saving money on lunch

Gers

Anne_Marie wrote:

If you like dressing with your salad - take in a wee screwtop jar.

I find the little bluey-green bottles which contain Bencol are perfect for this. Haven't bought it for ages but have kept the bottles and use them for our salad lunch boxes with some dressing in.

lynzpower

If you have a microwave at work, you can take some cracking stuff into work

Pasta with any sauce, bolognaise, tomato & veg whatever
Curry & rice ( stink out your office
Soups with bread
casseroles & stews
All these can be frozen

I dont think theres that much hassle of slicing a couple of bits of bread & wacking some ham, chicken beef in and a bit of salad is there? Oh does his in about 2 seconds flat! Also we use things like sausage rolls, bake at home, yoghurts, bag of crisps or twiglets, cereal bars

Mirtos

This soup is amazing - make up a batch at the beginning of the week and it'll keep for 5-6 days in the fridge! Lovely warm or cold for llunchRecipe:250 gr green lentils1 large onion finely chopped or grated1 large/ 2 small tomatoes finely chopped or grated2tblsp olive oil1 clove garlic2 bayleaves if you have them but not essential!2 vegetable oxo cubessalt to taste2pints water.wack it all in a pan and boil for an hour, stirring occasionally and topping up water if necessary. done. yum yum.

Mirtos

On the recipe front, you might also want to try this;gently 'sweat' one large onion in 2tblsp olive oil in a large saucepan, add;500g green/runner beans, de-stringed and cut into large chunks1tblsp tomato puree1 can chopped tomatoessalt to tasteoregano if you've got it but not essentialwater to cover beansbring to boil and simmer for an hour or so. Hey presto! It feeds two people with decent appetites and is delicious with crusty bread - it's also always tastier if left to stand over night - so is perfect for lunches made the night (or week) before!xx

Mirtos

sorry about crazy formatting there. Don't know what's going on with my computer! Both those recipies are very tasty, veggie based meals that are light enough for hot weather, but still satisfying. Hope that helps.xxx

scotgirl

You say you are lethargic at night but if you eat an evening meal just make another portion - this is so eas if you are cooking already!Pasta, rice, potatoes, bread - anything you make in the evening will be nice for lunch the next day!

mirakl

I used to be reasonably lethargic when I came home from work but once we got our breadmaker, the novelty of it encouraged me to bake bread and rolls and sort out sandwiches last thing at night so I just have to grab them in the morning.

There's a great dough setting so you can make mini pizzas, bake and then freeze them so you can just bring them into work in the mornings and microwave them at lunch time.

I've just ordered a new one because I've used mine to death and they're not expensive http://www.tesco.com/electrical/product.aspx?R=8344010&bci=311|S_Id

GardenMillie

I love this recipe as it's quick and cheap. Try Lidle Chicken Curry flavour savoury rice and add in anything you have, chopped tomatoes, left over meat, mushrooms, frozen peas. It's a great way to get extra veg and makes enough for two generous portions.

Yum yum.:D

laughing_cow

Have you got a fridge at work? I like my food really fresh so don't like taking in sandwiches or salads that I've made the night before - and I also can't be bothered. I buy lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives, avocado, hummus etc (I'm veggie) from the Tesco Express near work and keep them in the office fridge all week and make my lunch there, fresh each day. I've also got oil, lemon juice and mustard there for dressing. I then just add bread (keep pittas in the freezer compartment and warm in the toaster), and anything else I fancy that day or that I might have at home - yesterday I took some grilled asparagus left over from the previous night's dinner - you could take some chicken/cheese etc.

In the winter I batch make homemade soup/stews and freeze in individual containers. I also take leftovers (pasta etc) from last night's dinner. If you've got an office microwave and toaster, beans on toast cannot be beaten on a cold day!

One tip - just because you're moneysaving it doesn't have to be miserable. I'm a bit of a foodie and to be honest, my salads/sandwiches are much better than all the local sandwich bars (ooh, get me!). Even though I sometimes have fancy ingredients - posh deli bread, artichokes etc, it still works out cheaper than shop bought sandwiches - and I've got a gourmet lunch that everyone in the office is jealous of.

aloiseb

OK, i'm lethargic too - especially by the time I'vdone 2 sets of butties for the kids.
so here are some lazy lunches:
1. Croissant (or 2) dig a hole in the curve of the U shape with whatever cutlery, car key etc comes to hand
Piece of cheese and/or ham : insert into croissant hole
Take to work.
Microwave for 30 seconds at lunchtime

2. Apple + Hot cross bun - grab and run (it even rhymes)

3. Banana custard: broken-up banana, packet of instant custard powder, fork. Use kettle to make up the custard in a spare coffee mug, add banana after it's mixed. (This has saved me quite a lot on the chocolate machine)

4. Crackers and cheese triangles: no need for any cutlery*, just open and squash
(*unless you need an industrial drill to open the cracker packet)

have fun disgusting your office colleagues!