Work lunches inspiration help

lostinrates

Hello old stylers!


My DH has a new job this week, and its hours are incredibly good compared to the last one, and we will only be apart two or three nights a week.

However, there is no subsidised canteen or out of hours meal provision and facilities aren't great.

At work there is not even a fridge for milk for tea/ coffee ( it sits out on a surface :eek:) leg alone lunches.

He needs to cater three lunches and two suppers each week. He is happy with his home mixed muesli for breakfast. He has basic cooking facilities at home but doesn't like to leave food there for the empty days nor cart back or forward on the train.

He is moderately health conscious, and works out at the gym daily. He'd like salad based lunches, but will not have time to buy / prep stuff for day one so I think will have to take from home to work/ weekday home. He's thinking of things like hard boiled eggs, raw veg, fruit, bean salads, which he can eat lunch and evening.

This seems feasible for summer but not that great for winter IMO. I've proposed taking left overs / batched cooked or prepped meals from here at least for the suppers but he feels its extra stuff to carry and remember especially if he tries to just go for two nights not three. ( I.e. Straight to work from train on morning one with stuff for next couple of days)

Floss

Is there a microwave, or a kettle? If there is, how about soup, or noodles with added spices from home, or instant couscous again with added herbs & spices?

FairyPrincessk

For day one lunch, I'd probably go with a bagged salad, cous cous, tinned tuna/olives/cheese and use the oil from the tuna or olives to dress the salad. That would take minimal prep and only require a kettle for cooking the cous cous.

In winter I'd think about adding in soups--either make one at the work home on first evening and transport to work in a flask, or buy one and supplement with bread roll/sandwich or salad brought from home for work lunches.

For evening meals I'd probably try to prepare at least one building block for the salad the next day--maybe pasta, part of which would be used as a salad base, or chicken/meat substitute cutlets, second one cut up over a salad, or just boil some eggs while making dinner. I think tinned beans will help, as will tinned lentils which can make a great salad base. Don't forget nuts and seeds to help add calories and protein to the salads. For tea, jacket spuds with beans/cheese/tuna, stir fries (again, perfect time for the pre-prepared bags), or another thought for tea might be a mini slow cooker, he could set it up in the am.

Honestly I'd probably go snooping in the 'posh' supermarkets and see what pre-prepared bits they have for inspiration, consider some 'student' type cookbooks for cooking in bedsit situations and look at what half-prepared stuff might keep costs down and health up by avoiding the fully prepared stuff.

lostinrates

Floss wrote: »

Is there a microwave, or a kettle? If there is, how about soup, or noodles with added spices from home, or instant couscous again with added herbs & spices?

No microwave. I am pretty sure there is a kettle though from what he said. Cous cous might be an option in the winter. I'll ask. He'd probably add spices and veg, but not any instant spice packets. However, bouillon to drink might be a great option!

lostinrates

FairyPrincessk wrote: »

For day one lunch, I'd probably go with a bagged salad, cous cous, tinned tuna/olives/cheese and use the oil from the tuna or olives to dress the salad. That would take minimal prep and only require a kettle for cooking the cous cous.

In winter I'd think about adding in soups--either make one at the work home on first evening and transport to work in a flask, or buy one and supplement with bread roll/sandwich or salad brought from home for work lunches.

For evening meals I'd probably try to prepare at least one building block for the salad the next day--maybe pasta, part of which would be used as a salad base, or chicken/meat substitute cutlets, second one cut up over a salad, or just boil some eggs while making dinner. I think tinned beans will help, as will tinned lentils which can make a great salad base. Don't forget nuts and seeds to help add calories and protein to the salads. For tea, jacket spuds with beans/cheese/tuna, stir fries (again, perfect time for the pre-prepared bags), or another thought for tea might be a mini slow cooker, he could set it up in the am.

Honestly I'd probably go snooping in the 'posh' supermarkets and see what pre-prepared bits they have for inspiration, consider some 'student' type cookbooks for cooking in bedsit situations and look at what half-prepared stuff might keep costs down and health up by avoiding the fully prepared stuff.

Nuts and seeds are a staple for him. . He was suggesting he go the daytime on nuts and seeds and a horrid green drink he makes from various powders from the health food shop that smell like mud and he tries to smile while drinking . I feel though that's only part of a healthy diet and that warm food on cold days and adequate intake etc are also important.

( for the record he is a fully recovered anorexic gourmand, but is prone to missing meals with stress or getting a bit obsessed with some foodie things. These aren't things I think about in my daily worries as his wife:o but are when thinking to how to help him schedule longer term)

Floss

LIR, is Bovril an option as a hot drink in winter?

FPK is right with the building blocks - we make a cheats kedgeree with poached salmon steak, basmati rice cooked in the poaching liquor and quartered hard-boiled eggs, which is delicious warm and very tasty cold too.

lostinrates

I'll ask him about bovril. . I don't think he'll eat rice that hasn't been well refrigerated between cooking and eating though. . However, he would certainly eat cold poached salmon. . That's a great addition to salads. On a cold day he could even make a significant meal of that by cramming into a bagel and its a feast. That's a great suggestion.

Lizling

You can make a healthy sort of home made pot noodle for hot food. There was a thread on it a while ago I think (or might have been a different forum) but the gist of it is you just put some noodles, veg, something like miso paste to flavour it, maybe some chilli powder etc all in a container and add boiling water from the kettle.


Here's a list of 10 to get you started. http://http://www.buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone/foolproof-portable-noodle-pots#.yv1Wx8eQ4

elsien

I found quite a good quick recipe the other day -salad of cannelini beans, tinned tuna, red onions, celery (and whatever other greenery you fancy) capers and parsley and a splash of olive oil. Plus hard boiled eggs if you want to make it more substantial. Very easy to chuck together first thing in the morning from storecupboard staples.
Or what about a pasta and bean soup - that would be quite substantial.

lostinrates

Lizling wrote: »

You can make a healthy sort of home made pot noodle for hot food. There was a thread on it a while ago I think (or might have been a different forum) but the gist of it is you just put some noodles, veg, something like miso paste to flavour it, maybe some chilli powder etc all in a container and add boiling water from the kettle.

Sadly I don't think he'd go for that. He's really not fussy. But it seems like it is now:o

lostinrates

elsien wrote: »

I found quite a good quick recipe the other day -salad of cannelini beans, tinned tuna, red onions, celery (and whatever other greenery you fancy) capers and parsley and a splash of olive oil. Plus hard boiled eggs if you want to make it more substantial. Very easy to chuck together first thing in the morning from storecupboard staples.
Or what about a pasta and bean soup - that would be quite substantial.

I think the salad is a good idea. I was also thinking about those tins of mixed beans for salads...they might do two days lunch salads, if he bought lunch for day one, then made lunch for day two and three with that sort of thing?

Tbh with soup, he'd eat it at work base home midweek definitely.....but have to confess he would buy it rather than make it. That's ok though. It better than salad and green drink for three days IMO.