Cheap working lunch

camNolliesMUMMY

My husband uses me as his lunch creator. He's a rep and on the road all the time.
He was totalling up £5 a day/ £25 a week/£1,300 a year!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was last year and now it's a thing of the past, as we are going through financial difficulties.
I bought various marinade from local bargain shop for 10p a sachet, and I change it everyday on his griddled chicken with bulgur wheat(very healthy alternative to rice, high in fibre lil less calories. Normally found in organic or world food area) with either salad or veg. Salad version obviously served cold.
Very healthy and filling.
What about home made soup? I had a nice slimming world one the other week I made and was mega cheap, I just bought a cheap frozen bag of mixed veggies, I didn't add potato as we are on a low carb diet.

http://slimmingworld-recipes.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/lentil-and-vegetable-soup.html

It's a fact that soup is more filling, and I tend to fill up on this sort of soup to keep me full and not worry about my weight gain.

AnnieO1234

Leftover veggies from night before with cheap noodles.

Get fruit from market, certainly don't mess with pre-prepared.

Blocks of cheese for sandwiches are cheap but go further grated.

Try your hand at homemade tortillas, and other breads.

Make up a soup from odds and ends in your fridge/freezer.

Omelettes can be warmed through in microwave.

Couscous and pasta for carbohydrate rather than bread, makes it filling and provides energy.

Cereal dry can be a good, cheap snack. Also dried fruits etc, either home dried or buy in bulk from cooking section not the health food section.

It's possible to live for less than £1 per day for everything so you really do have a lot of scope.

Look up some veggie options too such as stuffed pepper or tomato, cheaper than meat as a protein and if you're eating meat at dinner you don't really need it.

Xxx

abby1234519

See I really need to stop buying toast and then soup at work (£1.34 per day) and try to get my lunch and breakfast down to 50p a day. Problem is......the microwave is a 5 minute walk and 5 minutes back. I don't have the time to waste for breakfast and for lunch I cannie be bothered.

I could have a cold lunch but I am rather uninspired. As for breakfast I don't like cereal so I'm stuffed there!

Auntie_Sceb

Abby you could get a decent flask that would keep soup hot (of course then you'd have to heat it in the morning). Is it 5 mins for kettle too - you could look at the noodles I posted or cous cous.

Home made breakfast muffin or flapjack? Yoghurt? I buy cereal bars or yoghurt bars when on offer. Instead of buying toast French toast/crackers. Or just take bread and jam not toasted)

Principia_2

Aldi are doing a hot lunch flask on Thursday as a special buy for £3.99


https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thursday-17th-april/product-detail/ps/p/hot-lunch-pot/?pk_campaign=uk_product_newsletter&pk_kwd=2014-04-14_09-39

abby1234519

I have a stanley food flask which is meant to keep soup hot but I've always ended up with nearly cold soup. I don't know if I am making the soup too thick or not heating it up enough? But I heat it up at 7 and by 12 its lukewarm at best. Frustrating as I paid £17 for the flask!!!

meames_2

The Ainsley Harriet cous cous, I Pour hot water on it when I make a cup of tea in the morning. Soaks over the morning and absolutely no effort!

Principia_2

abby1234519 wrote: »

I have a stanley food flask which is meant to keep soup hot but I've always ended up with nearly cold soup. I don't know if I am making the soup too thick or not heating it up enough? But I heat it up at 7 and by 12 its lukewarm at best. Frustrating as I paid £17 for the flask!!!

In the morning try putting hot water into the flask for a few minutes before emptying and pouring in the soup - so you heat up the container first rather than the container heating up from the soup.


Heat your soup up until it's bubbling - too hot to eat in the morning, hopefully the right temperature by lunch time

abby1234519

Principia wrote: »

In the morning try putting hot water into the flask for a few minutes before emptying and pouring in the soup - so you heat up the container first rather than the container heating up from the soup.


Heat your soup up until it's bubbling - too hot to eat in the morning, hopefully the right temperature by lunch time

I was heating the flask, I have to assume I wasn't reheating the soup enough

Do you think I am right about the thickness of the soup? Ie the thicker the quicker it loses the heat. I wish I could remember physics!!!! I keep thinking of molecules vibrating ha

meg72

Enicomb wrote: »

Thanks for the replies

I probably should have mentioned that I currently have half a kitchen too, so no hob as pasta was my first go to but the better half says that's no go at the moment.

I like the idea of soup though, I've no idea how much that would cost to make up?

Yes I currently make up sandwiches and take all my lunch in, I'm not sure how I could make that cheaper, I pay around a £1 per item for a week or thereabouts, currently spending about £15 a week, which for the two of us is £120 a month, and as there is only two of us total grocery spend is around £200 - £250 a month so, about half!

Am I reading this right are you spending £15 a week each, i.e. £30 a week, if s o can you list what you would normally put in your packed lunch.