Packed Lunch for work

Hi I make 3 packups every morning for hubby and 2 sons ( due to be 4 packups). I have to be organised as you can imagine and they are fussy! Firstly I make my own bread, part wholemeal part white. I buy a piece of smoked gammon weekly and boil it and a joint of beef to use as sliced meat for sandwiches. I make a big stock of muffins and freeze some for later in week.
I make sausage rolls from frozen puff pastry and skinless sausages and cheese and onion pasties also from puff pastry with just slices of cheese and onion in middle. Sometimes mince beef pasties. A good idea iv'e found for alternative cheese and onion pasties is to add chopped onion and grated cheese to mashed potatoe with seasoning and use this as a filling, they love them. To make it a bit healthier they get fruit, a bag of grapes and a bag of sultanas (little ones). I'm thinking here that they are well spoilt because sometimes they ask for warburtons bread, biscuits (bought) and sliced ham from the shop, of course I comply but buy the savers stuff then they don't ask again. Always works....................

Making sandwiches for work was one of my first steps on the road to frugality - I noticed that people at work where paying up to £25 a week on lunches from sandwich shops. People laughed at my 'ropey old butties' as they called them - but who cares, the joke's on them!

I find that rolls are very easy to do and are more filling than sandwiches.

Another favourite is to cook, say, a curry or something for your supper, but cook a bit more than normal and put the extra in a plastic box (free from the chinese takeaway) and have this cold or heated in the microwave next day at work.

LOL Im not asking for a lot am I :snow_laug

I really want to start watching my pennies more this year, this board has been a great help so far but i need a little extra help.

Im cutting the cost of my normal weekly shop by investing in a slow cooker and making some of the yummy recipes Ive found on here, but silly as it sounds my mine food expence is whilst Im at work.

I dont have breakfast before I leave for work (too early and very little time, even less now Im slow cooking) so when it comes to lumchtime im HUNGRY. As I work in a town centre I always end up buying a M&S sandwich, crisps, pop etc or a jacket spud or I go to Gregs. Im spending approx £4 per day!

So Im hoping you guys could come up with some simple, quick, cheap and healthy (I need to loose weight and gain money :j ) ideas for my packed lunch. At work I have access to a toaster and a microwave but I cant really heat up anything too smelly as my bosses wont like it.

Any help would be fantastic

Many thanks

Emma

Im obviously not a great cook or that experienced...hence this question.

If I make pasta the night before and put in a basic tom sauce, if I microwave it the next day will it heat through ok or will it go hard?

Thanks

Emma

Queenie wrote:

Found these topics in the Mega Index ... might be worth a look (?)


- Best sandwich?
- Desk top sweet snacks
- For work
- Healthy eating (packed lunch ideas?)
- Lunch for work(salads)
- Packed lunch
- Packed lunch - Advice On Daughter Please!
- Ploughman's
- Problem with pack-up

You can adapt any ideas to suit your personal tastes/means/timespan

Thanks Queenie, I always forget about the Mega Index.

Emma