different adult packed lunches - inspiration required

[ThatVikRinA22]

just seen the childrens packed lunch thread and while i will steal some ideas from that for myself i am desperately seeking inspiration for myself - assuming i ever get samsung to fix my fridge

i spend loads on ready meals and they are usually uninspired!

could certainly do with some ideas for taking alternatives to sandwiches or ready meals for my work meals.

can you inspire me please?

Watching with interest as I'm running out of ideas, I'm dieting so resorting to sushi from tesco and it's getting boring.

I want yummy cous cous or noodle salads but have no idea where to start.

Completely random here vicar but when I was about ten I had lunch in a police station and it was yummy, I still remember what I had, and always said I wanted to work at that particular station because of said canteen

I was a strange child

I also have a very good memory

I boil some Puy lentils on a Sunday. Then have some mixed with tinned tuna, cherry toms, chopped yellow pepper, basil etc. or sometimes with feta instead of tuna. Different variations of this will do til Wed. Is much cheaper that ready made and I think it is probably more healthy. Plus am trying to cut down on bread.

oh and also when cooking mid week I'll roast soem veg - peppers, courgettes etc while the oven is on. The have that with couscous plus some Hagen Moi (can't remember spelling!) salt to spice it up a bit

Storm, I've just discovered food doctor cous cous pots - looks like a pot noodle cup but has cous cous, dried veg etc. Add boiling water, wait five minutes and voila! £1.39 in tesco, up where all the pulses, beans etc are.

I am trying to give up bread too, I normally have cous cous, roasted veg, tuna, or pasta salad, soup, rice salad.

Will look for those first But for home, I dont have access to boiling water

I've got some packets of cous cous from lidl but not sure if I can cook them then eat cold ...

Is best just to buy pack of uncooked couscous form supermarket. You can then cook what you need - is so easy, Just poor enough boiling water to cover it and put a plate over them top. Leave for 5 mins and then fluff it up with a fork. Then you can eat cold the next day.

I use bulgar wheat in the same way - similar but nuttier

Yes, I bought a big bag of normal stuff as well chocolate. Going to have that next week - hadn't had couscous for ages so tried the food doctor one to see if I still liked it!

so, pasta salads and cous cous salads aside, (nice ideas btw, and ones i will utilise!) what else?

Soup? Jacket potatoes?

Have a look at:

justbento.com/

Loads of great ideas there as well as planning so it doesn't take ages.

Spanish omelette - I often make it after we've had either roast potatoes or wedges and use some of those chopped up plus an onion as the basis for it (you need much less oil than usual that way, too).

Crackers, one of those baby pots of Philly, celery, grapes.

Tabouli (sp?) is divine, made with bulgar wheat and various other things.
The Rive Cottage Everyday cookbook has a recipe for it in the lunchbox section, there is loads of lovely recipes in there, the lentil pasties are also really nice.

oh and storm police canteens are a thing of the past! budget cuts mean there are very few left - and of the ones that do exist they are expensive and worse than school dinners.....

keep em coming folks, appreciate the ideas!

I've started making a lot of soup. Also making a little extra when we have meals like chilli or pasta bake.

One thing I really like is baked sweet potato (bake the night before then reheat in microwave) with chunks of feta and spring onion.

I usually eat leftovers from dinner. I might make a sandwich if I have time.

Do you have access to a microwave? I usually cobble together some leftovers from the previous night's meal and reheat. E.g. Roast dinner, cauliflower cheese, pasta bake, lasagne etc.

My main staple is a handful of mixed salad from a packet, couscous or rice (made up on a Sunday) and leftovers - loin chop, sausages, gammon or even fish in batter (no wonder I'm 12st ). It only takes a minute to bung it all in a Tupperware.

Wraps? Warburtons do lovely square wraps that are like a wrap/pita hybrid. My kids love them prawns, sweet chilli sauce and lettuce.

Cold noodle salads - google some recipes, but I usually just do cold chicken/ham/fish + cucumber or carrots + dressing (soya sauce, sesame oil, chilli oil). Better if accompanied by a cup of instant miso soup.

What noodles though uptoapoint ?

So far I've tried just bog-standard egg noodles (both "thin" and "medium") you get in supermarket, rice noodles, soba noodles, bean thread noodles, pasta. I think bog-standard egg noodles work the best! Pasta works quite well too. Cook the noodles/pasta and then rinse them in cold water. Makes them less sticky.

Pitta bread, hummus, olives, feta.

Helps if you have a toaster in work to warm the pitta. You then make your lunch at work so it's all fresh.

I find a block of feta lasts 4 days, 5 at a push.

Another fan of justbento.com here.