Packed lunch options

redundantmortgage

When I started working I used to take a cheese sandwich for lunch. The problem was the short life of both the bread and cheese meant I'd never get through it all before it went off plus I got sick of eating the same thing for lunch everyday.

I then decided to stop packed lunches and just buy something out, more expensive but more enjoyable. Now everything is getting more expensive I'm thinking of going back to packed lunches. 

What can I do that's cost effective and doesn't waste food?

oldernonethewiser

Eat a banana.

sarah1972

Pmd the team to move to the old style board tomorrow as that’s a great board for ideas 

I make hubbies sandwiches, monday is meat left over from a roast, rest of the week is ham salad, ham & cheese (cheese lasts months in the fridge), ham & pickle, egg Mayo, cheese & piccalilli, cheese, ham and cucumber. 

Bread lasts a week, ham lasts longer than a week and cheese lasts months so no problem for us.

apw81

Cheese, mayo, and cucumber. Cheese, tomato, and pickle. Cheese, bell pepper, and salsa. Cheese and onion. Cheese with cheese on top. 

Most cheeses will keep for weeks when stored properly. Buy a smaller block? As for bread, again, stored correctly, the mass-produced stuff with all the preservatives in it should last a week and still be soft. Only real bread goes mouldy.

There’s plenty of other things you can put between bread other than cheese. Depends on what you’re into.

Or, eat a banana.

comeandgo

Are you a vegetarian?  There are meat sandwiches, prawn sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, use buns instead of bread.  Do you have  fridge storage at your work?  You could have pasta dishes, do you have a microwave at work?  You could just make more of the night before supper and take that to microwave.  

I used to visit the supermarket on way to work and buy two individual soft rolls and two slices of something from the delicatessen .  As you can guess that was a few years ago as I think the supermarkets have stopped their delicatessen.

p00hsticks

what about pasta ?

cook up some pasta the night before and stir in some  pasta sauce - add whatever takes your fancy in terms of sliced ham, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, olives, grated cheese etc. If you have access to a microwave at work and take it in a microwaveable bowl you can even heat it up.

and if cheese is your thing, you could take slices of cheese and buttered crackers or crispbread rather than bread if you don't want to buy a loaf. Or buy part baked rolls or baguettes and just cook one the night before or in the morning.

Mnoee

If you have a kettle at work, a pot noodle or similar (my partner likes the Nissin ones) can break up the monotony of sandwiches - I wouldn't eat them every day, but fine every once in a while. Cous cous salad, pasta salad, sausage rolls... 

ellenvan

Jacket potato done in microwave - if you have one at work.
Or serve an extra portion of dinner refrigerate and heat up at work next day.
Salads in tupperware container. Keep dressing separate at work for adding on the day.
Cup a soup and a roll.

littlegreenparrot

Rolls/pitta bread defrost very quickly.  easy to keep in the freezer and get one or two out at a time to use. 
I make veg soup, cous cous salad with falafel. If I can't be bothered to make anything a couple of slices of bread for the toaster to eat with hummous/tomatoes/olives. Or if really bad a jar of peanut butter 😆
Dinner leftovers, stew, curry, Bolognese, chilli. 
Slices of frittata, or quiche with salad. 

MrsStepford

Sharpen your elbows and go join the yellow sticker scrum at the nearest supermarket to work. Every day you'll be able to grab something different. Sandwich, sausage roll, yogurt, noodles, stir fry pack (microwave), Scotch egg, olives, bread, tzatziki, houmous, taramasalata, couscous, rollmops etc etc.

Katiehound

The bread would keep in the freezer just take out the number of slices that you need. That way you could have different types of loaf on the go at the same time.
you can also spread the bread when it is defrosting