It’s only February and already I cannot face the boring work lunches that I have subjected myself to for year after year. I buy my lunch once a fortnight, and other than that, bring it in.
I am after any suggestions for yummy healthy portable lunches. I work in the city, so I have a rather long commute - ergo, why portable is so important.
And they need to be inoffensive - ie no microwaved fish!
Does any one have any suggestions?
If you like Japanese style food this site has some good recipes / ideas. I’ve done her instant miso soup and it tastes just like from the restaraunt.
Sandwiches are always good. Leftovers. I’ve actually done tostadas once or twice, but that takes a bit of on the spot assembly. I’m not very good about lunches either.
Tupperware or other sealable container. Leftover rice. Top it with leftover cooked meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or pour some sort of sauce on top. Shred a cucumber or a carrot into a plastic bag. At work, heat your lunch in the microwave and top with the stredded vegetable.
Small container of cottage cheese. Diced ham. Bell pepper. At work, slice the top off the pepper and clean the inside. Mix the ham into the cottage cheese. Top with spices. Eat.
I’m in a similar boat and I’ve been buying those smart-ones microwave dinner. They’re pretty yummy, relatively healthy, and very portable. You might have to consider container options if your commute is really long though.
How about whole grain salads? For specific recipes, try searches on www.cookinglight.com or www.eatingwell.com. I personally love quinoa, but there’s also bulgur, kasha, couscous, and barley.
Susan
Thanks guys 
I’ll go through all the suggestions when I get home.
sigh Another tuna sandwich today 
I like pita pizzas.
One pita + tomata sauce + mozarella + grated parmesean cheese = cheap but yummy pizza
I fed my husband and I pasta salad once or twice a week for 4 months while we commuted together last year:
1 lb tricolor pasta - I like the spirals
1-2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
A handful of olives, your choice of variety, pitted and rinsed
1 cup prepared quinoa
1 cup edamame
Feta cheese to taste
Italian dressing of your choice, a goodly amount.
Prepare the pasta, rinse in cold water to stop cooking and to cool. Add everything else. If you are making only for yourself, best to halve the recipe. Also, all that starch soaks up a LOT of dressing, so I usually add most of the bottle, but pour off about half the oil beforehand to keep it from getting greasy.
I pack lunches for my daughter, and I have developed a repertoire of things. I try to have 3-4 of the following in her lunchbox every morning: hard-cooked egg, whole wheat tortilla rolled with peanut butter or cream cheese, pistachio nuts (any nuts will do, but she likes pistachios), fruit cup, cheese stick, carrot and celery sticks with dip (ranch or peanut butter), chicken salad, cold peas, corn or edamame, YoGos, sesame crackers, or cold roasted chicken cubes (with a toothpick - makes eating it more fun).
You can probably expand on this list without trying very hard. It gives you a lot of variety, and none of it is difficult.
Check your local Woolies, generally in about the aisle where the spaghetti/pasta dishes are.
There’s a whole range of shelf-stable meals for about $5-6 in that area. Some cheaper depending on brand. But there’s Spaghetti Bolognase, Carbonara, Matricana (I think they’re leggos brand). There’s some brands that have Beef Stroganoff and rice (my lunch today) or chicken breast with mash, veggie curries or curried sausages. And they’re all proper heat&eat meals, you don’t have to put in water or milk or anything like that.
They’re not gourmet food, but for $5 they’re more filling than what you’d get for takeaway (given a large McDonald’s meal is running to about $6 nowadays), they cook in about 2-5 minutes in the microwave, most are in their own self-contained serving dishes and being shelf-stable if you don’t feel like having one and want to have takeout instead, it’ll happily sit in your desk until you are ready to eat it.
[ETA]: Even if you go with mainly the fresh suggestions, doesn’t hurt to have one or two of the ready meals on hand for just in case. I eat them on a semi-regular basis and some are really quite nice.
I would usually take leftovers from supper in a plastic container, dryice pack, and bag.
I also love soup so I keep a good supply available.
I like a bagel with a squeeze pack of cream cheese and some lean ham. Quick easy and a change from tuna.
I’ve been fighting lunch issues for years. I hate plain sandwiches. Some of the things I have done are:
Microwave rice and tuna
Microwave pasta, sauce and ham/tuna
Instant Noodles and cup-a-soup/miso
Wraps with salad and chicken/ham/bolognaise/etc
We have a really good toasted sandwich maker at home, so
Toasted baguette/panini/sandwich with ham and cheese or leftovers
Quesadillas with salsa and cheese/ham/refried beans/whatever is in the fridge
I am on a diet at the moment, so I am actually eating less for lunch, but it still has to be nice.
Si
My favourite lunch is some ciabatta with pesto, salami/calabrese, olives, rocket, and maybe some cheese. I also like tomatoes, but if you don’t bring them in a separate container they can make everything a bit soggy. Depending on how much pesto you use you might want some breath mints afterwards.
Some of the instant noodles that you get from Asian grocers are pretty tasty. Not the healthiest option, but they’re good for those days you can’t be bothered to even make a sandwich.
I have to second the Bento idea. I haven’t tried it myself but I’ve perused some recipes and they sound great. You can get a nice bento box, perhaps a Hello Kitty one, and be the envy of the office, especially when you open it up and they see your hard-boiled eggs shaped like bunnies.
I think it’s also a good idea to have several quick snacky things in your lunch that way if you start getting hungry about 10:30 in the morning you can grab something out of your lunch box and you can save something from lunch for later in the afternoon. Look for recipes of stuff that you can freeze then you can have a day where you make a couple different food items, freeze them in individual portions and then take them out and pop them in your lunch box during the week. Things like mini-quiches are good and you can also have them as quick on the go breakfast as well.
You can also make your own sushi but without the raw fish, use cooked crab (or the fake crab) and vegetables. Take a tortilla and spread with cream cheese and a slice or two or ham or turkey or chicken/tuna/egg salad and then roll it up. Cut them into pinwheels. You can also do this with peanut butter if you like. Make mini-sandwiches, like tea sandwiches, with different fillings. The bento site Silver Tyger Girl linked to had info on freezing rice in individual portions. You could add just about anything to rice or add the rice to soup.
Here’s a site with some recipes . I’m thinking of trying the mini-quiches, hoisin chicken buns and some filled wontons as they are all freezable.
Now I’m hungry.
I eat leftovers.
Last night, I cooked lentils, and chicken & spinach sausages for supper. That’s what I had for lunch.
Tonight, we’re having chicken and squash and salad. That will be lunch tomorrow.
Tuesday, we’re making pizza. Guess what lunch will be on Wednesday.
Something about the little Laptop Lunch bento boxes seems to inspire people to share their lunch ideas. I found out there’s even a Laptop Lunch group on Flickr where people just post pictures of their lunches. Lots of ideas to swipe there.
(I have one of the boxes. It’s fun and practical, but I’ve never actually been inspired to photograph it!)
I’m in a similar situation - in my case I can’t leave work to get lunch, so I bring something or I do without. Many of my lunches are leftovers, often things I planned to be left-over.