Lunches in a Kilner jar or Tupperware.

[Badtard]

I have no access to a kitchen or microwave. I'd love ideas for healthy lunches that I can pre-plan and bung in the fridge the night before.

I'm a bit addicted to rice and cous cous, so something that will fill me up as well as being as low as possible in calories.

Really need to get my stuff together.

Protein of some sort necessary- are you a meat eater/ vegetarian/ vegan?

As much veg as possible- lower calorie bulk

Yes I eat meat but happy to embrace any foods.

Want to be able to prepare foods that will be stored in fridge and taken to work everyday.

Not sure why you would put your lunch in a Kilner jar.

That's the trendy non plastic way rolls eyes

well, protein of choice, lots of veg. A sauce/ flavouring.

My current favourite is cous cous, with a selection of chopped cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, peppers, spring onion and feta* drizzled with a balsamic glaze

*I'm vegan so make a feta substitute from tofu and include some of the marinade to moisten it all up a bit

I like Alexander Hart's 5 minute lunch box books - easy to sling together and no kitchen required. There are 3 of the recipes here to give you an idea

https://www.oliverbonas.com/blog/inspiration/three-fresh-filling-and-flavoursome-salads-from-the-the-five-minute-salad-lunchbox

Well, I have borosilicate glass containers, I never store food in plastic. I just think a Kilner jar would be really impractical to eat out of.

do you have access to a kettle?
couscous would work for that.
or instant noodles type noodles. if you buy plain noodles and a stock cube and frozen veg you can make yourself a decent-ish potnoodle.
or overnight oats.

Nowt trendy about the jars, but ta for the sarcastic comment.

My grandad had about 10 unused ones in his pantry and I grabbed them when we had to clear his home. I don't like the way food tastes out of plastic so it makes sense to use them. What's trendy about that?

I have access to a kettle, yes!
I like that idea.
Could you store dried cous cous and chopped veg together and still add hot water ? Does that work?

I like this idea.
Do you prepare the cous cous beforehand? Or do you soak in boiling water just before?

Could you buy a food flask and heat the food at home so you can have a hot lunch? My 2 kids take a variety of foods to school/uni in theirs

Thank you @londonmummy1966 they sound great. I'll give them a go. What's your favourite?

Yes @dementedpixie i have one but I've been taking in rice and pasta which isn't doing me or my thickening waist line any good.

Do a Google/Pinterest search for jam jar salads, you’ll get loads of inspiration. There’s a specific order to put things in which I can’t remember, but when I used to make these they saved loads of time, and I’d take cheese/chicken/tuna etc to have on the side.

You are able to make a weeks worth in advance so it’s a good option if times short.

Beetroot lentil and feta salad with rocket - may be a bit of a variation on the one in the book but I like it so much we often have it for supper in the summer - tinned lentils so its really quick

If you have a flask then soup would be an option. I have a soup maker so I can just bung all the ingredients in and it makes itself in 20 minutes. Then just decant.

OP, cous cous is essentially a type of pasta in that it's processed and made from wheat. Try whole grains instead like quinoa, barley, lentils

Swap regular noodles/pasta/rice for these to cut calories. They also have 'rice' shapes and various pasta shapes for variety. I found it was best used in a dish which already had other veg/meat in it. I tried them in carbonara, but as the 'pasta' was the focus, it wasn't so good.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/bare-naked-noodles-380g?productId=965966&utm_campaign=20333793068&utm_medium=cpc&cmpid=cpc&utm_custom2=759-449-0952&storeId=10151&gclid=CjwKCAiAlcyuBhBnEiwAOGZ2S4sE6OjPvoVR6rIJ0pHs3xNhN4aZcAPmRK0A_VKmeuoVE86f5e-r6hoCemoQAvD_BwE&catalogId=10241&utm_custom1=&langId=44&utm_source=Google&utm_content=shopping&krypto=UKKIJbIS%2Fe3ZltxzgnIhk8tJP3j7kd%2F3%2FlQ2c1ZOqOC5plDVaYZAj7VlyJ37Rn19N17CrQ3FRu12KJye4T0IuaFr1nVCRaBBnU6y%2Fy98yuZvz8FU%2BRo2rtlLMiYOtc836zJdVod2YY2wACOAjdgKcYHScF8DSCXF9uGs5qlKq2lbs1gu452CeBVyd2RPC9GcqE8xJGNqq6EWnbrFmTs2A2aJbapilryO17K5oybPoODg5ehl56LA8v45Jin3MM8T4nXL%2BWZnkXCCTKLBoFrBXdz7Ol8Lm5Kzh4U%2F8ItFVOrBjcZI9Q61hsEcAUCP9vKTGUDyl501XokSlsWrQXCc2%2F94jIvhXnGuN5%2FuiorrSWQ%3D&ddkey=https%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Fbare-naked-noodles-380g

Canned cooked chickpeas + jarred red peppers + parsley/coriander + marinated chicken + lemon and olive oil dressing

Brown lentils + cooked beetroot + feta or goats cheese + walnuts + balsamic dressing

Quinoa + edamame + red cabbage + chicken + satay dressing (lime, peanut butter, soy sauce)

Where possible buy the pre-cooked sachets of grains for ease, and pre-marinated chicken, if you want to keep things simple and quick.

Rice noodles , veg and Miso

I used to make up my lunch pot the night before and it consisted of only tasty filling things - no getting to the bottom to find any boring bits!

For example:

Coleslaw or mixed grains
Diced avocado
Halved cherry tomatoes, few basil leaves
Cubed cheddar
Quartered hard boiled egg
Few pitted olives

Eaten with a fork from the pot

I recommend quinoa instead of rice or cous cous. It has more protein and it’s better for you. Prepare it just like rice and add whatever bits you like to it.

Cook brown basmati rice. Fry chopped onion, peppers, carrot and what ever else you fancy: ie celery, small broc, cauli florets, leeks, courgette, peas, sweetcorn. Add rice to fried veg, stir up. Portion into 5 containers. I serve with shredded slow cooker chicken.