What should I make for lunches? Need answer fast

Cafe Society
1

Lately, I’ve been trying to save some money by packing a lunch every other week or so. I make up a big batch of stew or casserole on Saturday, eat some for supper that evening, and pack up the rest for lunches for the week. But this week, for some reason, I’m blanking on what I should make.

Last time was beef stew, so I’m thinking probably a casserole this week. It should be something that covers the major food groups pretty well in one dish, since lunch is usually my main meal of the day. And it shouldn’t be anything too exotic, since I don’t have any ethnic markets or the like to get ingredients from.

So: Any suggestions?

2

Chicken a-la-king on rice with peas!

3

packing stew for lunch outside? either you have good containers and a nice van or you don’t have that much time to cook. why not a different type of sandwich each time? use cold cuts so you don’t have to cook much. if you do, try a cheesesteak or a cuban.

4

No, not for outside. I have some Tupperware-style containers with tight-sealing lids, and access to a microwave. Just a sandwich wouldn’t be very satisfying; like I said, lunch is usually my main meal for the day.

5

Chili, with beans. Wrap it in flour tortillas one day. Serve over Fritos with chopped onions and shredded cheese. Eat in a bowl with a couple of corn muffins (Jiffy makes a cornbread mix that is pretty good, though it makes a sweet cornbread and some don’t like that). Rinse and repeat. You can add sour cream or not, and also add fresh cilantro if you like the taste of it. After a week, you’ll probably be tired of chili for a while. I suggest that you start freezing one meal out of each batch of stew or casserole that you make, in order to build up your own collection of TV dinners, and for when you can’t face chili AGAIN this week. Then you pull out a package of beef stew, or tuna noodle casserole.

If you don’t have your own recipe for chili, the sauce packets make an acceptable version. Just make sure that you get all the fixings when you pick up the packet (usually a can of diced tomatoes and a can of beans). Make sure you have sour cream and cheddar or American or Jack cheese, or all of them.

My brother browns about 12 ounces of pork sausage and adds a jar of spaghetti sauce. Each evening, he boils up some pasta, just enough for that evening’s meal, and heats up some sauce. It’s usually breakfast sausage, but sometimes he gets the bulk Italian sausage. He says that this makes quite an acceptable spaghetti dinner.

6

Chicken a-la-king was my first thought. I LOVE chix pot pie, which is king+crust.

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Some good ideas for summer over here:

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OK, so you Chicken a la King folks: Recipes?

And Lynn, chili (yes, I have my own recipe) is in my rotation, but I’ve made it recently enough that I didn’t feel like doing that, either.

9

I have to ask my mom how she makes it. I’ve never made it!

It’s a roux (flour, butter) into which she puts chopped up chicken and then cooked frozen peas. Serve over rice or toast.

I know other recipes call for onions, red peppers, all sorts of other junk. I like it midwestern mom style :slight_smile: You should probably just Google it and find a version you like.

10

Chili-mac!

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I’ve been enjoying pasta salad over these hot days. I make up a big batch on the weekend and take it to lunch every day. So many different ways to make it! This week’s version, I used:
1 lb of that multi-color spiral pasta
1 can water chestnuts
1/2 a bunch fresh asparagus
chopped raw broccoli
1 bunch minced green onion
1 sm bag slivered almonds
1 can chicken, drained
1 pkg real bacon bits
Miracle Whip to taste.

Soooooooooooooooooo yummy!

12

Chicken divan. I just boil some chicken thighs and chop them up, then combine them with broccoli, grated cheddar, and a can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup thinned with a wee bit of cream or milk. Top off with Parmesan and bread crumbs and bake for about 2o minutes at 375F.

13

How about a chicken casserole? Mix a bag of stuffing mix (not Stovetop, but Pepperidge Farm and the like) with about a half a stick of melted butter. Layer stuffing, cooked chicken, and a can of cream of chicken/mushroom/celery soup mixed with water or chicken broth. Repeat layers until your casserole dish is full, ending with the soup mixture - I usually do 2 layers, so 2 cans of soup total. Bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. It makes a ton of food, and leftover are better the next day. Basically it tastes like Thanksgiving stuffing/dressing with some chicken mixed in.

14

Gumbo; jambalaya; shrimp/chicken creole. Recipes abound on the intertoobs.

Cassoulet:

Allow 4 ounces of each of the following per serving:
Hot Italian sausage
Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Canned diced tomatoes
Canned white beans

Other ingredients:
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh rosemary, several sprigs
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper

French bread, sliced
Olive oil

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add the chicken and brown, then remove from the pan. Remove the casings from the sausages, break into pieces and add to the pan. Brown well. Return the chicken to the pan and add the garlic. Saute for one minute. Add the beans and tomatoes with their juices. Strip the rosemary from the stems and add to the pan. Cover and simmer for about a half hour to an hour. Top with ground pepper and serve with crostini, below.

Heat the broiler or barbeque grill. Brush olive oil on both sides of the bread and toast briefly. Serve with the cassoulet.

African Chicken, Yam & Peanut Stew

2 pounds chicken meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp salt
1 15 oz. can whole tomatoes in juice
¼ cup water
2 TBSP tomato paste
¼ cup peanut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed into paste with 1 tsp salt
1-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
½ cup smooth peanut butter at room temperature
1-3/4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 lb sweet potato or yam, cut into 1 inch chunks

Sprinkle chicken with salt and let stand for 30 minutes.

Pulse tomatoes with juices in a food processor until finely chopped.

Stir water into tomato paste in a small bowl until smooth.

Pat chicken dry. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high until hot, then brown chicken. Remove from pan. Pour off excess oil, leaving about 2 TBSP, then add onion and cook over medium heat until lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken, tomatoes, tomato paste mixture, garlic paste and cayenne to pan (or use a pot, if needed).

Whisk together peanut butter and one cup broth in a bowl until smooth, then add to chicken along with remaining ¾ cup broth, stirring to combine well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 30 minutes. Add yam chunks and simmer until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Serve over rice, if desired.

15

If you like chicken or turkey, you can roast a whole chicken or a turkey breast or leg, and ring the changes on it. You can even make a nice sandwich or two! It’s also good eaten cold. I like to roast a whole bird, serve it for dinner one day, and then sandwiches, and then chicken pot pie or chicken’n’dumplings. I really don’t think that chicken’n’dumplings is a good meal to pack, though. It doesn’t reheat very well.

I don’t have any recipes for chicken a la king handy, I never really got into the habit of making it, as it calls for canned pimientos and I usually don’t keep them in the house. However, I do like the old chicken, rice, and cream of mushroom soup dish that’s on the back of the label of Campbell’s. You don’t have to use breasts, you can use any chicken parts, just make sure the chicken is cooked completely. You can add cut up broccoli to this or not, depending on how you feel about broccoli.

Also, to save money, drink water or tea or KoolAid, which you bring yourself. Or, if you must, bring in your own soda.

16

Haven’t there been other threads about this very topic? … Meatballs, turkey, chicken, veal, or beef. They can be different flavors, there are a lot of different sauces. Swedish, with nutmeg (or is it dill?). Italiano, of course. Garlic and herb. There’s gravy, tomato sauce, sweet and sour sauce, chili sauce, alfredo sauce, canned soups. Over noodles or rice. I don’t know if this would necessarily be cheaper than a Lean Cuisine, I haven’t parsed it out, but it would be tastier.

17

How about some lasagne? Hearty, tasty, and re-heats beautifully. Lasagne always taste better the second (or third) day anyway.

I don’t use a recipe, I just wing it with what I have in the fridge most of the time. Make some red sauce with ground beef or pork, layer with some cheese mixes (must have ricotta) and lasagne noodles. Add a layer of spinach or sauteed sherry mushrooms if I’m feeling fancy. Most of the recipes from epicurious or other recipe conglomerates online are fine though.

18

For what it’s worth, I’m going with the Chicken a la King this week, though I’m keeping some of these other ideas in mind for the future. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

And the last time I made lasagna, the only problem was that I ended up with way too much of it.

19

Freeze leftover lasagna in single servings. You can freeze it before or after it’s baked. My husband is always comforted by the notion that we have frozen homemade lasagna and meatloaf portions in the freezer.

When my mother was still cooking (she has Alzheimer’s now), she used to make up homemade TV dinners when she roasted a turkey. She’d portion out turkey, gravy, and dressing in a little tub, and ladle some gravy over it. And in a couple of weeks, when my parents felt like having turkey again, she’d warm this up. She’d either cook another vegetable, or just serve a salad with it.

Speaking of salads, a lot of fresh vegetables are very good with just some oil and vinegar. For instance, wash a cucumber, draw the tines of a fork down the length of it to score the rind, and slice. Let soak in vinegar and a bit of olive or salad oil. You can add various herbs, either fresh or dried. I love dill, and many people love oregano or basil. You can also add some tomatoes and onions to this. You can fix this the night before, and it will be nice and flavorful for lunch. You can also slice tomatoes and drizzle with oil and vinegar and herbs, if you can find tomatoes that have any flavor to them. The mozzarella is optional. So don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have to have hot veggies, or that salads just mean a lettuce based dish.

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I came in here to suggest lasagna too, except I sometimes make a ravioli lasagna. Instead of plain noodles, use frozen ravioli instead! You get an extra layer of cheese (or meat, if you so choose :)) in there. Don’t even have to defrost the ravioli. Just increase the baking time, it can take 45 minute to an hour.