Lunch to take to work

[MeadowHay]

DH and I have become one of those poor, young couples who still spend way too much money on lunch when we are out at work due to poor organisation on our part. DD is 15 months and as first time parents to a 'high needs'/ 'spirited' whatever you want to call it baby, it has been hard for us to adjust and focus on looking after ourselves and our finances. But we really can't use that as an excuse anymore because she is doing much better now and generally in bed by 7-8pm on a night. I do tend to go to bed around 10pm most nights so it doesn't leave ages of time once we've tidied up etc but there is still time to spend 10 mins making our lunch and then once a week spending 30 mins on an online shop to make sure we have the stuff!

So help me get a grip on this please as on my tiny single wage and a bit of a student grant and then a bunch of benefits, we really shouldn't be squandering our money like this, we should be saving to buy a house or a car or something important!

We are vegetarian but not fussy eaters otherwise. What do you do for your lunches? How do you stay organised, do you plan a week in advance each week? What about vaguely healthy snacks too? As I can't just eat a sandwich alone for lunch, atm I need at least a sandwich, crisps, and an apple but that's boring every day. Plus I have a mid morning and mid afternoon snack. And DH would need an even bigger lunch lol.

Leftovers. Cook extra for tea, box up lunches before serving the rest. Then microwave for lunch the next day (or buy a Thermos food flask and heat it up before you leave in the morning). + snacks.

Easy peasy, and the bonus of resistant starch. My favourite is Monday Lunch (leftover roast).

Most of the lunches I take to work are just leftovers from a previous dinner. It saves the whole 'prepping lunch' boredom and saves the boredom of eating sandwiches.

Cans of soup are also useful if you have nothing else in.

I agree with the others. Leftovers are the way to go. Once you get in the hang of it, it's easy but you do need to be organised.

I do tend to go to bed around 10pm most nights so it doesn't leave ages of time once we've tidied up etc but there is still time to spend 10 mins making our lunch

Sorry, why are you making his lunch?

Sorry, why are you making his lunch?
Maybe he's doing a different chore.
Seriously that's what you took from this.
Leftovers or soup I would say.

As for snacks, what about some nuts? Bananas?

Dp makes mine as I have a longer work day than him :) and he's a fabulous cook!

Healthy snacks - pack of sugar snap peas, pack of carrots, edamame beans, hummus to dip them in, pitta bread, bananas, apples, dried cereal (I like it, I realise a lot don't!), ryvita with marmite, ryvita with cream cheese

Sorry, why are you making his lunch?

Baffled as to where basic human kindness was lost, and making your significant other a portion of something YOU WERE ALREADY MAKING YOURSELF, is somehow an issue.

(Sorry what I meant by that comment is there can be a lot of reasons why one makes and the other doesn't! In our case, dp has a bit more time than me!)

I roast a massive tray of veg on a sunday evening (pepper, onion, courgette, aubergine, etc) with different herbs/spices each week and mix it with a grain such as quinoa or whole grain cous cous. This ‘salad’ can be eaten hot or cold and last for 3 days in the fridge. I just keep it in a big bowl and we all take our portion from it each morning. You can top it with different things so it doesn’t become too boring such as feta, olives, etc. Harissa works really well when roasting veg.

Following with interest as I struggle with work lunches too. My 'go to' lunches are pasta with pesto and cheese, slices of pepper, cucumber, carrot with houmus or oatcakes, cheeese, grapes and nuts.

@KitKatKit You can't be kind these days, you are a doormat and should Ltb

These are delicious, I use oil instead of butter. I add a tbsp cocoa powder and an extra banana. Also cranberries, sunflower seeds, nuts and dates. I made a drizzle out of the first set of ingredients (made up can be specific if need) and topped with dry fried coconut. Absolutely delicious. Pound shops are great for the nuts seeds fruit, I use value oats, and past their best 🍌

🤪 www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipe/peanut-butter-and-banana-flapjacks

I cut them into little bites and two per portion. I portion them up in the fridge for myself and my husband to take to work.

He's veggie age takes quorn 🥪 using 4 rounds of bread 🤯 yoghurts, celery, carrot batons. Melon, banana

Im a ham sandwich girl or coronation chicken is great. Works well with quorn. Can bulk it out with dried cranberries, tosted nuts and seeds.

Make up a few days worth of snacks to pick from. I would do the flapjacks, portions of cheese 20g, yoghurt, sweetcorn cakes and 🧀 triangles. When I'm working days in a row I make up lunches in advance ready to lift and go. I take bran flakes in a tub and a small fresh milk. I top with flapjack crumbs /raw vegan flapjacks. Or 2 wwetabix in a tub. I've a plastic spoon that fits the tub also. It's just about being organised and thinking ahead. I do treat myself to the odd cafe nero, but take my own cup so I get double stamps. Yesterday on o2 priority, I got a few iced lattee in cafe nero, it moggy still be on today actually 🤔

Oh my terrible typing 🤯. The cafe nero offer is still on from 12 today if anyone has an 02 phone, register for o2 priority. There's free Thornton over cream on for tomorrow also 😋

Hahaha, laughing at the 'why are you making his lunch' comments. Really don't need to answer that but just ftr, sometimes I make lunch, sometimes he makes lunch. Usually the other person is doing something else important at the same time. The first few months of my mat leave DH used to make his own lunch and then make mine as well for the next day because I was struggling with DD. That's the kind of man he is, not a "my wife makes me lunch every night while I'm at the gym" or something lol.

Thanks for all your suggestions. We both like nuts but I always feel like I never get full from nuts and would need to eat and eat and eat them until I feel full dunno why. Tbh as you can probably guess we also struggle with dinners and planning that etc. We aren't getting lots of takeaways or anything but making a fair bit of really uninspiring food. We can't really cook properly for DD Mon-Wed on her nursery days as there isn't time before she needs to eat and go to bed and she has tea at DPs most Thursdays. I need to totally overhaul our grocery shopping and eating. I feel like I need EWFL to help me or something haha.

Well you know you need to make changes that's great we do a big monthly shop each payday then fresh topups. We plan well ahead and more or less use the sage basic list each month, adding in various store cup board items at different times. I our budget is wrotten up on the fridge showing how much is left for the month. It works well for us

We also meal plan each week in advance, taking on to account who is working etc. I'm self taught cook and fairly accomplished if that's not too arrogant to say. I put the work in and batch cook and fill the freezer with portioned ready meals. Building blocks for future meals. Always cook at least twice. So I made potato wedges on Sunday and put another portion in the fridge in water for a couple of nights later. Sometimes I rinse the water. Tonight is wedges, sweetcorn and a combo of veggie sausage rolls and fried up mix made into burgers with it. I'll have a fried egg, he will have hot sauce 😂 what would you like to learn to cook. Do you have a good store cupboard x x take one thing at a time or write lists of things to change is its helpful.

I think be kind to yourself @MeadowHay. Life with a little one and both parents working is rarely easy! And if it's only lunches falling apart, you're doing a great job!

Focus on easy to cook meals - those fajita/taco kits are easy and you can make a whole pack and take the leftovers for work the next day. Even buying the odd ready meal that you cook for lunch is cheaper than buying sandwiches and snacks out!

Good luck with changing things. I must admit I sometimes look at my lunches and wish I had tried a bit harder the night before and I'm sure a lot of people look at theirs and feel the same!

I found I needed a lot of protein at lunch to stop me snacking all afternoon - I buy one of those massive salad boxes from Aldi plus a selection of packs of prawns and chicken. (Sometimes cook a batch of chicken breasts but the packs save time) and have that for lunch each day with different dressings. Keeps me full.
Obviously doesn’t work for vegetarians - do you eat Quorn? Tofu? Cheese?

I think I will revert back to soups and leftovers when it gets colder.

Do you have a slow cooker you could make a batch of lentil/veg/quorn bologneise, chilli etc and box that up with cous cous/pasta for lunches?

Do you both have a microwave at work?

Planning ahead and doing what you can at the weekend is key, e.g. I will put a loads of baking potatoes in the oven when doing a Sunday roast and grate a load of cheese which I put in small individual tubs. Then each evening we just make salad for the next day (sometimes a couple of days at a time) so there is minimal work to do on week nights. I also plan out snacks (5 x bags of crisps or nuts, 5 x prices of fruit, and always keep a box of cereal bars in my desk) and take them all in one go at the start of the week so on other days I just have to grab lunch from the fridge.

Pasta bake can be made in advance then reheated for lunches or for tea with your DD on her nursery days

Pulses and grains are brilliant. Tin of chickpeas/beans + vinaigrette/pesto + tomatoes/peppers/olives + feta for protein. I cook bulgar wheat/shortgrain brown rice at the weekend, dress it while warm (soy, sesame oil, grated ginger), then add in veg like grated carrot, spring onion, seeds and leave it in the fridge. Both of those can be endlessly adapted according to what's in the fridge.

I have a microwave at work, DH often doesn't have access to one. He is actually a student but on a HCP course so sometimes at uni and other times on placements in hospitals. I work a low paid office job 4 days a week and he gets a tiny bursary and then the rest of our income is benefits. So we really shouldn't be wasting money as we are. I agree it would be better to even buy ready meals some days or pre-prepped veg etc some of the time as it will be still cheaper than buying out in the shops by work (even the little Tesco etc near my work is more expensive than other places because of its location).

Could anyone share their meal plan e.g what they did for lunch and tea this week/last week as an example? Sorry I know I probably sound stupid I am just struggling to see where to start, I need to make lists. I did an online shop on my lunch break today to come tomorrow night so that's a start. We were actually away at friends over the BH weekend so our house is so empty atm in terms of groceries. We both brought lunch today at least!