Monday, February 23, 2009

Lunch Ideas

Are you in a lunch rut?

Tim takes his lunch to work everyday, as he doesn't have time to leave the pharmacy to purchase lunch. I try to take my lunch every day unless I have plans with my friends or colleagues.

Tim loves sandwiches! Here are a few sandwich ideas to mix things up:


Vegetarian Sandwiches:

Meat Sandwiches:

  • roast beef, cheddar, dill mustard
  • chicken or turkey, mayonnaise mixed with dill and onion/garlic powder
  • salami, pickles, cream cheese or mustard
  • Cuban (roast pork, ham, mustard, pickles)
  • leftover steak with caramelized onions, blue cheese, and arugula

I cannot deal with daily sandwiches; I get sick of them.

I love pasta salad, however. It's easy to make a large pasta salad on the weekend or a weeknight, and you'll usually get 4-6 portions out of one big batch.


Pasta Salads:

Rice/Grain/Bread Salads:

Other Salads:


Snacks:
  • homemade hummus (including varieties like Taco Hummus or Black Bean Hummus) with veggies and/or pita
  • hardboiled eggs
  • roasted unsalted almonds
  • cucumber with cream cheese
  • celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins
  • string cheese
  • wasabi peas

If you have a microwave at work, you may want to check out some soup recipes, too!

What are your favorite bring-your-own lunches and snacks? I am always looking for new ideas!

11 comments:

HaveShoesWillTravel said...

Thanks for the list. I am terrible about bringing my lunch. I am never hungry in the morning so I don't want to deal with it. Or I forgot to pick something up from the grocery store or some other excuse. I like salad type stuff that I can put in the containers and just grab as opposed to having to put a sandwich or something together in the morning.

ashley said...

i get sick of sandwiches too. my fave is leftover fried rice. it tastes so good reheated!

Sarah said...

THANK YOU for these ideas - I've been feeling like my options have been so unappetizing lately. Tomorrow, though, I've already planned to have pita with avocado, roasted garlic hummus, and bell peppers. I've also been enjoying falafel/hummus/broccoli pitas with some extra sharp cheddar. My favorite is a salad with shrimp and feta, though - it's so filling. My snacks usually include nuts, string cheese, pretzels (with or without peanut butter - it's great for dipping), and yogurt.

nicole said...

great post, I love the ideas!

Jo said...

Great list!

I am not a sandwich lover unless it's freshly made which pf course rules out making it in the morning and eating it at lunch!

I also bring a lot of soup to work... yumm!

Thanks for some different ideas!

Kanella said...

I get sick of sandwiches what great ideas.

Erin said...

Awesome list! I'm totally trying some of these. I go in phases - most weeks I bring in leftovers of whatever we had for dinner (we have a microwave at work). I try not to go out too much, but I tend to average one day a week eating out.

This week I bought all the stuff to make turkey sandwiches and I just make it at lunch time (MUCH better that way!). I am lucky to have a pretty big kitchen area though, this wouldn't work for most. I've also been having cottage cheese and applesauce as well (although that might sound disgusting to most! :)

Ben actually likes to make curry on Sundays and bring in a big batch to have all week - him and one other coworker share a rice cooker that they keep at the office and they just make rice each day to serve with the curry.

Erin said...

Also, you might like this Orzo Salad with Lemon, Feta, and Pine Nuts:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20030723/ai_n14557528

(I think that is the right recipe - my friend made it out of some Bride & Groom Cookbook) We brought it for a picnic lunch at a winery in the Santa Ynez Valley and it was excellent! I keep meaning to make it again.

weezermonkey said...

I can't imagine eating sandwiches for lunch every day. I'd have to kill myself.

As you know, I'm lucky to work in the middle of lots of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican, and Salvadoran food.

Cheap. Good. Fast.

What's Cookin Chicago said...

*great* ideas Liz! Thanks for sharing this!!

Grace said...

Great list, thanks for sharing it! I am in need of new lunch ideas since I take my lunch every day to work.