What do you have for lunch?

[PumpkinPie2016]

Bit nosey but I am looking for some inspiration

Lunch at my school is only 30 minutes so by the time I have tidied and set up my next lesson, I probably have about 20 minutes as we have to be at our doors before the kids start coming in.

No fridge in the department but I have a lunch bag with ice blocks. No microwave either and there are only 2 in school which means massive queues and a trek to the other side of the school.

I get bored of sandwhiches but can't really think of much else to have. Tried those pasta pots that you put water in with varying success. I can do salad if it's interesting but I'm not good at making it interesting.

So, would anyone be willing to share their lunch ideas to save me from sandwhiches every day for the next academic year?

I eat near enough anything so all suggestions welcome

Leftovers - often cold as I run out of time - or hummous when all else fails.

I've treated myself to a Leon book of packed lunches so am planning on upping the game a bit next term.

This is one of my favourites:

realfood.tesco.com/recipes/sweet-potato-lentil-and-feta-salad.html

I also do lots of roasted vegetables throughout the week to go with couscous or pasta. Salad bowls with grated carrot, falafel, houmous, beetroot and leaves make for a good lunch. Another favourite is roasting broccoli, sundried tomatoes and black olives for 30 mins then stirring through cooked penne pasta and seasoning well.

A meal from the school kitchen with the children

Hummus and pita bread if I’m not on duty.

Anything from the canteen I can eat one handed outside if I am.

I’m really happy at 12.50 if I’ve taken leftovers. Do have access to a microwave though (I hide in a teaching kitchen at lunchtime).
Sandwiches are okay but I hate making them, so only take them if DH has made me one. Otherwise it’s prepackaged sandwiches which I hate.
Hope to read some inspiration on your thread. I used to do lovely lunches but that was before having children when life was...simpler.

Soup in a thermos is my standard lunch. I get nice ones and microwave them before I go to school. I have a nice wide necked thermos that I can eat it out of with a spoon. I keep a box or two of nice crackers or breadsticks or flatbreads in my desk.

In the summer I do salads with whatever we have in the fridge.

Sometimes I take leftovers (especially if it’s something like macaroni cheese) in my thermos. DDs have lunch boxes that keep food hot so I sometimes borrow one of those and heat it up before I go out. One of these...

Pic is what I borrow from the kids.

Food is provided to staff - standard school lunch fare. I find it quite stodgy and usually have to stay in my office at lunch (pastoral responsibilities), also have super quick lunch twice a week due to duty and departmental meeting.

We don't have a fridge or any kitchen area.

I'm a creature of habit and bring a piece of fruit for my breakfast/morning snack and a small tin of tuna for lunch which I supplement with a bit of lettuce and / or tomato from the "salad bar" area of the canteen (tray of lettuce and or tomato, occasionally mixed up with exciting onion, meh grated carrot or hideous sweet corn).

Pretty bad, but nothing. Never have time.

Not a teacher. But don't really get lunch breaks either.
I bought this for my daughter to have hit packed lunches:
http://www.argos.co.uk/product/8459581?cmpid=GS001&$ja=tsid:59156%7Cacid:444-797-0832%7Ccid:189949525%7Cagid:18091974325%7Ctid:aud-144400486596:pla-481757907328%7Ccrid:77627773765%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:9279134182114292642%7Cdvc:m%7Cadp:1o11%7Cmt:%7Cloc:9044964&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7o-W2fP03AIV9grTCh04-AU3EAQYCyABEgK80PDD_BwE

Hot, not hit.

Posted too soon in error.
Meant to add that I heat leftovers or make a pasta dish before school. I think many stew or pasta/rice dishes would work nicely.

I've tested at home to see how long it kept the food hot, it was still fine 6 hours after filling the flask. It may last longer, but for my purposes I needed to know it was keeping food warm for that long.

Bon appetit !

I take a big bag of salad and cherry tomatoes plus 5 tins of tuna every week. I have a bottle of salad dressing in my room, plus crispbreads or equivalent. Every morning before lessons I make up my dinner in the staff room, cling film it then take it to my office to eat at lunch time. ( I don't like salad straight from the fridge, it's tasteless). If I'm feeling flush I'll take tinned salmon.

Lots of ideas - thank you!

I have remembered, having read the replies, that I have a thermos good flask. Must dig that out!

Some good salad ideas too!

Our school dinners aren't nice so I avoid those

Free school lunches for staff

Couscous made with mint, basil and parsley. Lemon juice and whatever salad, ham etc, olives etc available. Really quick to make.
Tomato and mozzarella salad ( my fave lunch and really cheap, aldi mozzarella is 49p and does 2 lunches). I keep a bottle of balsamic vinegar in my lab to put on it.
Cook a bit of extra pasta, turn into pasta salad.

I find salad takes too long to eat - all that chewing!

Good day - Spanish omelette with some sticks of carrot/cucumber (if I've been organised enough to make a big one on Sunday, it lasts a couple of days)
Another good day - hoummus with sticks of vege as above
Middling day - oatcakes and a lump of cheese, plus grapes
Another middling day - Quorn 'ham' sarnie and grapes
Usually a bag of baked crisps or cracker type things alongside.
Bad day - a bag of crisps and a cereal bar

I have a thermos and I tend to bring in:
One pot pasta
One pot quinoa chilli

One pots are my go to meals. I tend to keep it vegetarian even though I eat meat, because I’ll make a big batch to have each lunch time for a week and I find it keeps better. Be careful with rice! Thermoses keep liquid hot, so if your rice is a bit dry it can make you unwell.

Thermoses also keeps things cold so I’ll often make a salad in it (usually a chicken caesar); keep your dressing at the bottom and it won’t go soggy. Other cold things I’ll take in (in a lunchbox with an ice pack) are sweet jacket potatoes with some tomatoes, avocado, corn etc. Sometimes a bit of tuna or chicken.

For snacks I love sesame snaps and dried fruit from Poundland.

School dinners because ours are ace, but I must stop eating a full cooked lunch every day and then going home and having cooked dinner next year!!