Toastie ideas (bear in mind I’m veggie)
Cheese (and remember not just cheddar, Brie, mozzarella, emmental, Camembert ALL work well in toasties too) with - pesto, sweet pickle, gherkins, capers, tomatoes (including sun dried), pickled peppers, marmite, sliced boiled eggs, olives, pepperoni (I like quorn version), bacon
Other lunch ideas
Soup - homemade is best, I’ve a carrot and tomato on the go at the moment now I finally have a blender again. Had soup today with marmite toast dipped in. Dds favourite I make is spiced butternut squash and carrot. Takes some effort to make initially but worth it and I make a big batch when I make soup and freeze (if there’s any left! If dds about I’m lucky if there’s half left!)
Eggs - tons of ways to quickly and easily do eggs, on toast, boiled, poached, frittata, omelette...
Cous cous - I ALWAYS have plain cous cous in to Make easy meals/snacks, jazz up with different “moisture” adding ingredients from “traditional” olive oil, butter and similar to flavour enhancers like soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce or Henderson’s relish, to less obvious things like sweet chilli sauce, lime juice, honey... serve simply with some diced veggies and/or things like Tinned sweetcorn, possibly add proteins for a more complete meal from eggs, cold meat/deli slices shredded, tuna, chicken pieces etc
Takes mins, pour out cous cous, add boiling water & additional liquid/moisture and while its absorbing/cooking prep the add ons (which can be done ahead too) then fluff cous cous and mix in additions - hot filling lunch done! I save on washing up by making up the cous cous in the bowl I’ll be eating from dead easy.
Leftovers - just maybe have as a smaller portion with a roll/bread and butter on side for carbs
Tinned “ready meals” - this is what I used for working outside home when workplace had a microwave. It meant in winter I got something hot and stopped me getting bored with sandwiches! And there’s even more range available now. Mac cheese, spag Bol, chilli, curry, stews... when dd started work and moaned about cold sandwiches in winter I suggested this to her and she wasn’t impressed at the thought initially! Then she tried some! Things like curries and stews especially are quite flavourful.
Pot snacks - not ideal nutritionally but no harm on occasion and disrupt the rut! Personally I prefer pasta to noodles but everyone’s different
Picnic items -
Quiche, pork pies, cocktail sausages, scotch eggs, filo parcels, spring rolls, samosas, sausage rolls, pasties, savoury muffins...
Hope that all helps. Very easy to get in a rut food wise