomato quesadillas with cucumbers, strawberries and a fruit bar is what I have mostly to be honest as it's so easy to make.

Also I'm exactly the same about eating packed food. It really weirds me out to eat food that's been in the fridge overnight or whatever and I really dislike having food like sandwiches in containers or foil or clingfilm. Somehow I am fine with quesadillas though

I make a batch of veggie fritters and stick the in the freezer. Put them in my lunchbox in the morning and they're defrosted by lunchtime. It's from a blw site actually so you could make them as dinner for you and DC and take the leftovers. The site is mylovelylittlelunchbox.

I use a ninja soup maker and freeze portions of fresh soup in a freezer to micro Sistema cup. Or whatever I have cooked for dinner I keep a couple of portions. Yoghurt and water.

I cook jacket potatoes then re heat at work along with cheese, beans some salad, cottage cheese and ham. Everyone comments on how much effort I make but it’s none really.