Packed lunches I can make a few days ahead

[drspouse]

I keep forgetting to make a packed lunch, or only remembering 5 minutes before I have to leave the house. I tend to chop up veg for snacks at the weekend, so I could make some lunches up then.
I don't really like sandwiches with just meat/cheese and no salad though I know you can freeze them. Also only like very limited range of pasta/rice salads.

Happy to cook something up though. Or just buy something I can divide up and have a couple of times in the week.

Do you have facilities to heat things or is it cold lunches you are wanting?
I can’t think of anything I’d like to pull out of the freezer and then defrost and eat cold tbh, and stuff you meal prep and keep chilled is only really good for a couple of days.
Access to a work microwave could make all the difference to suggestions but some ideas here.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/lunchbox-recipes

Make extra for dinner and take leftovers

Quiche? Easy and quick to cut a chunk and put in a tupperware box.

Is there a microwave at work or not? This will change our recommendations significantly.

I'm a huge fan of making soup at the weekend and portioning it out into tupperwares so I just need to grab the box in the morning. Best if you have a microwave at work, you could heat and flask it in the morning, but a bit of a faff.

are there not leftovers from the evening meal the day before which could be heated up in micro for lunch and had with - wrap/microwave rice/micro quinoa whatever ?

We make Spanish omelette for lunch boxes. We do it the night before,
I’m not sure how long it would keep.

There is a microwave but I'm on a big site and some days I haul my lunch to the other end and eat in a meeting room between meetings.
So both hot and cold ideas appreciated.
I need to take leftovers more I know, but both frittata and quiche sound good.

DH’s autumn lunches are largely - 65p bags of microwave rice (brown rice or pilau rice) from ASDA x 5 for the work week and then whatever is left over.

He reckons it saves him a fiver a day buying something from shop at work and he often gets envious colleagues come over at canteen to ask “what’s for today?” This week was Harissa Lamb Tagine, Black bean chicken, stir fried paneer, Keema and some veggie something I’ve forgotten! I batch cook dinners for the week on Sundays and he squirrels bits away for lunches :)

Soup in a flask

Soup is ok for office kitchen days as I can heat it up but I often don't remember till 5 mins before leaving the house that I need a lunch so I'm trying to avoid things that require doing something in the morning.

Ideally I'd pack two days lunches on a Monday when I WFH and take one on Tues and one on Weds.

@Combusting that is an excellent plan!

Roast veg with some rocket and feta

Small pot of hummus, veg sticks, crackers, Babybel

Summer rolls in rice paper

Cold noodle salad with some julienned veg and a peanut/chilli sauce

Chicken drumsticks

https://thestingyvegan.com/veggie-wraps/

I used to work away for up to 3 days at a time. I would make a massive lunchbox of cubed vegetables and cheese. Things like courgette, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes (not sliced), little gem leaves, and cubes of cheddar. I loved it. You could add tuna or olives. Make a massive lot and portion it out.

I am a teacher who dislikes sandwiches and only has a short lunchbreak.

I live on hummus or avocado spread (I like Delphi brand), Nairns oatcakes, Babybel and fruit, usually grapes. Filling and no preparation.

Do you like salads?

I made this earlier in the week and ate it for three days....it was lovely 😊

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/chickpea-apple-broccoli-salad-with-honey-dijon-dressing/?fbclid=IwAR1krcn4NMBpHhVC2bbXtQXmbbnXH7bakghRu8vQWiRnLiW2ARwbY2dyhUaemmATpCrUPnOlb0AbCQiAKZ9Hu5b8v9Vpn1g_9DJ31rZLJe-E9OqCywQEdUf-gcLhWlOUI

This thermos has a larger mouth, so can be used for hot food, not just soup.
Buy Thermos Stainless King Red Food Flask - 470ml | Flasks | Argos
You could batch pre cook the food at home, then just re-heat in the morning before putting into the flask.

• When I cook something that also has plain rice, I make extra rice. Next day, its easy to make fried rice, nasi goreng etc
• Lasagne
• Chicken thighs with a crumbed topping and side of coleslaw/salad
• Pea/ham soup with crusty bread as a side
• Pasta bake
• Stir fry

D.I.Y noodle soup jars are my absolute favourite if you have access to a kettle.

I also like to buy a packet of mince, usually turkey but anything works and season and roll into little balls and cook them in the air fryer. They keep for days and are very filling. I'll then add them to an Ainsley sachet of cous cous or salad (I prepare separate pots of salad ingredients on a weekend and line with kitchen roll to stop it going soggy), pitta, olives etc and whatever sauce I fancy. This works with falafel, chicken etc too but this is more cost effective for me.

For warm lunches I love a precooked baked potato, one of those snap pots of baked beans and a bit of grated cheese.

I also love soup in a flask or reheated, especially minestrone.

I'll sometimes make a huge batch of breakfast burritos and they'll be ready to eat by lunch time. But I do also love just a wrap with some chicken and some salad etc.

I'll sometimes just have porridge and fruit with peanut butter.

Adult lunchables of things like salami, cheese, nuts, olives , pickles, boiled egg etc and crackers.

Puff pastry pinwheels, sausage rolls etc are still lovely cold

I only have one DC, but I can prep a lunch for me and him whilst making breakfast - multitasking. Lunch is bread roll sarnie, veg, fruit, flapjack. Me fruit, cheese, cracker.

I just accidentally bought 6 avocados so I think I'll be having them like your lunch all next week @Phineyj
Our mornings usually involve breaking up a fight between DD and DS and they don't do that well when we are both trying to take up space so if it's my turn in the kitchen I'm firefighting and if it isn't I'm upstairs so I do need everything ready at least the night before and preferably a day or two ahead. Even heating up soup or making a roll can be interrupted by chaos.

I would love to find out how to make instant soup mix - we do have a kettle where I am most days

Accidentally bought 6 avocados 😂 now that's my type of shopping accident! So all you need is a sharp knife, a tea spoon, a bag of crackers and you're good to go! Cream cheese is very nice in them.

If you mash up your avocados and season them as you like them eg with lemon and pepper, then use a spoon to blob them out spaced nicely on a baking tray, you can freeze them in little portions and they don't go brown. Once they're frozen you can put them in a freezer bag and just take out what you need. They defrost fast so you could take a couple of frozen avo balls and some oatcakes in the morning and they would be fine by lunchtime.

I do 2 days of chopped salad and then 2 days of chunky bits (I work 4 days). In a clip lid tub it keeps well. The chunky bits are cherry toms, mini cucumbers, radishes, mini peppers, big carrot chunks - ideally not sliced or minimally and can be trimmed a bit if gone dry at the ends! And then I add leftovers or chicken / ham, maybe do a pack of microwave flavoured rice or Quinoa at work (keep a couple in my drawer), it varies.

Plus 4 overnight oats jars or tubs with Weetabix and protein powder and raisins, that I fill up with milk at work and shake to mix.

Great ideas for the avocados!