weekly challenge for all you 'pack ups/lunch box' workers...

crawley_girl

postingalwaysposting wrote:

here is a small list of some 'different' pack lunches... if people can add to it i can maybe pop it in my opening post

*soup (homemade)
*cous cous salad
*baked potatoes (topping of choice)
*filled pittas
*wraps
*pasta salads
*quiche
*plain salad
*small meal of last nights meal (when cooking on a week night make an extra portion for the following day)
*sausage rolls (homemade)
*pies/pastys (homemade ~ choice of filling)
*ravioli

What about different types of bread/ rolls? - eg. bagels or ciabatta or cheese top rolls or french bread - makes a massive difference to me so assume it does for others cos I get bored easily!!!

Beans or sketti on toast. Or anything else on toast - poached egg, sardines, macaroni cheese, mushrooms

Toasties

Rice salad

Serendipity_07

I make soup as well and take that in with a roll. But we have microwave at work. Wraps are good too. I would love some different ideas as well. Get slightly envious when see collegues tucking into KFC or fish and chips, but determined not to buy lunch at work this year!

angelite_2

Hi everyone, I'm a bit boring with my lunch. I usually take in a sandwich with some kind of cold meat/tuna/egg/cheese with salad, bit of fruit, yoghurt and cereal bar. Its a sandwich again tomorrow to use up cold meat and I was thinking about making a pasta salad tomorrow night, with salad cream, tuna, peppers, cucumber and sweetcorn. I get a lot of my veg from lidl which is really cheap for fruit and veg and sometimes tescos. My son gets dinner money with him, as he's at the high school now and prefers to get lunch there. This is budgetted for.

sophiesmum_2

mh1923 wrote:

We don't have a microwave at work, so any recipes for pasta salads that are good cold would be much appreciated

I have a cool bag, but no ice blocks. Instead i end up using my first aid gel pack, but i'd rather leave it at home so it was always ready for me when i have a migraine. Where do you get ice blocks anyway? I never see them when i'm out.

Hi mh1923
You don't need to spend out on ice blocks. Just freeze a small bottle of water /squash overnight, put in your lunchbox then by lunchtime you have cold sandwiches and a cold drink.:D Then wash out bottle and use again next day:D

sophiesmum

JoKay_2

Hi! Can I join in??
I too have a packed lunch every day, but not sandwiches - don't ask me why, I've just gone right off of them!
I tend to rotate the following during the week:
Bean Salad - 1 tin of Tesco 3 bean salad (37p) plus I add in some chopped cucmber, onion and tomato (say 10p?) plus a pitta bread on the side (5p).
Total 52p (sometimes I add a 1/2 a can of tuna, so that adds 50p)
Crudites & Hummous - chopped carrots, peppers, onion, cucumber (40p), 1/2 tub hummous (40p) plus a pitta bread (5p)
Total 85p
So, on an average week, I'm spending £3.20 - £3.50 - wow, I've never worked it out before, and I don't think its that bad!! :T
Looking forward to getting more ideas though!!

Sassers

What a great idea :j :j - unfortunately I only eat lunch a couple of times a week, but I'll add my costs, ideas/recipes and bits and pieces when I do!
We have a great kitchen at work, grill, toaster, fridge freezer and kettle. We also have lots of corporate buffets for guests and we get what's left.
Last week it was a pear, apple, 3 mini chicken satays and a raspberry tart for me. whoohoo No spend day too.:T
I make my own wraps using chapatti flour (£1 for a kilo and half) and batch freeze things like hm soup, hn pates like mushroom, chilli and kidney bean etc. Got lentils (free from a friend) and a 10p bag of tomatoes so `souped' that for pennies and bunged it in the freezer.....:o

(Oh and cos I eat em by the barrel load - my mum has just bought me 20 jars of pickled onions in balsamic vinegar for 10p a jar. :eek:
Don't understand Mr T's at times as there's still a year to go on them!
Most of the jars will have to be stored under my bed along with the mountain of bog roll and washing tabs!!!!! lol)
love Sas x

NastyMatt

Great thread.. I can never understand why people have problems with taking in lunches to work? Do colleagues take the mickey or something? I go to the gym every day so need 80-100g of protein per day so I regularly take in my own food. No one bats an eyelid!!!

I make a big chicken chilli at the beginning of the week put it in individual plastic containers (chinese take away boxes ) and microwave it at work. Contains loads of protein and veg.

Talking of eating everything out of the cupboard I have "invented" spicey tomato pasta beans!!! Pasta, tin of baked beans - cook and combine the two.. add some tabasco.. voila!! Sounds grim - tastes fine..

crawley_girl

sophiesmum wrote:

Hi mh1923
You don't need to spend out on ice blocks. Just freeze a small bottle of water /squash overnight, put in your lunchbox then by lunchtime you have cold sandwiches and a cold drink.:D Then wash out bottle and use again next day:D

sophiesmum

Top tip there from Sophiesmum!

Uniscots97

Our old canteen was lovely and very cheap but the new company that has taken over is awful, quality is low and prices sky high so trying to be good and take packed lunches. Mostly a roll and cold meat or cheese (I usually try and get the rolls when they're reduced) and then make them up in advance and freeze them. Left over chicken is great on them! Extras are either a piece of fruit or biscuit and a cup a soup (on special offer at the moment in Poundland 2 large boxes or jars for a £1). So I guess mine would work out at about 50p a day.

I sometimes have pasta salad but don't bother with mayonnaise or salad cream. I cook penne (or whatever you have), drain it and let it cool slightly and then stir in cold chicken/tuna, a tin of sweetcorn and a good glug of olive oil and some black pepper. Very simple but fab.

Another one (haven't brought this one in for lunch yet but had it at home) is boil up some potatoes (chopped small) and a can of kidney beans and some leek (chopped small). Once cooked, drain and stir through some grated cheese. Had no problems reheating this and if you use value/smart price/Aldi's kidney beans it works out really cheap and VERY filling.

postingalwaysposting

wow i didnt think this would be as popular as this... today i went out and brought my stuff to make soup (well my mum payed for it as i pay here house keeping (covers my food)) and that cost 80p and i think that will serve 5 so thats a weeks worth of meals on 80p + the price of a roll (11p) not too bad just have to make it... i have also found loads of pasta in our cupboards and micro healthy meals in the freezer... i am going to enjoy this so much :rotfl: i am not proud... i make most of the 'food' that goes in our machines in work and yes some of it is nice but 60p for a sandwich (that if not sold i throw as waste) that has a 20p (some are less) make-age price... i dont think so :rotfl: