Ideas for hungry DH at work?

Kayalana99

Apologies in advance as you must get these sorts of questions all the time but my Husband is always moaning he is hungry at work, he took 2 sandwiches 2 packets of crisps a kitkat and a cake yesterday and had eaten it all by 11am. (Think he tends to nibble whilst he is working)

He isn't over-weight, he's got an active job so whilst it might catch up with him given the above thought it was worth mentioning

Any ideas for meals that are filling and perhaps don't need to be kept in a fridge or cooked whilst he is there? I know he likes noodles and pasta (I know they have a kettle, will find out about the fridge)

P.S I'm useless with these things and only know the very very basics of cooking so please any information on how to make it, how long it would last in the fridge if making a batch of something etc etc would be grateful.

P.P.S he doesn't have breakfast before he leaves so perhaps this is also why he is getting hungry, maybe ideas for something he could have in the morning?

PasturesNew

Vegetable pasties. Safe as they don't need refrigerating, filling, tasty, you can stuff them with anything you have/leftovers or his favourites, you can batch cook/freeze them if you wish to save time - and they're cheap.

But ... and this is important ... pasties are "manly" so he'll feel like he's eaten a filling manly meal

Even better, you don't even have to "faff about" as you can use ready made pastry and make them square/rectangular, so no cutting circles or crimping.

MallyGirl

flavoured couscous just needs boiling water adding

paddy's_mum

A simpler answer might be for him to have breakfast and not trickle feed his lunch! :-)

Many people can't face food first thing in the morning but something like microwaveable porridge when he first gets to work might help. Alternatively, have an elevenses box as well as his grub for lunch.

FairyPrincessk

Since he doesn't eat breakfast, he is essentially eating calories for breakfast and then a 'normal' lunch by 11--so that actually isn't that much food. I don't have a particularly active job and that is fairly comparable to what I eat. Here are some ideas to bulk it out and hopefully stick with him a bit longer.

First, what fillings are you using for the sandwiches? He will need a fair amount of protein which will keep him fuller for longer. If he is having a sandwich filled with something like jam that won't last as long as one that is packed with eggs. Cold meats can get expensive, so it can help to vary your fillings to include things like eggs, tinned fish, hummus etc.

As he is active he will need a fair amount of carbs--and his crisps, sandwiches and sweets will be filling some of that. But, the slow burn type will stick with him longer than crisps/kitkats. Slow burn carbs tend to be things that tend towards the brown and coarser end than things that are white and fluffy (think porridge vs white bread)--they take longer to digest. Basically, you want to include plenty of fibre with carbs--so if he won't do brown stuff, then try adding in my veggies which will slow down how quickly he digests them.

A list of ideas:

-Hard boiled eggs

-Nuts--try aldi or see if you can get them by weight in a health food shop

-Pasties as above, although I'd try to add in a bit of protein--chopped boiled egg, small bits of meat etc.

-If he'll eat it, slices of cold homemade quiche pack up nicely

-Try grain based salads with tinned beans--cous cous with veggies and chickpeas or pasta with cannelini or kidney beans. Chuck in finely chopped veg. For now you can either do a simple dressing with citrus juice and oil, add mayo, or use a bought dressing to see if he likes it before experimenting with your own.

-Try giving him more sandwiches, but varying the fillings. Egg mayo, tuna mayo, cheese and tomato, hummus and peppers, soft cheese and cucumber, peanut butter and banana or jam. Some of those are far more filling than others. However, if you can work some protein in with the carbs that will stick with him longer than crisps.

-Try making flapjacks to replace the kitkat with. Add a layer of dried fruit in the middle. These are high in fibre and calories so will keep him fuller longer.

-Cold stir fry--you say he likes noodles, if you make a big stir fry with noodles most of it tastes lovely eaten cold! Pack it with veggies and protein--meant, cashews etc.




If he'll eat porridge then a bowl of rolled oats with fruit and a scoop of peanut butter or a sprinkling of nuts will keep him going for a couple of hours.

Jamiesmum

That's quite alot to eat before lunch! Could it be a case of eating it just because it's there, not that he is actually hungry?

Could you separate the sandwiches so he can have one at 11 with a snack, then the other for lunch?

Up the protein and good carbs! Granary bread, plenty of ham, chicken or turkey and some salad (in the sandwich). Give an apple, boiled egg, and some nuts. Maybe a chicken drumstick on the side, or a pork pie. And then a pudding. Big flask of coffee/water/squash whatever he drinks.

If that doesn't fill him up then it's probably because he ain't hungry!

I don't think eating 2x crisps, a kitkat, and a cake would keep me full to be fair. It would fill me up but not for long.

kazwookie

Send him to work with a box of ceral and some milk, for 11am

lessonlearned

Your OHs food choices are all carb heavy and not very satisfying. If his job is physical he probably needs more protein.

My ds2 has a very physical job, is 6ft 3 and looks like an advert for Oxfam......

He has an early start so often skips breakfast. He takes microwaveable porridge, something for lunch and something for an afternoon snack.

Does he have a microwave at work........something hot would be better than sandwiches and more sustaining, although maybe not this weather.......:rotfl:

Basically any leftovers ......chilli, bolognese, stuffed jacket potatoes, pasta bakes, stews, casseroles etc. A chunk of good bread to mop up the gravy goes down well. So a portion of chilli with a pack of microwaveable rice, or bolognese with a jacket potato.

(Proper) Protein bars are a good stand by - not the cheap sugar laden cereal bars. They are very dense and filling and can be a bit "chewy" but as the name suggests packed with protein.

TBH there's no nutritional value whatsoever in cakes, crisps and biscuits. Eat those and all you get is a sugar spike followed by hunger and an energy dip an hour later. A chunk of bread and cheese or even a couple of baby bels and some nuts would be better. For "desert" then easy to eat fruit, bananas, apples, or yoghurts would be better.

suki1964

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/sesame-peanut-noodles

No cooking involved,use ready to go noodles


My husband works on building sites and his breaks are 10 and 1

I get up with him in the morning and whilst he sees to the animals, I boil him and egg, make him toast and gets his packed lunch


His lunch is 2 rounds of sandwiches in granary or two wraps
1 biscuit
1 small pkt low fat crisp
Piece of fruit
Portion of either the noodles above, a pasta or potato salad
A piece of chicken or a slice of quiche or a hard boiled egg


Sandwiches are packed with fillings. I mash up 2 hard boiled eggs, add some mayo and grated cheese then I go to town adding anything and everything from chopped olives to tinned sweetcorn.

IT lasts a few days in the fridge. I spread a slice of bread with that, top with a slice of ham and it works to keeping him full


Seriously doesn't take 10 mins in the morning. Time he's away to work I'm back asleep

Hard boiled eggs last 3 days in the fridge, chicken drumsticks can be cooked alongside Sunday dinner and frozen individually, pasta, potato salad etc, 3 days in the fridge although plain boiled potatoes will last a week

GwylimT

Kayalana99 wrote: »

P.S I'm useless with these things and only know the very very basics of cooking so please any information on how to make it, how long it would last in the fridge if making a batch of something etc etc would be grateful.

P.P.S he doesn't have breakfast before he leaves so perhaps this is also why he is getting hungry, maybe ideas for something he could have in the morning?

Surely its him who needs to know how to make what he wants to eat?

Kayalana99

GwylimT wrote: »

Surely its him who needs to know how to make what he wants to eat?

Right, but I'm asking the question and even if I was to make my husband his lunch, what is the issue? Why does it have to be a man vrs woman thing, perhaps I'm at home all day and don't work so it's the least I can do considering he works long hours ? You don't know our situation and if I learn something then I can also pass it on to him and so forth, so if you aren't contributing to the thread (Whilst also taking it off topic) why waste your time posting?

---

Thank you very much for everyones ideas going to work through these as soon as I have 10min spare and have a chat on what we can do for him, he leaves about 6:45am so it would be easier for him to have something he can munch on in the morning then have it before he leaves. I love the idea of pastries, will have to look into how I'd actually do something like that.... :eek: