UPF free lunches

[Bumdealoftheweek]

Any ideas for quick UPF free lunches. I currently make all our bread so usually do sandwiches but will also do salads. I'm a bit bored though and wondering if anyone could share some tasty UPF free ideas for lunches please.

What does UPF mean?

I am in the process of quitting ultra processed food too and looking for ideas as well. Maybe we can share recipes?
So far I had salads, home made soups, sandwiches with home made bread, omelettes with various fillings, steak and veg, egg on toast, bowls with mixed grains/protein (chicken, salmon, egg)/home made hummus.
I think pasta is ok UPF-wise (at least the type I eat, with very few ingredients you could even find in your kitchen), just I haven't eaten it in a while.

I would love to manage this too; most days DS buys a panini and crisps at school as I don’t have time or the imagination to make a decent packed lunch that’s any better .

i made a quiche one day but do have a short cut as have a thermomix which does most of the effort for me.
I’ve also made homemade bread and a cheese sandwich with apple and veg .

We make pasta with pesto and fry up some onion and peppers/ green veg in olive oil to stir in too.

My Spanish omelettes are always too messy to work in a lunchbox sadly. Sorry not more help but a good thread to start!

ps I’ve made oatcakes quite easily before so maybe these, with stuff to put on them too

I batch cook & freeze various soups - veggie based but I usually add some form of protein before freezing or when re-heating.
I've currently got broccoli/celery/stilton, carrot & coriander spice & herb, minestrone (aka bottom-of-the-fridge) with parmesan & pancetta in the freezer.
If they need to be portable, a wide-necked Thermos is useful.

I make a lot of savoury flapjacks. These are my two favourite recipes:
moorlandseater.com/savoury-flapjacks-with-vegetables-nuts-seeds-cheese/ and www.juniormagazine.co.uk/lifestyle/leek-and-cheese-seeded-flapjacks-for-the-whole-family/

Homemade cheese scones and chutney
Scrambled eggs on toast
Jacket potato
Smoky beans on toast www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/smoky-beans-toast
Savoury muffins https://www.tamingtwins.com/savoury-muffins-recipe/

Tinned sardines in oil (drained) on a baked sweet potato (with crushed olives and chili flakes).

Chicken with veg (any veg + lots of wilted spinach), in a white miso and gochujang broth with added garlic. Edamame beans added sometimes.

Steamed fish with grated 50/50 courgette and red cabbage with chili garlic salt and apple cider vinegar, to make "coleslaw" (dash of sesame oil and decent soy sauce too if you want) and a flatbread made of a 50/50 mix of full fat Greek yogurt and rye/spelt flour, dry fried in a frying pan.

Those are my (delicious!) daily lunches, generally.

What is UPF?

Chickpea burgers are a favourite here... fry an onion til soft add garlic, turmeric and cumin, and cook off
Blend in a blender with fresh coriander, 70g sunflower seeds, can of chickpeas, can of green lentils and an egg.
Mix with 80g flour and then form.into 8 burgers (use floured surface and hands as its sticky)
Fry them in a little oil and serve with lots of salad.
I have 2 a day so this recipe makes 4 days worth.
I also do turkey burgers, omelette, a nice tuna and cannellini bean salad.

Ultra processed food.

Following with interest as I find lunch the hardest meal to eat well.

Sorry find it so easy as WFH. Soup is for the winter although gazpacho will feature soon. Main things im cooking at the moment Korean egg/rice/tofu/kimchi bowl, various other bowl meals chickpeas/feta/grilled chicken/tuna + salad or steam veg + a grain main the rice cooker - rice/quinoa/Bulgar wheat, baked potatoes, omelettes, huevos rancheros, lots of Mexican rice/guacamole/taco beans/salsa. The list goes on…. No more than 20min prep time. Only bread I will eat is a seeded sourdough have with egg or avocado or cheese.

Buddha bowls/poke bowls (loads of recipes online) are varied and delicious

frittata

soup

Some great ideas thank you. I would never have thought to make a savory flapjack so definitely going to have a go at that.

I did make savoury pancakes with poached eggs, asparagus and homemade hollandaise sauce today. It was bloody delicious!

Do you like Pearl barley? https://www.mob.co.uk/recipes/pearl-barley-super-salad

frittata

i could get mine to set until I started making them in the thin tin foil throw away cases, you get them for potatoes to roast. I reuse mine and they’re great for frittata setting

My challenge is in refrigeration. Poke bowls, sushi, beef or salmon tartare, prawn lettuce wraps, salmon or chicken cous cous, dolmades, crispy chickpea salad, or hummus/ beetroot hummus/ butter bean dip/ tzatziki / any homemade veg dip type affair and crudités.

OttoGraph that looks amazing.

Tabbouleh - pour boiling water over bulgar wheat and leave to absorb, squeeze in juice of a lemon, olive oil, diced red onion and a ton of chopped parsley. Maybe some black olives too. Just check your teeth for parsley after eating!

For an alternative to UPF yoghurts, I fill screw topped jars and fill with natural yoghurt, stir through a teaspoon of jam / marmalade / honey and top with nuts or seeds and fresh fruit. I started making them for my children when they took packed lunches to school and we still make them because we like it!

Following!!!

mini frittata/Spanish tortilla made in a muffin tins.
Pearl barley or rice salad with roasted vegetables, meat, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
Cheese sandwich with your own bread and butter.
Cold chicken, potato salad( make mayo or just use a natural yogurt (with a little crushed garlic, spring onions and chopped boiled egg for richness) and lettuce/tomato.

I do cous cous with a load of raw veggies - cucumber, pepper, cabbage etc. a nice dressing like soy/ peanut butter/ lime and it’s delicious. A batch in tupperware lasts a few days.

I have four packed lunches to make everyday. I either do a airlock pot with frozen berries at the bottom, then Greek yoghurt with a layer of homemade granola on top. The berries keep the yoghurt cool until lunch.

I also use those reusable toddler pouches which I fill with a homemade smoothie. DC love that one.

Tomorrow's lunch is very unadventurous and will be chicken and avocado sandwiches made with homemade bread, a banana, a slice of apple and rhubarb cake with cream and some dried, salted broadbeans.

Some great recipes and ideas to try out here, thanks for the thread OP

@Bumdealoftheweek sorry bit irrelevant but can I ask how many are in your family and how often do you have to bake bread? I'd love to do this but just don't seem to have the time or organisation skills!!!

*Housenoob" There are 6 of us (4 DC 10-17). We use a bread maker and put bread on probably every other day. We just bung it in whilst we're doing dinner so it's ready before bedtime so that it's easy to slice in the morning.