Suggestions for cold work lunches page 2

[Koobs]

I don't eat lunch.

Well that was a really helpful post...

[Koobs]

Lots of good ideas guys, thanks. Keep em coming! I should mention I eat six eggs every morning for breakfast, so I am sort of egged out by lunch time.

[Maradevale]

salads

Pack croutons and dressings separately. This will keep croutons from getting soggy and dressing from turning your greens into an unappetizing mess.

sandwiches

To keep sandwich bread dry, line with lettuce leaves. Tomato slices or pickles should be between leaves or packed separately.

microwaves

Food headed for the microwave should be in appropriate containers. And do your co-workers a favor and cover food with a paper towel so it doesn't splatter in the appliance.

drinks

Remember to bring something to drink. No, not a beer. A flavored water, juice or a soda.

[JoanieL]

Cheese, olives, fish in cans, fruit, cold leftovers. The egg thing (fritatta) is a great idea. Cook up a bunch of egg-friendly veggies, meats, and a dozen eggs at the beginning of the week; separate into five containers, and you've got lunch for a week. Yogurt. If you can find it, good quality cold cuts with some mustard to dip. Tomato and leftover salmon salad (or any fish, chicken, animal) with a little balsamic.

I like cold chili also, but if you don't, get yourself a wide-mouthed thermos so you can heat it (or a soup) before you leave the house. If you like the occasional sweet rather than savory lunch, do a google search for homemade paleo energy bars. You could make up a batch of those and keep them in the freezer.

Ok, I'm tapped.

[waterjen]

Make a pot roast, eat the leftovers. Thin sliced, cold, salted beef is awesome. You could then add some good hot sauce to the (cooked) veggies and eat those cold too.

This works for just about any big hunk of meat that you cook -- be it a pork or beef roast, a whole chicken or turkey or ham or -- so on. Eat it hot out of the oven on the night you cook. Then for lunch during the week, slice some of the meat and eat cold like that a few days, topping with any condiments you enjoy or putting the sliced meat atop your fave salad greens for extra variation. Chop or shred some and turn into meat salad (using, of course, your homemade mayo) for the other days (at its most basic my formula is shredded or chunked meat/mayo/something crunchy like celery/something a bit sweet - I'm liking dried cranberries with my turkey salad these days but I use grapes or apples with my chicken salad/nuts or seeds, optional - sliced almonds or sunflower seeds or similar/seasoning - paprika or jalapeno or cilantro or whatever flavor seems to be an interesting mix with the meat and such). Of course, what's in the pantry and what's in season play into the meat salads I make, so they are rarely the same from batch to batch.
I'm sure there are other ways to enjoy these meats cold, and I'd love to hear what other people do.
To go along side this protein, serve up your fave crudite, which are easy to chop ahead for the week and save into individual meal portions.
Hope this helps!

[Siobhan]

Meat cups - ground meat, spices, basic primal meatloaf baked in muffin cups. You can put these in the freezer and take them out as you need them.

Sardines. Kippers. Tuna.

Leftover dinner.

Avocados. Once you're used to doing it, making guac is simple. You can even do it at work. Have some avocados around, and when they're ready throw 'em in your lunch bag with some scallions. You have hot sauce in your desk at work, right?

Berries.

Chicken drumsticks. Good hot or cold.

[Siobhan]

salads

Pack croutons and dressings separately. This will keep croutons from getting soggy and dressing from turning your greens into an unappetizing mess.

sandwiches

To keep sandwich bread dry, line with lettuce leaves. Tomato slices or pickles should be between leaves or packed separately.

microwaves

Food headed for the microwave should be in appropriate containers. And do your co-workers a favor and cover food with a paper towel so it doesn't splatter in the appliance.

drinks

Remember to bring something to drink. No, not a beer. A flavored water, juice or a soda.

Croutons? Sandwich bread? Soda? Juice?

Wrong forum, methinks.