Lunch recipes

[ChampaignSupernova]

I have promised myself for years now I will make my work lunches more exciting but I fall into unhealthy and dull habits.

Please can you give me your best recipes for lunches I can take into the office with me. Even better if healthy and no sea food as I can only tolerate tuna!

Thank you!

All depends on what facilities you have, if you eat at a desk, have a restroom, a fridge, microwave and of course what you like

In this house hold, DH will take leftovers as hes working on site, does have a microwave and needs something filling. Left overs will be anything from a full on roast, curries, Chinese ( home cooked ) Bolognese , stew, pie etc. In the summer months I will air fry chicken drumsticks and serve with a chopped salad, quinoa or couscous , make up pasta salads , make quiches or frittata

Myself I usually take overnight oats, or a couple of eggs to scramble and wholemeal pitta. Or I stuff a pitta with salad and cold meats. Sometimes its hummus and veg sticks , sometimes a pasta salad, other times a fruit salad

For me its about avoiding the sandwich, cos the sandwich means crisps and a bar, and ensuring I take something so I dont run across the road and get a sausage roll :)

In other work settings where we have had more facilities Id leave cheese and butter in the fridge, and maybe take a potato or a couple of slices of bread in and have cheese on toast of a jacket spud ( microwaved ) and cheese or even a small tin of beans in

I like to wrap things in a tortilla and bake for 20 mins. Can be eaten hot or cold, once baked they hold their shape so are easy to transport.

You can do a traditional burrito or chimichanga or just do your own thing. Eg frozen chopped onions, grated cheese and maybe a bit of ham or chopped pepper, wrap and place the 'seam' on the bottom of a plate and oven or air fryer for 15-20 mins.

Great if you have leftover eg Chinese food.

I find the bento style of 4-5 different things works well for me, although I'm not working now but I should still try to do one. So 1 carb, 1 protean, 1 veg, 1 fruit and then 1 something else.

For some reason if I take a satsuma I tend not to eat it, but if I peel and put in the bento I do. I have no idea why.

Hummus with either pita bread or veg sticks (or both).

Couscous or a pasta salad.

If you get a kilner or similar jar you can add veg and a stock cube or stock mix with noodles or pasta and at work just add boiling water.

I've been taking noodles recently www.myfussyeater.com/healthier-homemade-pot-noodle/

Carrot & apple salad with nuts and raisins, and home made vinaigrette. Surprisingly filling, healthy, tastes lovely.

Or I cook up something on a Sunday afternoon to turn into lunches, a piece of gammon or a batch of butcher's sausages. Then mix with pasta or couscous, different veg or dressings.

I've been living on roasted vegetable hash for work lunches this week: fry onions & garlic in a skillet, then add all the vegetables left over from Sunday's roast, chopped & mashed together slightly & heat. Add cheese on top and put under the grill. Divide into quarters. Take one quarter for lunch. Can add an egg or sausage, sliced ham etc for variety. Best warmed in a microwave.

I make soup and take that in the winter. Soups with lentils or beans that are filling. Takes 10 minutes to chop 40 minutes cooking to make enough( for 5 days or to freeze. . Or veg chilli or similar. Often take leftover.

In summer I take salads, again with beans or lentils in, bit of feta....

I send my son to school with a little flask which I warm with boiling water first and often it'll have something like pasta with broccoli, peas or sweetcorn (which I boil in the same water) and then I add a nice tomato sauce from the deli . I'll also grate cheese on/ add chicken leftovers or chorizo etc . (I like a chorizo from Waitrose with no sodium nitrate in as easier to feel it's healthy !)

Just a thought. A ploughman's lunch deserves a come back.

I have honk it does

I meant it really does! Honestly this autocorrect has a kind of it's bloody own

I have made a sandwich menu that I am working my way through. It reduces the sameness. This week was:

crunchy vegetables, rocket, green olives and cashews in vinaigrette. I used wraps for the bread.

Left over beef chimichurri with chipotle mayo in a wrap

Next week is:
Blue cheese and apple slaw on rye

Classic prawn mayo with rocket on seeded

I may have to put that on a T shirt