Affordable, easy lunches to take to work?

PasturesNew

VfM4meplse wrote: »

11p if you shop at Aldi

Depends if you prefer a biggun missus

They're sold by weight in L1d1, which is where I get mine.

Nicki

How about you buy a selection from quiche, scorch eggs, cocktail sausages, sausage rolls, cooked chicken drumsticks, cheese, bread rolls and a bagged salad. You can store the bread rolls in the freezer and take one out daily and it will have defrosted by lunchtime and still be fresh. The bagged salad should last 2-3 days. Each morning take a selection of the protein elements which appeal to you and anything getting close to its use by date you can eat as an easy evening meal with a baked potato.

trailingspouse

Always put your lunch together the night before - you have a bit more time, so you won't just grab the firs thing you come to as you rush out the door.

How about a lunchbox filled with salad - a bag of Bistro salad should last 5 days (I don't know why this one seems to keep better than the others, but it does), with your choice of tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, cheese, ham, avocado, beetroot, egg, nuts, whatever you fancy.

Alternatively, you don't need to have the same thing every day - have salad one day, soup another, sandwiches another, a ready meal another, and bought sandwiches on a Friday?

MoaningMyrtle

Oatcakes, humous and carrot sticks is a good lunch. I sometimes make a fruit salad and that lasts a couple of days.

Pop_Up_Pirate

Do you want healthy lunches, or just quick and easy lunches?

I wouldn't want to compromise on health, so I'd probably take good quality meat of some sort, pre cooked, with a salad made from fresh ingredients smothered in HM olive oil dressing.
The olive oil will keep hunger at bay, so no need for empty carbs.
But, you will need some veggies and they do go off.

Alternatively, I would have healthy dinners and always make enough to take some with me for lunch the next day.

If you want quick and easy and health isn't your priority then go for the empty carbs and pre-packaged stuff.

Datchet

Fellow Tight-Wads ( that's meant as a compliment...)

I could do with some new packed lunch ideas! I deeply resent having to fork out the thick end of a "bluey" ie £5, to buy a mediocre sarnie and drink at lunch. Also, the food is often too salty, unhealthy, not that fresh - and the waste in packaging is bad.

So I take in a variety of packed lunches & Sometimes Breakfast also. Some of my Favorites are:

If office based:
1. Tin of (35p) sardines, slices of bread to toast & salad box.
2. Frozen tupperware of soup, bread & fruit salad
3. Breakfast - Homegrown Rhubarb with stem ginger + syrup! yum
4. Cheapex Instant Noodles with tub of chopped veg to fill it out

If Mobile in car or train:
3. Pasta / cous cous tuna salad
4. Homemade bread sarnie - Hommus and tomato /cheese / ham

I have a variety of boxes, from Aldi clip boxes, screw top tubes, soup pots, breakfast pots & a Japanese Bento Box.

Any ideas? tell me your favourites

Happy Munching

Spendless

Items that you just pick up and throw into a bag would work. Set aside some time on your days off to buy and keep in one place pack up items like this eg crisps, apples, snack bars, cartons of juice. That leaves you with your 'main component' to prepare. Bread rolls instead of sliced bread means you can just rip off one. If everything is together it will take seconds to do this.

Then decide what filling works the best for you in terms of quickness and cheapness.