Help! Lunch Ideas Needed.

[Amusement Gal]

Sabra, however, has some yummy varieties that I love, with my two favorites being lemon (amazing!) and jalapeno (rather spicy--you've been warned), though other flavors are really nice too. Hell, experiment--it's fun!

I normally eat my hummus with various pitas (the whole wheat ones are rather tasty, which surprised me), but I think I am going to start doing more veggies. Carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, the list goes on. Some others that you may like but I probably wouldn't: broccoli (like it cooked, or raw in salads, but not as a dipper), cauliflower, radishes, squash, celery (it's an occasional thing for me).

I like the red bell pepper flavor mostly. It has a nice zing to it. Sabra has some really good flavors, and if you got a Whole Foods, they have some really awesome flavors, like Garlic, and Black Bean. Both are delish. Sabra's pine nut hummus is pretty good too.

Also, if you're feeling lazy/don't have the time and don't want to make or buy hummus and prepare it ahead of time, Sabra actually has little snack tubs with some pretzel bits and hummus. It's a bit expensive (2 farking dollars for a tiny pack), but it'd be a start if you're on the run.

Oddly enough, while I like a good hummus, chick peas are not among my favorites. I don't hate them, like, say, olives, but I'm not huge on them either. They come in one of the new salads at work, and frankly, I think the salad's better without them. But hell, the less chick peas I eat, the more for you, right?

To be fair, when they're mashed together and fried, you can't honestly call 'em chickpeas anymore. I can't describe the taste, but it honestly tastes to me, like if you fried some hummus and put it in a bun.

[Jester]

Sabra has some really good flavors, like Garlic, and Black Bean. Both are delish. Sabra's pine nut hummus is pretty good too.

Seen garlic and pine nut, but have not seen black bean. Haven't tried Garlic (oddly enough, considering my utter love for the stuff), but not being a huge pine nut fan, not sure if I would enjoy that. (Though I do like pesto....)

Sabra actually has little snack tubs with some pretzel bits and hummus.

Have not seen those at all. But then, considering some things I'm trying to do with my diet, don't think I'd be picking up the one with pretzels anyway....

[Amusement Gal]

Seen garlic and pine nut, but have not seen black bean. Haven't tried Garlic (oddly enough, considering my utter love for the stuff), but not being a huge pine nut fan, not sure if I would enjoy that. (Though I do like pesto....)

Have not seen those at all. But then, considering some things I'm trying to do with my diet, don't think I'd be picking up the one with pretzels anyway....

Try pesto and bacon together. You won't regret it. And I thought the same thing when I saw it. They really should have thought that out better. Though Target's little cafe thingy has the same setup, except with pita chips. The black bean one was from Whole Foods. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the only place to find it, save from making it yourself.

[blas]

I always make too much for supper, and take the rest to work. I work graves, though, so my food is still relatively fresh at 3 am, since I made it at 9 pm just hours before.

I only get 20 minutes to eat as well.

I make a lot of simple pastas and spaghetti. It cost a little more at the grocery store to start with, but you'll see that you're saving money in no time.

[Food Lady]

More ideas. Tacos: pre-fry the shells and wrap in foil or put in a container when cool. Put toppings in separate containers and assemble at work (microwave the meat). You can make a batch of meat & keep it in the fridge for a week. Yogurt & frozen fruit: I put frozen tart red cherries & blueberries in a container in the morning and top a bit of sugar/sweetener, then whole milk yogurt on top (important). The fruit is just thawed enough by lunchtime that way. My fave yogurt is a giant tub of Mountain High. It's healthier, IMO, than prepackaged yogurt.

[Barracuda]

Crunchy garbanzo beans. (If you use canned, RINSE AND DRY THE BEANS THOROUGHLY FIRST.)
Simply take just enough olive oil to coat the beans and add your favorite seasoning, salt, pepper, herbs, powdered cheese or ranch seasoning, and toss the beans to coat thoroughly. Put on a foil lined cookie sheet and roast in the oven until crispy.

[Sliceanddice]

you can try making diffent things like cheese bisquits to go with your salad, or a sweet potato to back in the microwave, or a regular potato I love to make stuffed pitas to eat later.

or you can always bring a thremos and have soups and stews.

[MaggieTheCat]

In case nobody has mentioned it (I just skimmed through the responses), there are those tuna lunch-on-the-go packs. I recently discovered them when I was looking for non-perishable food to bring to a 3 day anime convention. I got two different kinds: One had a can of tuna already mixed with a sauce (the one I got with a spicy Thai sauce...it was actually pretty good) and a package of crackers for eating the tuna on. The other one was a can of tuna with no sauce, a packet of mayo, some relish, a packet of crackers, a cup of peaches, and a cookie. A whole lunch in one little box! I think they still make those lunchable things, too, that have cheese, crackers, and lunch meat in a little box. That'd have to be kept chilled until you're ready to eat, though.

Other things I brought to the con with me: Granola bars, cracker sandwich packs (they come in packs of 6 cracker sandwiches, with either peanut butter or cheese between the crackers), jerky, peanuts, fruit cups, chips. I also had string cheese, but since we had NO place to refrigerate anything for 3 days I didn't bring it. It would be fine for half a day in a backpack or lunch bag, though. I've also done yogurt cups, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit/veggies, and various sandwiches when we bring a cooler.

Another thing I did (but ended up not bringing with me due to no refrigeration) was English muffin mini pizzas. Take an English muffin (or 6...), toast it lightly in a toaster. Lay out on a baking sheet, top with pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Bake for about 10 minutes, till the cheese is melted. Heats up easily in a microwave, and the English muffin crust stays relatively crunchy. Most toppings would stay at room temp for half a day till you get a chance to eat it.

[Jester]

One thing I forgot to mention is Carnation Instant Breakfasts. They are awesome, not to mention quick. Been drinking them since I was 16, broke my jaw, and had it wired shut for a month.

They come in a variety of flavors, including strawberry, chocolate, chocolate malt, and my favorite, french vanilla. They also come in a variety box if you can't decide. Just tear open the envelope, mix with a glass of milk, and drink up!

Of course, you need to have either refrigeration to keep the milk you'll bring with you, or at the very least somewhere nearby that sells milk. Easy, quick, cheap lunch on the go!

English muffin mini pizzas

For an interesting twist, do the same thing with bagels. Bagel pizzas are awesome!

[Frantic Freddie]

One of my favorite easy lunches is carne adovada burritos,in fact I've got a few in the freezer right now.Carne adovada is ridiculously easy to make if you can get New Mexico red chile powder or sauce,make the sauce with the powder,cut up a 2 lb lean pork roast,put it in the slow cooker & cover with sauce & cook for 10-12 hours on High 'til the meat's fallin' apart.Put in flour tortilla along with some shredded cheddar or jack cheese,wrap in plastic,freeze then nuke it up.

If they're thawed but not hot I'll take 'em when we go fishing,wrapped in foil & put on the dashboard for 3-4 hours,gets 'em just hot enough

[Aramika]

Here [/URL]is a recipe for a basic savoury muffin. Bacon makes EVERYTHING better. And here's a list. Do with it what you will

Bacon muffins? *drools* I must make these NOW.

[ArcticChicken]

Bacon muffins? *drools* I must make these NOW.

Yeah, those are on my list for saturday.

[boringscreenname]

I pack my lunch every day for work. I usually buy a bunch of those Banquet frozen dinners for 97 cents each, but if you don't have a way to keep them cool, those probably wouldn't work.

I also buy ComplEats, which is a small dinner. You don't need to keep it refrigerated, just open it and throw it in the microwave. They have stuff like Pot Roast, Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, etc... It's not as good as homemade, but it works and they only cost $2.

I also buy those Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers. You basically get a cup or two of rice or pasta, then you add water, microwave it, drain the water, and add in the flavor, meat and veggie stuff they give you. They usually cost around $3. Or if all else fails I just buy some Easy Mac and eat it at work.

As far as side items go, I go take yogurt, applesauce, fruit cups, jello, or pudding. I also take cracker sandwich packs, they come with 6 and have cheese or peanut butter in the middle, cereal bars, granola bars, and some type of cheap fruit like apples, oranges or bananas.

I take my own lunch every day to work and it never costs me more than $20 for two week's worth of lunches.

[ShadowBall]

Hehe, you can eat what I eat. Two green tea/Hoodia pills (hunger suppressant) and a can of Monster/Venom/other energy drink. I bet I confound the hell out of my co-workers - the little size-0 folks are chowing down all day long and my 200+ pound ass eats nothing until dinner.

I'm a sugar fiend, so when I'm feeling up for lunch, I like one of those cereal bars. My favorite has to be the ones made with Golden Grahams, chocolate and marshmallows.

If you've a refrigerator, why not make a fruit smoothie and store it there? I make mine with about a cup of yogurt, a little unsweetened apple juice (maybe 1/4 cup) and 1/2 cup each of any fruits you want. Strain out the seeds with one of those little handled things you use to pat powdered sugar and cocoa onto confections. Very, very filling and good for you.