What do you pack for lunch?

[Russ G]

Ham or Tuna sandwiches made with wholegrain bread. It keeps the weight down as well as saving money. I also take some fruit (But I do treat myself to a candy bar on Fridays!).

[fruitbowlk]

I agree my whole family pack there lunch.

[maat55]

If I'm not taking leftovers or a peanut butter and jelly, I have been taking a Banquet 2 for 2 dollars frozen microwave dinner.

[scfr]

Amen to keeping it easy!

The fanciest I get is making an Almond Butter Sandwich.

Dried mixed fruit, baby carrots, and yogurt are also stand-bys --- All are "grab & go."

[JBL]

I usually bring the following:

some yogurt (I buy it in tubs and portion out some into a small thermos each day)
one or two pieces of fruit

and I like something hot, so:
soup (home made or in a can), OR
leftovers (pastas and rice dishes usually) OR
a frozen tv entree (like mac and cheese or tuna noodle casserole or whatever).

I occasionally bring a sandwich, but I like to have something hot for lunch. I used to do Disneysteve's thing with a chick pattie, cheese, and a roll to make a hot sandwich at work.

[tabbycat31]

Ham and cheese sandwich
PB&J
Leftovers from the fridge
TV Dinner (when my micorwave needed to be replaced, I saw Pot Pies at Walmart for 68 cents each, I couldnt pass that up).

I usually bring this with a yogurt, and sometimes something sweet (not this week as my birthday was Monday, and the company gave me a cake)

[aida2003]

I just wanted to say it's a great idea to share ideas about 'brown bagging'. Because I was getting tired of my lunch. I blame my preggo harmones. .

After I read this thread, I'll post what we take to work.

[Lori63]

Leftovers, salad, wholewheat pasta with nonfat Italian dressing, Healthy Choice dinners bought for $1.49 at Sharp Sharper,...things along that line.

[sagegirl]

This is my average menu:
Breakfast: oatmeal and an apple
Snack 1: yogurt and string cheese
Lunch: wheat bread with sliced chicken meat (made night before), some sliced veggies (done night before)
Snack 2: Another piece of fruit and crackers

A lot of stuff I keep stocked in our office kitchen and fridge. I usually bring everything in a cooler on Monday and store it in our mini-fridge. It is only me and my boss in the office, so I don't have to worry about coworkers "thieving" my food. It also keeps me within my calories for the day. I have lost 20 lbs since Jan 1st.

[jodi]

Not a big sandwich fan, but I do take my lunch most days (except when I meet a friend for lunch - strictly social, not lazy ). Usually I pack leftovers the night before - one container for me and one for DH. Pasta dishes pack well, as do casseroles, or a piece of leftover meat and veggies/potatoes. We both have fridge and microwave access. When we don't have leftovers, I keep a few frozen meals on hand (bought at $1-$1.50 each at my discount - er, expired food - store, or Banquet or Michaelina). I also try to freeze individual bowls of soup or chili when we make a pot since I'm a soup snob and don't care for canned. If all else fails, I'll take some tuna fish and bread to make a sandwich or some rolled deli meat and cheese. DH keeps a case of raviolis in his car for emergency lunches (he works in an elementary school, so back-up lunches are cafeteria food - ick), or will take a salad in a pinch with tuna on top.
Since I'm pregnant and hungry every two hours, I have to pack snacks as well. It helps to do this the night before as I tend to be rushed (er, late) in the morning. Some ideas: fresh or canned fruit, yogurt, string cheese, deli meat and cheese rolled up with mustard, a muffin, English muffin with p.b., etc. I keep microwave popcorn, oatmeal, and breakfast bars at work, although my space is limited since I discovered a mouse had been visiting my food drawer. Ewww....

[Daylily]

About once every six weeks I'll go out for sushi at lunch, but other than that I bring my lunch and breakfast to work every day.

Most of the time it is leftovers from the night before plus fresh fruit.
I've been doing this for 10 years.

[FrugalTexan75]

I pretty much eat the same thing for lunch everyday -- a bean, egg and veggie burrito.

I make the beans ahead of time - 2lbs of pinto beans makes 33 1/2 cup servings.

Then each Monday I take 5 servings of beans, an egg white carton, a bag of tortillas, and a bag of frozen veggies. It takes me about six minutes from the time I take the beans of the freezer until I'm sitting down at my desk ready to eat.

I also keep boxed raisins and a bag of almonds in my desk for morning and afternoon snacks.

[Cassandra]

Monday and Wednesdays I take a small snack bag of nuts or crackers to school because I don't actually get to eat lunch those days (in school from 8 - 5:15). The other days I can eat lunch at home because I get out of school at 1. Every couple weeks I'll stop by the student union and grab a Port of Subs sandwich but I try not to do that often.

Cassandra

[nim3]

Cheese and tomato sandwich.... or a
Subway.

[Lori63]

Originally Posted by Lori63

Leftovers, salad, wholewheat pasta with nonfat Italian dressing, Healthy Choice dinners bought for $1.49 at Sharp Sharper,...things along that line.

If I do buy it is the large salad from the cafeteria (I work at an elem. school) for $2

[Saving in So Cal]

For breakfast -- bagel, or yogurt and granola, or trail mix made from 1 cup of cereal, 1/4 cup of dried fruit, and 1/4 cup of nuts.

For lunch/snacks -- leftovers plus two pieces of fruit, a bag of cut-up vegetables, and a vitamin water drink.

[rob62521]

Good idea to have this post!

I see many do the same thing I do -- pack the lunch the night before. Otherwise, I wouldn't have time in the morning.

I do leftovers as much as I can, but I also try to keep cans of chicken or tuna on hand at home so I can make a sandwich if we don't have leftovers. I just pack the bread in one container and the salad in another container and then put it together during lunch so I don't have soggy bread. I have also purchased a lot of small containers or recycled others to put things in for my lunch so I don't use lots of plastic bags. I also bought a drink cup instead of buying or bringing a bottle of water for lunch. Not only does it save money, but less plastic as well as the water bottle scare...

I think the key is to plan when you grocery shop...buy things like string cheese or crackers or chips to keep on hand to put in your lunch as well was fruit so it's available when you pack your lunch.

[pjmama]

Usually a turkey sandwich on wheat bread (no cheese), with string cheese, some sort of snack (pretzels, crackers, something of the like), either a piece of fruit or applesauce, and lately these cottage cheese single things with pineapple chunks in them. I also bring a coffee mug and tea bags with me, to hold off temptations of buying fruity drinks or teas in environmentally offending plastic or aluminum containers

[ThriftoRama]

I either packed leftovers of some variation of a meal using leftovers. For instance, cook a chicken on Sunday, shave some off and make a chicken salad for lunch the next day.

I usually made a large bin of fruit salad at the start of the week, too, and take a little bit of that every day.

And I usually took a yogurt with me to eat at my desk when I first got to work or for mid-morning snack.

[CreditExpert]

Ham sandwich

Crisps,

Banana

Apple

Chocolate !

Bottle of water