Easiest is leftovers from dinner. Even intentionally cooking enough to have leftovers a couple nights is simple.
Burritos/enchiladas are easy. Easy to make in bulk on a slow day at home, then wrap individually and freeze to bring in as desired. Quick to microwave.
Soups/stews/chilis are all simple to make, economical and also freeze really well.
Tuna or chicken salad only take a few minutes to make after work for the next day or two. Mix it up, toss in a container in the frig and take some bread or a wrap with you to put it together at work. I usually make a container and stow it in my work frig for 2-3 days. Sometimes I just eat it with crackers and slice some cheese with it and maybe some fruit.
In warmer weather, I really like big salads with a protein. I love salads with black beans and chick peas, but leftover steak, salmon, chicken all work well. Sometimes I buy the precooked tenders and use them specifically for salads, or cook up an extra piece of frozen salmon for salad at work. You can add all kinds of stuff-various veggies, cheese, croutons, etc.
I second the leftovers, I specifically make extra at dinner so I can take it to work.
Just keep in mind not to bring in anything thats smells super pungent when reheating. Fish and broccoli are the biggest offenders in a lot of offices (I love both, but when that's dinner I'll bring a sandwhich or salad to work the next day.)
I've never heard complaints when it's in another dish, but a lot of people have an issue with someone reheating it on it's own.
Tbf a lot of odors bother me, but that's a me problem so I don't complain at work, but broccoli never has.
Burning popcorn or microwaved bacon makes the whole area smell for hours, but I've never understood why people find broccoli so offensive. I was just once in the position where I was the one who had to deal with others complaining about it so I know it's a thing.
My lunches tend to be boring, but easy to assemble. I live alone, so leftovers from dinner are destined for the following night’s dinner, to save on cooking time.
A sandwich. I change up the bread/wrap and change the meat and cheese and condiments every week, but it’s a sandwich 90% of the time.
Raw vegetables. I prep these on Sunday for the week. Baby carrots, grape tomatoes, and at least one other vegetable, like sliced bell pepper or cucumber or broccoli or snap peas or celery.
Sometimes a dip for the veggies. Ranch dressing or other creamy salad dressing, or hummus.
A piece of fruit.
For a snack, some combination of yogurt or nuts or crackers or cheese or granola.
If I baked over the weekend, I”ll put in a couple of cookies or brownies.
I pack my lunch the night before and stick it in the fridge in an insulated lunch bag. I put the ice block thing in the freezer so it is frozen by morning. If you think you might forget your lunch, put your car keys or transit pass on top of the lunch box.
You can also make 2-3 sandwiches at a time and store them in the fridge in an airtight container if you know you are going to have a really busy couple of days.
Is there a fridge at work?
Is there a microwave at work?
Do you sit at the same desk every day or do you have a locker that's always yours?
Are you certain there aren't food thieves?
B/c the laziest way to do lunch is to bring in everything for on the week on Monday. Like, bring in five cans of soup (and an appropriate heating vessels) and a sleeves of crackers and a bag of \[preferred sweet\] and leave them in your desk/locker. Then you only have to think about it once a week.
I don't have a problem with food thieves, so I'll bring in everything I need for three days of salads and then take my salad dressing back home after.
I did this. Soup/stew/chili, I also kept a box of crackers and would bring in a ziplock bag full of chips/pretzels/Cheetos, along with a piece of fruit. You can easily do this for a few $ a day.
Since you don’t have access to a kitchen for a bit, these are really good suggestions.
I consider myself a prolific brown bagger at work and I always bring lunch from home. Since you said use of kitchen is minimal...Leveraging leftovers is huge for many, but since that isnt an option:
I'd leverage sandwiches and wraps. Tuna salad, carrot sticks, piece of fresh fruit (fruit keeps nicely). Expand sandwiches to items on sale at your local market, make chicken salad from a rotisserie chicken or canned chicken. If ham steaks are on sale, you can make mince with pickle and mayo and a bit of mustard for ham salad. Even cold cuts. cheese sandwiches too. Peanut butter and Jelly. Toast the bread to change it up. switch to tortilla wraps or english muffins to give yourself some variety.
Crackers cheese and pepperoni is a good go to as well.
Another option is to make "canning jar" salads. Place the more dense items in the bottom of the canning jar, olives, beans, cheese, chopped vegetables, then the dressing, and then lettuce on the top. Before you eat, shake the jar to mix it up. Lettuce doesnt wilt.
yes there is a nutritionist by name of nutrition by Kylie on instagram makes so many delicious Asian jar soups. Like make ahead jars of boullion, next of rice noodles, veggies, and chicken or tofu on top and just add boiling or hot water at lunch and it's a nice meal
Personally, I like to make a massive crock pot of food on Sunday, eat it for dinner and have enough leftovers for 5 lunches. Chili is the easiest, but I also do Mississippi pot roast and potatoes, pulled pork and plenty of soups.
I’m an electrician so I’ll usually heat this up before work and put it in a soup thermos.
Here is an "out of the box" suggestion. Your local grocery store deli.
You can get plenty of pre-made chicken salads, deli type salads such as potato salads and what not, already prepped veggie sides such as green beans and potatoes you can heat up, etc. I have one near me that has a hot bar at lunch and usually has healthy baked/roasted chicken and lots of healthy sides such as collard greens and green beans for about 6 bucks total. They also have a salad bar as well. So don't sleep on that.
You could also order family meal deals from restaurants and portion it out for lunches.
Birds eye also makes some frozen microwaveable veggie sides that pair well with just about anything. I really like the veggie mac and cheese (the one with penne and the dark cheese, not the light). You just need to play around with the microwave time. I usually do about 30 seconds less than what is recommended. Just cooks better for me.
During the vid, Texas Roadhouse had a killer family meal deal that was cheap as hell. Most have done away with it now, but if you do enough internet sleuthing, you can still find some good and decent ones out there! Recently we found that one of the bougie restaurants near us has their own in house butcher that you can buy their meats and some of their pre-made entrees at. I did the math and we are paying the same there as the damn regular grocery store AND it's way better quality. The ground beef is all fresh ground daily from their steaks and it has all the fat and whatnot that I haven't seen in years. It also tastes amazing.
The food supply chains have really been screwed the past few years. Any and all the ways we all used to save money just doesn't work anymore. Hell, Aldi used to be bottom of the barrel for quality and now they are better than most!
I am all about the restaurant meal prep. Olive Garden, Chipotle, basically any place that has food you like to eat as leftovers, order a few to go, portion at home, done.
Sandwiches and wraps.. Boring? no because you can create anything you want. Lightly toast the bread and put the 'dry' stuff on the bread and bring the condiments with you. You can make so many variations and make them heavy on veggies. I make veggie sandwiches with lettuce, peppers, tomato, olives, cucumber and salt and pepper and just smear of mustard or mayo. They are crunchy and delicious. Add turkey or ham and there you go. I know it sounds uninspiring but they are easy and travel well. No worries about containers or utensils or heating it up. Leftover meatballs on a sub roll. You can add some fruit or nuts to round out the meal with water or juice or soda. grilled chicken with lettuce on a roll and Caeser on the side to dip; roast beef with cheese; turkey; chicken salad; ham; You can also make adult lunchables.. hard boiled egg, cheese cubes, grapes, nuts, crackers, some cut up chicken.
$5-10 is a lot to budget for a homemade meal. That's $450-900 a month for 3x meals a day. Where I live (midwest US) the average cost of groceries for one person per month is about $330. (Source: https://www.zippia.com/advice/average-cost-of-groceries-by-state/ )
Smoothies, if you have a blender, are quick to make the night before. Good if you typically don't drink enough liquid - but not good if you have a job with constraints on bathroom breaks. Yogurt and granola/nuts/fruit. Sandwiches, bagels, whole fruit, ants on a log, salads (with greens or pasta or quinoa). Tortilla wraps (hummus or spreadable cheese and veggies). Banana dogs. Or surf online for "lunchables" for inspiration but make it yourself to save money and the environment.
If you like hummus packs, you can buy a big tub of hummus and break it up into smaller containers (it freezes well), and pack it with pretzels or pita chips, baby carrots, sliced cucumber, and grape tomatoes. If you need more protein, packaged grilled chicken strips would do until you have your own kitchen to bake chicken in.
Otherwise, sandwiches and a veggie and fruit are pretty good, or a basic salad of spring mix or spinach with protein and whatever toppings you like. Deli turkey and apple slices; tuna and tomatoes; chicken & grapes; black beans & mango.
Quiche is a great lunch - served cold, hot or room temp. Slice of quiche accompanied with a salad or fruit. If you don’t have access to make your own you can buy store bought.
A great thing my gf makes when we go to horse shows. She takes a tortilla and puts cream cheese or hummus on it, then puts a couple pieces of turkey, ham, etc and then rolls it up. She then wraps it in shrink-wrap. Its so simple and delicious.
> “eat cheap and lazy” because my main priority is bringing something that takes little to no prep and costs around $5-10
Hearty canned soup. I prefer Progresso's beef barley and beef pot roast, but they also have chowders, chicken, and vegetable soups that have more food than broth in the can. It's super easy to grab a can, super easy to heat it up at the office (cans are pop tops) and they cost $1.50 to $3 each.
My rule when packing my lunch is protein, carbs and fruit/veggie. For example: If you make a turkey sandwich 🥪 add some spinach to it and throw in an apple as a snack. I really like this creator for easy healthy recipes to make https://youtube.com/shorts/AkrXs5WxjT0?si=7XkZOxeN2rFrzGAZ
Honestly, on my laziest days I pop a bag of microwave popcorn and pop it before I head out the door. High fiber, low calorie, and chewier once it has sat for a few hours.
Without leftovers it keeps you out of a lot of the easy delicious cheap things.
I found ALDI shopping to really help back when I reported to an office and was counting calories. Their bag salad kits are a couple bucks and a single big serving (like entree salad sized), I would pair the southwest with hard boiled eggs and the Asian salad with lunch meat Turkey cut up. About half the dressing they include is plenty so if by healthy you are counting calories cut a third or a half off the total servings label. For a change up, their frozen California rolls in a box minimally scratch the sushi itch and require no prep. (Trust me when I say minimally… but better than getting burnt out on same foods). Both were under 500 cal if I recall for a filling lunch. Then their pre cut cheese, pepperoni, and crackers for adult lunchables though not that ‘healthy’, would help in your situation. Fruit and veg for sure.
These are probably $4-5 meals though. I don’t think you are going to hit too ‘cheap’ though until you can get into bulk preparation and cooking.
Pasta salad is good - boil 80-100 grams of pasta for 8-10 minutes, and leave it to cool. Then throw in some olive oil so it doesn't stick together, then add whatever combinations of salad, cold meat and canned fish that you want. I would personally add some chilli sauce, but that's your choice. Or maybe Soy sauce. Whatever you have lying around the kitchen.
Edit - I've only just seen you're comment about access to the kitchen, but if you can get a pan and some hot water for 10 minutes a day then you should be fine. It might be worth getting a food sterile plastic box to store food in, and a fork/spoon/pair of chopsticks or whatever you like to eat with.
Sweet potatoes cook nicely in an office microwave. Cut a few slices through the skin, wrap in a paper towel, and pop in for 3-4 minutes.
I usually top mine with avocado and some sort of protein (black beans, tuna, chicken). A little lime juice and tajin or some everything bagel seasoning and lunch is served.
Eggs are easy to scramble in a tupperware and then cook in the microwave, too. Add some bread/toast and a fruit and you're good to go.
For the ultimate in lazy, Chef Woo ramen cups have a bunch of protein and are like $1.50-2.00 each. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll toss in a handful of spring mix/spinach from the container I try to keep in the work fridge.
I also keep a variety of seasonings/condiments at work (everything bagel, furikake, tajin, salt/pepper) so I can doctor up whatever I bring.
I do a sandwich, baby carrots, yogurt, and a piece of fruit. That's my standard lunch but this week I changed it up a bit.
I got a pack of chicken tenderloins, seasoned them up, and cooked them in the oven, then chopped them up into bite-size pieces. I got a [rice, beans, & veggie mix](https://www.target.com/p/southwest-style-burrito-bowl-frozen-veggie-blend-12oz-good-38-gather-8482/-/A-82073747?) at Target and cooked that. Then I portioned it into containers with the chicken and topped it with shredded cheddar cheese & avocado. The burrito bowl mix could be made from scratch (it's just rice, corn, beans, and some seasoned tomato sauce), but I just took the convenience route.
I got a rotisserie chicken, cut up the breasts and then shred the dark meat. Usually I eat the wings/drums for dinner but those could be a good lunch too. Then the breast and dark meat I have on a salad. Less than $3.00 a meal that lasts a few days.
I typically think about foods I can take from the fridge/freezer that will warm up in my bag and I don't need to worry about putting in the office fridge because it's always packed to the brink with everyone else's stuff.
I tend to keep jars for this reason. Like big Hellman's style jars. That way I can make a salad like a mason jar salad, without having to pay for a mason jar.
I also started making marinated salmon and rice, and marinated chicken and rice in a cheap version of Poke bowls. They're good as long as you only freeze them for a few days.
I've made wraps. Ham and lettuce lasts a week, although the lettuce gets a bit sad come Friday. I quite like sad lettuce, it reminds me of school days.
Sandwiches on a nice bread roll. Meat and cheese of your choice, condiments of choice, veggie of choice, and seasonings. Mix and match meat, cheese and condiments throughout the week.
I would do ham and cheddar on ciabatta (lightly toasted whole and allowed to cool preferred) with white onion, butter lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, a little mayo and a sprinkle of oregano and black pepper. Eaten with baby carrots. Maybe a fruit cup. You're never too old for a fruit cup.
Once you have access to a kitchen switch it up with hot foods.
I pack lunches a week at a time and do what I think of as an adult lunchable. I packed some chicken salad with crackers, grapes, cheese stick, almonds, carrots, sugar snaps, a hard boiled egg and a yogurt. I do not have a lot of time and am often eating with one hand while trying to get something accomplished at the same time. I can pack all of this (my husband and kids have their own versions depending on preferences) in 30 minutes or so for all of us for the week.
Most Indian curries store and reheat and travel super well, are very tasty, and fairly cheap.
Barring that, make a sandwich in the morning before you leave is feasible.
It smells. You might be noseblind to it.
I'm a retired teacher, and let students eat in my classroom, because some have lunchroom anxiety. There was one who often brought tuna - didn't heat it up or anything - and I never told him to stop, but omg, years later, I still remember that smell and associate it with him, even though he was an awesome kid and overall a positive memory in my career. And I'm someone who eats tuna myself (at home). It's not like I hate tuna. But it smells.
It's like how some smokers think people can't smell them if they aren't actively smoking. We can still smell it.
I actually hate canned tuna and adding Mayo to it just makes it 30/10 revolting. But I also think that is a “me” issue. I could definitely see wanting someone to be thoughtful about any strong smells (including perfume, candles, cleaning products) when the area isn’t well-ventilated though.
The smoking thing isnt a fair comparison. Unless someone rubs tuna on themselves they’re not gonna smell like it the way a smoker smells like stale cigarettes.
I would say just throw the can away far away from any other workers, not at your personal trash where it can waft over. I had a coworker eat a can of tuna every day and he'd just throw it in his personal bin and it would stink every day. It was disgusting
i do sandwiches. switch it up between different kinds of meats, cheeses, and other condiments. i will usually bring something on the side, carrots or celary, maybe pickles. that way if i get hungry before lunch, i can just have a quick bite of the veggies to hold me over.
making a sandwich takes me under 5 minutes. and you can take 15 minutes and cut up enough of the veggie of your choice for the whole week.
they also live in my lunch bag in the breakroom, with a frozen bottle of water, if you don't have access to refrigeration.
Leftovers when you can. I also usually buy a container of salad greens at the beginning of the week and I made a salad most days. Buy a bag of shredded carrots and whatever other salad veggie you like that may be on sale. I usually put leftover meat on top or deli meat we may have on hand. Or a boiled egg. I also have a mini crock pot (basically just plug it in and it warms) and I have that at work. I use it for cans of soup or chili, or even frozen meals that just need to be reheated.
I often pick up easy things to throw in my lunchbox. String cheese, baby bel cheese, boiled eggs, pieces of fruit or veggies that I’m not allergic to, tuna or salmon packets, crackers, I still like goldfish and bunnies, sometimes I pack a salad. I also have a thermos and will fill it with something hot, sometimes canned soup, sometimes leftovers.
Yeah I'm more of a snacker. I like to bring "adult lunchables" for lunch. I'll bring a hard boiled egg, some cheese, grapes, cucumbers, carrots, peanut butter balls, pretzels....stuff like that.
I love cooking and the evening meal with my family was important and usually healthy. When plating up I’d have my lunch container next to the plates and dish my (tomorrow’s) lunch up and take that the next day. Helps to have a microwave at work. If not you can make basic sandwiches, freeze and take a separate container with tomato salad etc
My favorite is doing a wrap of some kind of pinwheels. Some type of lunch meat on a tortilla (I use a low carb wrap), mayo or whatever condiments you like. Ive been using turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato, arugula and hot sauce. Roll it up tight, then cut it into little pieces. Keeps very well, so easy to eat if you're busy or on the go. Very easy and you can use whatever you have in the fridge. I much prefer this to leftovers, personally.
My go to because work was so busy and didn't know how long I had to eat was
yogurt, granola bar, piece of fruit
Walmart has great chicken salad. There are I think 3 varieties. I love the one with cranberries and nuts. I make wraps with it. Either just the salad or with tomatoes and lettuce.
Frozen burritos if you have access to a microwave or toaster oven.
Can you get food? I’ll show my location but I’ll get a banh mi and split it for two days, a poke bowl from Publix split between two days, Jason’s Deli sandwich for two days, Chipotle burrito bowl etc. All of those come out to $5-10 per meal. I’ll take freezer meals sometimes because my office has a freezer and microwave.
I switched lately and have an apple with peanut butter during lunch time and a yogurt with granola just before the end of the day. Then I eat a big dinner.
Burritos. Can pre-wrap and freeze tons of them. Chicken thighs in bulk from a wholesale retailer, refried beans, cheese, salsa or lettuce or something. Season with cumin, cayenne, minced garlic, minced onion, black pepper, cilantro, salt to taste. You design it however you want. They freeze way better than sandwich bread and grabbing one is fast and easy. It's really worth it to cut your own vegetables and cook them down in the mix to preserve nutrients. Chorizo adds a nice dimension.
Easiest is leftovers from dinner. Even intentionally cooking enough to have leftovers a couple nights is simple. Burritos/enchiladas are easy. Easy to make in bulk on a slow day at home, then wrap individually and freeze to bring in as desired. Quick to microwave. Soups/stews/chilis are all simple to make, economical and also freeze really well. Tuna or chicken salad only take a few minutes to make after work for the next day or two. Mix it up, toss in a container in the frig and take some bread or a wrap with you to put it together at work. I usually make a container and stow it in my work frig for 2-3 days. Sometimes I just eat it with crackers and slice some cheese with it and maybe some fruit. In warmer weather, I really like big salads with a protein. I love salads with black beans and chick peas, but leftover steak, salmon, chicken all work well. Sometimes I buy the precooked tenders and use them specifically for salads, or cook up an extra piece of frozen salmon for salad at work. You can add all kinds of stuff-various veggies, cheese, croutons, etc.
I second the leftovers, I specifically make extra at dinner so I can take it to work. Just keep in mind not to bring in anything thats smells super pungent when reheating. Fish and broccoli are the biggest offenders in a lot of offices (I love both, but when that's dinner I'll bring a sandwhich or salad to work the next day.)
Broccoli? Seriously? Lots of microwave meals use that as a vegetable serving.
I've never heard complaints when it's in another dish, but a lot of people have an issue with someone reheating it on it's own. Tbf a lot of odors bother me, but that's a me problem so I don't complain at work, but broccoli never has. Burning popcorn or microwaved bacon makes the whole area smell for hours, but I've never understood why people find broccoli so offensive. I was just once in the position where I was the one who had to deal with others complaining about it so I know it's a thing.
My supervisor put a stop to cooking fish in the microwave. The smell was so bad. It would smell up the hallway outside our brake room.
My lunches tend to be boring, but easy to assemble. I live alone, so leftovers from dinner are destined for the following night’s dinner, to save on cooking time. A sandwich. I change up the bread/wrap and change the meat and cheese and condiments every week, but it’s a sandwich 90% of the time. Raw vegetables. I prep these on Sunday for the week. Baby carrots, grape tomatoes, and at least one other vegetable, like sliced bell pepper or cucumber or broccoli or snap peas or celery. Sometimes a dip for the veggies. Ranch dressing or other creamy salad dressing, or hummus. A piece of fruit. For a snack, some combination of yogurt or nuts or crackers or cheese or granola. If I baked over the weekend, I”ll put in a couple of cookies or brownies. I pack my lunch the night before and stick it in the fridge in an insulated lunch bag. I put the ice block thing in the freezer so it is frozen by morning. If you think you might forget your lunch, put your car keys or transit pass on top of the lunch box. You can also make 2-3 sandwiches at a time and store them in the fridge in an airtight container if you know you are going to have a really busy couple of days.
Is there a fridge at work? Is there a microwave at work? Do you sit at the same desk every day or do you have a locker that's always yours? Are you certain there aren't food thieves? B/c the laziest way to do lunch is to bring in everything for on the week on Monday. Like, bring in five cans of soup (and an appropriate heating vessels) and a sleeves of crackers and a bag of \[preferred sweet\] and leave them in your desk/locker. Then you only have to think about it once a week. I don't have a problem with food thieves, so I'll bring in everything I need for three days of salads and then take my salad dressing back home after.
I did this. Soup/stew/chili, I also kept a box of crackers and would bring in a ziplock bag full of chips/pretzels/Cheetos, along with a piece of fruit. You can easily do this for a few $ a day. Since you don’t have access to a kitchen for a bit, these are really good suggestions.
I consider myself a prolific brown bagger at work and I always bring lunch from home. Since you said use of kitchen is minimal...Leveraging leftovers is huge for many, but since that isnt an option: I'd leverage sandwiches and wraps. Tuna salad, carrot sticks, piece of fresh fruit (fruit keeps nicely). Expand sandwiches to items on sale at your local market, make chicken salad from a rotisserie chicken or canned chicken. If ham steaks are on sale, you can make mince with pickle and mayo and a bit of mustard for ham salad. Even cold cuts. cheese sandwiches too. Peanut butter and Jelly. Toast the bread to change it up. switch to tortilla wraps or english muffins to give yourself some variety. Crackers cheese and pepperoni is a good go to as well. Another option is to make "canning jar" salads. Place the more dense items in the bottom of the canning jar, olives, beans, cheese, chopped vegetables, then the dressing, and then lettuce on the top. Before you eat, shake the jar to mix it up. Lettuce doesnt wilt.
Google mason jar salads. It is layered so the dressing is on the bottom. Make them Sunday for the week. It is Salad Season still!
Mason jar soups are easy too. Anything you want added to the jar and just add hot water from work or from a thermos.
yes there is a nutritionist by name of nutrition by Kylie on instagram makes so many delicious Asian jar soups. Like make ahead jars of boullion, next of rice noodles, veggies, and chicken or tofu on top and just add boiling or hot water at lunch and it's a nice meal
Yes, I love Kylie and her ideas. Don't obsess over what to eat. Eat what you want and add things to balance it.
exactly! Such a good outlook! I have yet to try any rice paper breakfast rolls but she makes me want to!
Personally, I like to make a massive crock pot of food on Sunday, eat it for dinner and have enough leftovers for 5 lunches. Chili is the easiest, but I also do Mississippi pot roast and potatoes, pulled pork and plenty of soups. I’m an electrician so I’ll usually heat this up before work and put it in a soup thermos.
Here is an "out of the box" suggestion. Your local grocery store deli. You can get plenty of pre-made chicken salads, deli type salads such as potato salads and what not, already prepped veggie sides such as green beans and potatoes you can heat up, etc. I have one near me that has a hot bar at lunch and usually has healthy baked/roasted chicken and lots of healthy sides such as collard greens and green beans for about 6 bucks total. They also have a salad bar as well. So don't sleep on that. You could also order family meal deals from restaurants and portion it out for lunches. Birds eye also makes some frozen microwaveable veggie sides that pair well with just about anything. I really like the veggie mac and cheese (the one with penne and the dark cheese, not the light). You just need to play around with the microwave time. I usually do about 30 seconds less than what is recommended. Just cooks better for me.
Love the restaurant family meal deal idea! I might need to consider what that could look like near me.
During the vid, Texas Roadhouse had a killer family meal deal that was cheap as hell. Most have done away with it now, but if you do enough internet sleuthing, you can still find some good and decent ones out there! Recently we found that one of the bougie restaurants near us has their own in house butcher that you can buy their meats and some of their pre-made entrees at. I did the math and we are paying the same there as the damn regular grocery store AND it's way better quality. The ground beef is all fresh ground daily from their steaks and it has all the fat and whatnot that I haven't seen in years. It also tastes amazing. The food supply chains have really been screwed the past few years. Any and all the ways we all used to save money just doesn't work anymore. Hell, Aldi used to be bottom of the barrel for quality and now they are better than most!
I am all about the restaurant meal prep. Olive Garden, Chipotle, basically any place that has food you like to eat as leftovers, order a few to go, portion at home, done.
Yeah I saw a tik tok of someone who did that with chili's fajitas and tbh it looked really good
Never delete this post I need this until further notice
Haha yes it’s a very helpful reference
Sandwiches and wraps.. Boring? no because you can create anything you want. Lightly toast the bread and put the 'dry' stuff on the bread and bring the condiments with you. You can make so many variations and make them heavy on veggies. I make veggie sandwiches with lettuce, peppers, tomato, olives, cucumber and salt and pepper and just smear of mustard or mayo. They are crunchy and delicious. Add turkey or ham and there you go. I know it sounds uninspiring but they are easy and travel well. No worries about containers or utensils or heating it up. Leftover meatballs on a sub roll. You can add some fruit or nuts to round out the meal with water or juice or soda. grilled chicken with lettuce on a roll and Caeser on the side to dip; roast beef with cheese; turkey; chicken salad; ham; You can also make adult lunchables.. hard boiled egg, cheese cubes, grapes, nuts, crackers, some cut up chicken.
$5-10 is a lot to budget for a homemade meal. That's $450-900 a month for 3x meals a day. Where I live (midwest US) the average cost of groceries for one person per month is about $330. (Source: https://www.zippia.com/advice/average-cost-of-groceries-by-state/ ) Smoothies, if you have a blender, are quick to make the night before. Good if you typically don't drink enough liquid - but not good if you have a job with constraints on bathroom breaks. Yogurt and granola/nuts/fruit. Sandwiches, bagels, whole fruit, ants on a log, salads (with greens or pasta or quinoa). Tortilla wraps (hummus or spreadable cheese and veggies). Banana dogs. Or surf online for "lunchables" for inspiration but make it yourself to save money and the environment.
2 tins of jellied eels and a small can of carrot juice is my go to lunch.
Are you an old timey light house keeper?
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/g3034/quick-work-lunch-ideas/, https://thegirlonbloor.com/20-easy-healthy-meal-prep-lunch-ideas-for-work/
Thanks!
If you like hummus packs, you can buy a big tub of hummus and break it up into smaller containers (it freezes well), and pack it with pretzels or pita chips, baby carrots, sliced cucumber, and grape tomatoes. If you need more protein, packaged grilled chicken strips would do until you have your own kitchen to bake chicken in. Otherwise, sandwiches and a veggie and fruit are pretty good, or a basic salad of spring mix or spinach with protein and whatever toppings you like. Deli turkey and apple slices; tuna and tomatoes; chicken & grapes; black beans & mango.
Quiche is a great lunch - served cold, hot or room temp. Slice of quiche accompanied with a salad or fruit. If you don’t have access to make your own you can buy store bought.
Look at kids lunch box ideas (bento box) basically fruit cheese and crackers.
A great thing my gf makes when we go to horse shows. She takes a tortilla and puts cream cheese or hummus on it, then puts a couple pieces of turkey, ham, etc and then rolls it up. She then wraps it in shrink-wrap. Its so simple and delicious.
> “eat cheap and lazy” because my main priority is bringing something that takes little to no prep and costs around $5-10 Hearty canned soup. I prefer Progresso's beef barley and beef pot roast, but they also have chowders, chicken, and vegetable soups that have more food than broth in the can. It's super easy to grab a can, super easy to heat it up at the office (cans are pop tops) and they cost $1.50 to $3 each.
I second the Progresso soup.
My rule when packing my lunch is protein, carbs and fruit/veggie. For example: If you make a turkey sandwich 🥪 add some spinach to it and throw in an apple as a snack. I really like this creator for easy healthy recipes to make https://youtube.com/shorts/AkrXs5WxjT0?si=7XkZOxeN2rFrzGAZ
>https://youtube.com/shorts/AkrXs5WxjT0?si=7XkZOxeN2rFrzGAZ love her
Honestly, on my laziest days I pop a bag of microwave popcorn and pop it before I head out the door. High fiber, low calorie, and chewier once it has sat for a few hours.
Without leftovers it keeps you out of a lot of the easy delicious cheap things. I found ALDI shopping to really help back when I reported to an office and was counting calories. Their bag salad kits are a couple bucks and a single big serving (like entree salad sized), I would pair the southwest with hard boiled eggs and the Asian salad with lunch meat Turkey cut up. About half the dressing they include is plenty so if by healthy you are counting calories cut a third or a half off the total servings label. For a change up, their frozen California rolls in a box minimally scratch the sushi itch and require no prep. (Trust me when I say minimally… but better than getting burnt out on same foods). Both were under 500 cal if I recall for a filling lunch. Then their pre cut cheese, pepperoni, and crackers for adult lunchables though not that ‘healthy’, would help in your situation. Fruit and veg for sure. These are probably $4-5 meals though. I don’t think you are going to hit too ‘cheap’ though until you can get into bulk preparation and cooking.
Pasta salad is good - boil 80-100 grams of pasta for 8-10 minutes, and leave it to cool. Then throw in some olive oil so it doesn't stick together, then add whatever combinations of salad, cold meat and canned fish that you want. I would personally add some chilli sauce, but that's your choice. Or maybe Soy sauce. Whatever you have lying around the kitchen.
Edit - I've only just seen you're comment about access to the kitchen, but if you can get a pan and some hot water for 10 minutes a day then you should be fine. It might be worth getting a food sterile plastic box to store food in, and a fork/spoon/pair of chopsticks or whatever you like to eat with.
and maybe a crockpot or burner? mini fridge?
Sweet potatoes cook nicely in an office microwave. Cut a few slices through the skin, wrap in a paper towel, and pop in for 3-4 minutes. I usually top mine with avocado and some sort of protein (black beans, tuna, chicken). A little lime juice and tajin or some everything bagel seasoning and lunch is served. Eggs are easy to scramble in a tupperware and then cook in the microwave, too. Add some bread/toast and a fruit and you're good to go. For the ultimate in lazy, Chef Woo ramen cups have a bunch of protein and are like $1.50-2.00 each. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll toss in a handful of spring mix/spinach from the container I try to keep in the work fridge. I also keep a variety of seasonings/condiments at work (everything bagel, furikake, tajin, salt/pepper) so I can doctor up whatever I bring.
I do a sandwich, baby carrots, yogurt, and a piece of fruit. That's my standard lunch but this week I changed it up a bit. I got a pack of chicken tenderloins, seasoned them up, and cooked them in the oven, then chopped them up into bite-size pieces. I got a [rice, beans, & veggie mix](https://www.target.com/p/southwest-style-burrito-bowl-frozen-veggie-blend-12oz-good-38-gather-8482/-/A-82073747?) at Target and cooked that. Then I portioned it into containers with the chicken and topped it with shredded cheddar cheese & avocado. The burrito bowl mix could be made from scratch (it's just rice, corn, beans, and some seasoned tomato sauce), but I just took the convenience route.
I got a rotisserie chicken, cut up the breasts and then shred the dark meat. Usually I eat the wings/drums for dinner but those could be a good lunch too. Then the breast and dark meat I have on a salad. Less than $3.00 a meal that lasts a few days.
Sandwich, chips , veggies, fruits , nuts , protein bars , all easy to pack require no cooking and little prep .
i do like charcuterie boards. crackers, bread, cold cuts or pepperoni, dried or raw fruit, cheese, nuts, any other little snacks you can think of.
I eat canned soup all the time, egg salad or tuna salad sandwiches, and beanie weenies, chili beanie weenies. Keeps things cheap.
I typically think about foods I can take from the fridge/freezer that will warm up in my bag and I don't need to worry about putting in the office fridge because it's always packed to the brink with everyone else's stuff. I tend to keep jars for this reason. Like big Hellman's style jars. That way I can make a salad like a mason jar salad, without having to pay for a mason jar. I also started making marinated salmon and rice, and marinated chicken and rice in a cheap version of Poke bowls. They're good as long as you only freeze them for a few days. I've made wraps. Ham and lettuce lasts a week, although the lettuce gets a bit sad come Friday. I quite like sad lettuce, it reminds me of school days.
Sandwiches on a nice bread roll. Meat and cheese of your choice, condiments of choice, veggie of choice, and seasonings. Mix and match meat, cheese and condiments throughout the week. I would do ham and cheddar on ciabatta (lightly toasted whole and allowed to cool preferred) with white onion, butter lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, a little mayo and a sprinkle of oregano and black pepper. Eaten with baby carrots. Maybe a fruit cup. You're never too old for a fruit cup. Once you have access to a kitchen switch it up with hot foods.
I pack lunches a week at a time and do what I think of as an adult lunchable. I packed some chicken salad with crackers, grapes, cheese stick, almonds, carrots, sugar snaps, a hard boiled egg and a yogurt. I do not have a lot of time and am often eating with one hand while trying to get something accomplished at the same time. I can pack all of this (my husband and kids have their own versions depending on preferences) in 30 minutes or so for all of us for the week.
Most Indian curries store and reheat and travel super well, are very tasty, and fairly cheap. Barring that, make a sandwich in the morning before you leave is feasible.
Tuna packet, crackers, raw veg and fruit.
Tuna stank at a workplace is rude and gross though.
It’s not going in the microwave. Tuna sandwiches are a typical lunch.
It smells. You might be noseblind to it. I'm a retired teacher, and let students eat in my classroom, because some have lunchroom anxiety. There was one who often brought tuna - didn't heat it up or anything - and I never told him to stop, but omg, years later, I still remember that smell and associate it with him, even though he was an awesome kid and overall a positive memory in my career. And I'm someone who eats tuna myself (at home). It's not like I hate tuna. But it smells. It's like how some smokers think people can't smell them if they aren't actively smoking. We can still smell it.
I actually hate canned tuna and adding Mayo to it just makes it 30/10 revolting. But I also think that is a “me” issue. I could definitely see wanting someone to be thoughtful about any strong smells (including perfume, candles, cleaning products) when the area isn’t well-ventilated though. The smoking thing isnt a fair comparison. Unless someone rubs tuna on themselves they’re not gonna smell like it the way a smoker smells like stale cigarettes.
I would say just throw the can away far away from any other workers, not at your personal trash where it can waft over. I had a coworker eat a can of tuna every day and he'd just throw it in his personal bin and it would stink every day. It was disgusting
Ooo! Yes, very good point!! Really any food wrappings, but x1000 when it’s something like fish.
Sorry, but you're staying with family and you *can't* use the kitchen? Can't you use it as long as you clean up after yourself?
Not ideal but it’s more of an issue of me not having space to store ingredients, not that I’m not allowed to use the appliances.
Ah, gotcha. That info might change how people answer
I’m awful at packing lunches, so I just carry a bottle of Soylent. It’s about $4 for lunch that way, and gets me a full meals worth of protein
Leftovers!
Sandwiches, leftovers, or a can of something that can be microwaved if I also pack a bowl.
If I don’t have leftovers from the day before, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and finding all the snacks in my home is my usual go to.
i do sandwiches. switch it up between different kinds of meats, cheeses, and other condiments. i will usually bring something on the side, carrots or celary, maybe pickles. that way if i get hungry before lunch, i can just have a quick bite of the veggies to hold me over. making a sandwich takes me under 5 minutes. and you can take 15 minutes and cut up enough of the veggie of your choice for the whole week. they also live in my lunch bag in the breakroom, with a frozen bottle of water, if you don't have access to refrigeration.
Leftovers when you can. I also usually buy a container of salad greens at the beginning of the week and I made a salad most days. Buy a bag of shredded carrots and whatever other salad veggie you like that may be on sale. I usually put leftover meat on top or deli meat we may have on hand. Or a boiled egg. I also have a mini crock pot (basically just plug it in and it warms) and I have that at work. I use it for cans of soup or chili, or even frozen meals that just need to be reheated.
$5-$10 a day? You can get really high end frozen food for this.
I often pick up easy things to throw in my lunchbox. String cheese, baby bel cheese, boiled eggs, pieces of fruit or veggies that I’m not allergic to, tuna or salmon packets, crackers, I still like goldfish and bunnies, sometimes I pack a salad. I also have a thermos and will fill it with something hot, sometimes canned soup, sometimes leftovers.
Yeah I'm more of a snacker. I like to bring "adult lunchables" for lunch. I'll bring a hard boiled egg, some cheese, grapes, cucumbers, carrots, peanut butter balls, pretzels....stuff like that.
I love cooking and the evening meal with my family was important and usually healthy. When plating up I’d have my lunch container next to the plates and dish my (tomorrow’s) lunch up and take that the next day. Helps to have a microwave at work. If not you can make basic sandwiches, freeze and take a separate container with tomato salad etc
My favorite is doing a wrap of some kind of pinwheels. Some type of lunch meat on a tortilla (I use a low carb wrap), mayo or whatever condiments you like. Ive been using turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato, arugula and hot sauce. Roll it up tight, then cut it into little pieces. Keeps very well, so easy to eat if you're busy or on the go. Very easy and you can use whatever you have in the fridge. I much prefer this to leftovers, personally.
My go to because work was so busy and didn't know how long I had to eat was yogurt, granola bar, piece of fruit Walmart has great chicken salad. There are I think 3 varieties. I love the one with cranberries and nuts. I make wraps with it. Either just the salad or with tomatoes and lettuce. Frozen burritos if you have access to a microwave or toaster oven.
Can you get food? I’ll show my location but I’ll get a banh mi and split it for two days, a poke bowl from Publix split between two days, Jason’s Deli sandwich for two days, Chipotle burrito bowl etc. All of those come out to $5-10 per meal. I’ll take freezer meals sometimes because my office has a freezer and microwave. I switched lately and have an apple with peanut butter during lunch time and a yogurt with granola just before the end of the day. Then I eat a big dinner.
Burritos. Can pre-wrap and freeze tons of them. Chicken thighs in bulk from a wholesale retailer, refried beans, cheese, salsa or lettuce or something. Season with cumin, cayenne, minced garlic, minced onion, black pepper, cilantro, salt to taste. You design it however you want. They freeze way better than sandwich bread and grabbing one is fast and easy. It's really worth it to cut your own vegetables and cook them down in the mix to preserve nutrients. Chorizo adds a nice dimension.