Lunch ideas

[Lunchtimehelp]

I'm starting a new role working from home soon.
I will need to use my lunch break to pick up the children from school. Therefore I will be eating and working at the same time.

I will need to make my lunch the night before/ on the morning. I'm looking for some ideas that will be easy that's not a sandwich and not messy to eat. Otherwise I will just end up eating toast! Thanks.

Dd taked pasta salad or vegetable cous cous to school which i add a protein to. Dd also likes 'Sunday leftovers' in a sandwich on mondays this week it was pork, apple sauce and stuffing, I know its a sandwich but she says its a nicer sandwich!
Or can you make a batch of soup for the week? I make a batch on a Monday in my soup maker then just warm in the microwave for two min.
What about leftovers (obviously depending on what it is)? Have you got time to warm food up?
I think the trick here is variety and always have something planned so you dont revert to toast. I meal plan for the week and always plan in lunches to prevent laziness.

I love these ideas, thank you.

These energy balls are handy to have to hand. They're delicious too. They freeze for up to 3 months and there's no need to bake them, just combine the ingredients, chill in the fridge for an hour and roll into balls

Just make extra dinner the night before and have the leftovers for lunch...or chuck the leftovers in a wrap!

Soup, left overs, small baked potato, salads, Wraps. I very rarely have sandwiches. Buy a couple of emergency tins of soup ti keep at work too.

They sound delicious!

Can you batch cook a bit?
bagel thins / English muffins
chicken sausages / normal sausages / bacon
egg frittata (mix some eggs, add basil, spinach, tomatoes, whatever - all in a baking dish until cooked) then cut into squares

assemble, top with cheese if you want and wrap up and freeze. I take one out in the morning and then air fry it for 12 minutes or so. It’s one of those things that’s quite hands off for the most part!

I do same and have:

Soup but put in a mug and drink whilst working and fruit after.
Make a big fruit salad and have that as snacks

Do extra for tea and have left overs from night before, heat in microwave serve in big bowl

Beans on toast or tinned toms

Jacket potato done in microwave, cheese and beans

M&S micro meal...chilli and rice, or pasta

I just discovered them this week but ya, they're quite nice. I added rice Krispies for a bit of crispyness!

I eat ham rolls stuffed with Longley farm cottage cheese or frittata and cherry vine tomatoes or carton soup and a roll spread with Philly or Boursin - occasionally I make soup

A wrap?

You can pop a spud in the slow cooker in the morning and have baked potato for lunch. Various toppings.

I sometimes have cheese and oatcakes, cherry tomatoes, nuts, apple.

Scrambled eggs and poached salmon. Poach the salmon in advance, have it cold with the eggs which only take three minutes to cook. Throw a handful of salad with it.

Probably 3 days a week I have noodles in miso broth with a boiled egg. Super easy, takes 5 minutes to assemble.

Ready made noodles (the sort in the vacuum sealed packet), microwave for 1.5 minutes. Boil kettle, make miso soup from a packet or jar. Mix it all together, I often add wakame (dried seaweed), kimchi, spring onions, coriander, top with a boiled egg.

You could assemble in the morning and just microwave and add the egg at lunchtime.

Ramen

I tend to eat on the hoof and at the same time avoid bread

Quite often I do a picky plate, sliced pear and apple with a pot of cottage cheese . I slice through the fruit and use it like a cracker to eat the cottage cheese - amazingly filling believe it or not

Hard boiled eggs and tikka chicken mini fillets

Humous and HM tortilla chips ( wholemeal pitta split, cut into rough triangles and air fried till crispy )

For real quick I have a couple of pouches of flavoured chickpeas and lentils - a minute or two in the microwave, tip into a bowl, stir in a handful of spinach and sprinkle over feta

Bowl of fruit and greek yoghurt with a handful of seeds, or I use Bio and Me granola - its easy

I just aim for protein and fibre , stops that 4pm slump and chocolate/sugar crave