# What do you eat for lunch, if not a sandwich? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158 "2015-07-14T17:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/41 "2015-07-15T12:23:29Z")
Soup Salad Cereal Toast Full Roast lunch (Sundays) ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/42 "2015-07-15T14:37:26Z")
I drink a protein shake for lunch. I buy them by the case and have them shipped right to my office at work. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/43 "2015-07-15T15:45:37Z")
Whatever I want. I don’t do leftovers, so I usually get frozen dinners, Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs, a salad maybe, some vegetables and dip, a cheeseball and crackers, go to the cafeteria, get fast food - I pretty much don’t have a “set” lunch. I eat what I want when I want. Sometimes I don’t eat “lunch” at all - I graze all day. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/44 "2015-07-15T16:19:13Z")
I work with my wife. (She’s a nurse, and I’m a lay clinic director, at the same medical practice.) Every Sunday we’ll cook several large slow cooker or dutch oven dishes, then portion those into Tupperware containers for weekday lunches. (Monday-Thursday, that is; Friday is our lunch date day.) Examples from the last couple of weeks: - Beef bourgignon - Ropa vieja - Chicken chile verde - Chickpea and potato vegetarian curry ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/45 "2015-07-15T16:22:39Z")
Most of the time I do a last-night’s-dinner redux for lunch, but if I don’t have leftovers available, I will make up a batch of chicken pasta salad on Sunday and take servings of that along with crudites and 4-5 whole grain crackers. In the winter, I make soup almost every weekend, so will have soup for lunch often, with whatever fruit I have in the house. Our company activities committee bought a quesadilla maker for our kitchen and it get lots of use. So easy to use and you can just toss in whatever leftover meat you have with some cheese and possibly some small veggies and it’s ready in a snap. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/46 "2015-07-15T17:39:12Z")
One of my favorites is beans and rice. I make a large batch over the weekend to serve as lunches for the week. Not terribly exciting, but it’s easy, cheap, and reasonably healthy. I just fill a slow cooker with a pound of beans, a chopped onion, 1-2 tbsp fat (olive oil, butter, barbecue trimmings, bacon grease, etc.), cover with water, and let cook for several hours until the beans are nice and soft. It takes maybe 10 minutes to set up and another 10 to put away when it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/47 "2015-07-15T18:56:22Z")
I hate leftovers and I very rarely eat in the office. If I do eat in the office it’s usually Subway or Jimmy John’s. I mostly do fast food, but I’ll also do a good sit down restaurant on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/48 "2015-07-15T19:05:11Z")
You gotta try this: 3 or four chicken breasts about 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning (I buy it by the bucket) dash o salt Boil for 2-3 hours, finish up when you’ve reduced the water in the pan to about a cup or two. Let them cool off a bit, then shred them by rolling 'em through your fingers. Add back some of the water until the meat is saturated. Into the Tupperware they go in whatever you think a serving size is. Or roll 'em into a burrito if you need more carbs. I first made this for a work potluck. Wife got a taste and was all pissed off because I never made that for dinner. 🙂 Also: chili, stew, apple & protein shake, chicken enchiladas with white sauce, spaghetti… ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/49 "2015-07-15T19:18:56Z")
I have a salad for lunch and add some cheese , or an hard boiled egg or some canned tuna . In the winter I will have some soup and yup a sandwich ,or some leftover from dinner. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/50 "2015-07-15T20:21:35Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > You gotta try this: > 3 or four chicken breasts > about 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning (I buy it by the bucket) > dash o salt > Boil for 2-3 hours, finish up when you’ve reduced the water in the pan to about a cup or two. > > Let them cool off a bit, then shred them by rolling 'em through your fingers. Add back some of the water until the meat is saturated. > > Into the Tupperware they go in whatever you think a serving size is. Or roll 'em into a burrito if you need more carbs. I first made this for a work potluck. Wife got a taste and was all pissed off because I never made that for dinner. 🙂 > > Also: chili, stew, apple & protein shake, chicken enchiladas with white sauce, spaghetti… Need more info - boneless/skinless breasts? Also, do you really boil the \*meat \*for hours, or just until the meat is done and then keep boiling down the cooking liquid? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/51 "2015-07-15T21:03:06Z")
Boneless & skinless. And yeah, boil the meat that long. I’m not real scientific about it–after it’s boiled a couple hours with a lid on, I take the lid off and let it reduce. The prolonged boil makes the chicken just fall apart–same process works for pork shoulder (I do that in a pressure cooker for 90-120 minutes, though). What I don’t add back to the shredded chicken I freeze in ice cube trays and save for the next batch. Sort of a sourbroth chicken process, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/52 "2015-07-15T21:10:33Z")
On weekdays, I usually have a Smart Ones or Lean Cuisine frozen thing, or else some cauliflower and cheese (I’m a creature of habit–I like to know what I’m having, and since I work at home it’s easy). On weekends, we go out for lunch, so it could be any number of things depending on what we’re feeling like that day. ---
**Author:** ![ace21496](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@ace21496](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ace21496)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/53 "2015-07-15T21:21:06Z")
I love making various lunch bowls. I’ll include a protein, fat and some veggies. Examples of things I put in are: Boca chicken patties grilled chicken fajita style veggies black beans avocado hard boiled eggs pickles tuna spinach mangoes mushrooms green peppers goat cheese feta mini babybel cheese wedge I throw in a small serving of each thing and maybe sprinkle a little greek seasoning over the whole thing. For Mister Ace I make a bunch of stuff on Sundays and divide it up. It includes Dal Nirvana, cooked cauliflower and broccoli, grilled chicken, chopped up avocado, greek yogurt, and sesame sticks. He takes all that every day. He’s an exercise junkie so he needs a lot of fuel during the day. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/54 "2015-07-15T21:34:17Z")
I’ve been eating trail mix every day for the last two weeks. It does the job. Today I put some out for the birds - they weren’t interested:( They seem to like the cat food much better. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/55 "2015-07-17T06:15:58Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > You. Monster. > > Now THAT is all I will think about. > > Now I have to make egg salad tomorrow. (I don’t have the patience for deviled eggs.) I should’ve put deviled eggs with the chicken fried steak/tom kha gai. (In the thread about foods you crave.) > I WILL HAVE ALL THE EGGS! I hope your egg salad hit the spot! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/56 "2015-07-17T09:07:41Z")
I’m a little surprised at what some people think are “cheap, convenient, healthy, and[/or] quick”. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/57 "2015-07-17T11:24:44Z")
Today I had a scotch egg and a small tub of coleslaw. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/58 "2015-07-17T11:27:18Z")
On the weekend, I buy a chicken and roast it, along with some peppers. I then have roasted peppers and chicken salad, with some fruit and a yoghurt. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/59 "2015-07-17T11:36:14Z")
On Sundays I make a big pot of some kind of soup or chili. I portion it out and take one each day for lunch with fruit or a yogurt or something ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158/60 "2015-07-17T12:22:16Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > Today I had a scotch egg and a small tub of coleslaw. Mmmmm…scotch & eggs for breakfast. Good times. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-eat-for-lunch-if-not-a-sandwich/725158.md?page=4)