Lunch Recipes/Ideas

[arglooblaha]

So...

 

Starting my second year of grad school.  Still haven't figured out enough go-to lunches to bring to campus.  I got the obvious, pb&j, leftovers, a hearty salad, a sandwich, but there has to be some other ideas out there.

 

What kind of things do you bring to school to snack/eat lunch?  Or even, dinner, breakfast, yet-to-be-named meals.  I'm not a picky eater, but I do get bored with the stuff i'm bringing and then I get lazy and end up spending a lot buying food on campus (and my campus doesn't have the greatest options).

 

Any suggestions?

[perpetuavix]

I usually make a few extra servings of whatever I make for dinner and freeze them in tupperware. That way, I'm not eating leftovers of the same thing for a few days. If I make extra servings for about a week, I have weekday lunches for most of the next month. I've found most things I make freeze just fine, as long as it's not crispy/crunchy/fried. The things I mostly make: stir fry, curry,, enchiladas, soup, chili, stew, lasagna, stuffed shells, and mac and cheese. You can find recipes for any of these by just googling "easy [food name]". In the morning, I grab a container out of the freezer and stick it in my lunch box, and it keeps whatever else I bring cool and is thawed out enough to microwave by the afternoon. 

For snacks, I used to have trail mix and packets of instant oatmeal in my desk. Trail mix requires no prep, and oatmeal can be made in the microwave easily in a mug. I buy Quaker's, and the packet doubles as a measuring cup, so it's really simple. 

[ProfMoriarty]

Check out http://www.channel4.com/programmes/jamies-15-minute-meals

[Monochrome Spring]

I make bulk rice and add vegetables/protein. It's a great go to because it goes well with so many sides. In middle school, I got the precooked and shredded chicken from costco and teriyaki sauce for most of my lunches.

[St Andrews Lynx]

Couscous and quinoa are great light lunch foods - add some roasted veg or make it into a salad, then season with some spices.

 

Soups are awesome, too.  

[rising_star]

I survived on pasta salad for lunches for at least a year of grad school. I'd cook a box of whole wheat pasta on Sunday and put it in the fridge. Then, during the week, I'd take the pasta, add frozen veggies (the mixed veg mix was typical for me), beans (usually kidney beans or black beans), and dressing (storebought Italian or homemade vinaigrette). Since you can change the beans, vegetables, and dressing, you can get some good variety in there. I also would swap out the pasta for couscous or quinoa sometimes.

 

I also second (third?) the idea of making extras of dinner and taking that for lunch, since that's another thing I do. A lot of what you can bring depends on the facilities you have to work with. In grad school, we always had a microwave and fridge so you could definitely heat up things, which increases your options. Because, for example, leftover baked ziti is much better if you can warm it up.

[bakalamba]

A friend gave me Korean soup packets before I left. They're intended to make Sundubu, spicy tofu soup, and essentially are seasoning packets with separate chili oil to add later on. Add a block of tofu, an egg, and whatever I have in my fridge in the way of meats, vegetables, or fish.

 

I basically did the same thing with instant ramen: save the noodles or keep them in, and add extra spice, meats, or produce. If you live in a college town, or anywhere, you can get these for really cheap from a grocery store or, better yet, an Asian supermarket.

 

Big salads are great: you can buy the greens for cheap and throw egg, meat, bacon, beans, or whatever in for protein. I guess you can buy generic salad dressing, but I prefer a dash of vinagrette and olive oil, and maybe some fresh parmesan. Makes a great lunch because leaves can be stuffed into a small container, and you won't have to worry about a microwave.

[adela]

I'm pretty fond of snacks like protein bars, bananas, grapes or fruit I can stick in a plastic container.  Even yogurt or cottage cheese thingies if it's not hot out, and would be more for when I get there rather than after I've been there for a while. Or if you have a fridge to use. 

 

[biisis]

You can also bake, proportion, and freeze slices of banana bread or 'healthy cookies' in small ziplock bags. I'll grab one or two when I'm heading out the door and I know that it will be a long day, or if I suspect that what I've scrounged up for lunch will be insufficient.

 

My other suggestion would be to invest in really excellent containers for carrying your food. If you can toss something like soup into your bag without fear of it spilling, your options increase tenfold.

[RunnerGrad]

Food - one of my favourite topics!  I am in nutrition/dietetics after all!

 

One thing I would recommend for everyone:  make sure you combine a protein source with a carbohydrate source at each meal and snack.  That will help to prevent blood sugar highs and lows, and provide you with longer-lasting energy.

 

For snacks I like to combine yogourt with fruit (unsweetened yogourt to avoid excess sugar), apples with natural peanut butter (again, with no added sugar), vegetables with hummus, homemade protein/energy balls or bars (that way I can control what's in them and can limit the amount of sugar and processed ingredients), homemade protein smoothies that I put in an insulated thermos (frozen berries, whey protein, skim milk blended together).

 

For lunches I do bring some leftovers (I basically cook a bunch of freezer-friendly meals once a month, since my husband and I commute to work/university an hour each way, so when we get home the last thing we want to do is cook).  I also like salads with local, organic cheese in them, or chunks of chicken breast.  Sandwiches made from 100% whole grain bread baked at a local bakery that uses all local and organic ingredients (I avoid grocery store bread at all costs) with either natural peanut butter or grilled meats (processed sandwich meats I avoid.  Homemade chili is great to warm up in a microwave, as are bean burritos made with whole wheat tortillas.

 

I have an insulated lunch bag that I use (again, I commute, so I need something to keep my food cold).  This one: http://www.fenigo.com/GoodbynRolltop.htm (in dark blue).

 

I also use quality containers that don't leak for my items: http://www.fenigo.com/SistemaKlipIt.htm

[RunnerGrad]

For those who want a recipe for their own energy/protein bars, here's a great "formula" to use, with examples: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/homemade-energy-bar-recipe/

 

Here are some ideas for smoothies too: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/the-perfect-smoothie-formula/ (I leave out the oil and the sweetener - the fruit is plenty sweet for me)

[maelia8]

To echo others here, I almost always cook enough for dinner to last me for two lunches on following days - I just portion it into to tupperware containers and voila, lunch. I make a lot of stir fry dishes and pasta bakes, as well as stews with lentils and veggies. 

[dstock]

easy snacks to bring: 

tub of hummus and small bag of baby carrots-5 servings (bring in Monday and lasts the whole week).  

1 piece of fruit per lunch: apples/banana whatever. 

string cheese

small serving of nuts

yogurt

 

I usually bring at least 2 of these per day.  I use these as a side dish for whatever leftovers I'm bringing- allows me to bring less of a "main dish" and lets the leftovers last for more days (= less cooking). 

[dat_nerd]

You can also bake, proportion, and freeze slices of banana bread or 'healthy cookies' in small ziplock bags. 

 

What is this "healthy cookie" you speak of, and how I find or make them?

[biisis]

What is this "healthy cookie" you speak of, and how I find or make them?

Healthy cookies are the lies we tell ourselves to get through the 3 o'clock energy lull. I add nuts and seeds to this recipe to keep up the ruse: http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-best-oatmeal-cookies-youll-ever.html

[reinhard]

Curry or gravy mix it with carboydrates. Hell, salsa + lentils if you must.

[juilletmercredi]

I currently live alone, and so what I do is cook two portions for dinner.  I eat one and bring the second one to lunch with me the next day.  That injects some variety in my lunch, as long as I'm not lazy and actually make dinner (I've been lazy this week so far).

 

If I don't cook, or make something that doesn't lend itself well to bringing lunch, sometimes I will make a salad.  Those are pretty quick and easy to make!

 

I like to try new things and I really like to cook, so what I do is use AllRecipes.com to find interesting recipes and save them to my account.  Then I try them out.  Over the course of the last 5-6 years I've collected a lot of spices and learned about what staples to keep in my kitchen, so I usually have all of the things I need to make whatever other than the meat.  I plan my meals for the week so I know exactly what I'm going to pick up when I go grocery shopping.  Each week I rotate in a few new recipes along with some standards, so that on days when I'm tired I can just default to autopilot.

 

Recipes are pretty much the only thing I still do in hard copy, because I want to pass down a recipe book to grandchildren.  I have a recipe binder and when I cook something I like, I print out the recipe and put it in the binder.  I note any modifications on the paper in pen ink (because I like the idea of my great-grandchildren looking at my scrawls when they try to follow my recipes.  Also because it's easier.)

 

Breakfast - muffins are really easy, and there are about a thousand different things you can do with muffins.  They are about to get really interesting because it's fall, and fall food is the BEST.  All sorts of pumpkin and apple spiced stuff.  You can also make quick bread - banana bread is really easy and you can easily cut the sugar so it's not so desserty.  I make myself omelets for breakfast - pick a few simple ingredients (mine are spinach, mushroom, feta.  Sometimes if I'm feeling less lazy I toss in some peppers or onions or something).  You can also get a waffle iron and use Bisquick to make waffles!  Without a waffle iron, you can still make pancakes.  Mmm.

 

I do those on the weekends, though.  During the week, I just make bagels, cereal, quick stuff.  I think one weekend (maybe this one) I'll make some scones and freeze them, then you can pop them in the oven and eat them before you leave.  You could also bake muffins ahead of time on the weekends and wrap them in plastic and then eat those in the morning before school.

 

Dinner...like I said, AllRecipes.com!  And all over the Internet!  I visit a whole bunch of different recipe sites.  My favorite dinner is glazed salmon because it's easy and yummy.  There are all kinds of things you can do with pasta and fish.  Pretty much anything you eat in a restaurant you can probably find a recipe on the Internet (the easy version and the OMG version).  Last week I made rosemary-garlic Cornish hens and stuffed cheese manicotti for the first time; they were delicious.

 

Also tip for the dinner: make your sides super easy, so you can focus your energy on the main dish.  I use Pillsbury biscuit canisters unless I really feel like making biscuits from scratch; I use instant mashed potatoes (they're actually really good) and the boxed scalloped potatoes (ditto).  Baked potatoes and frozen french fries are also really easy and have the potential to be tasty.  Frozen and canned vegetables are easy to make and are just as nutritious as fresh...and cheaper.  They also don't go bad, which is a real concern when you're living alone.  I eat a lot of canned green beans, corn, carrots, and frozen spinach.  I mix it up - sometimes I buy fresh if I know I'm going to use it.

 

I really like to cook.  One of the things I did with my free time during my dissertation phase, to keep myself from going crazy, is take a crack at baking.  I'm pretty good at it.  I wanted to take a cupcake class at one of the fancy New York cupcake bakeries, but I never got around to it.  (Just as well.  Making cupcakes is crazy easy.  I think what they teach you is the food science so you can invent new cupcake recipes.)

Edited September 4, 2014 by juilletmercredi

[Miro]

I used to bring my leftovers for lunch or eat sandwiches ( PBJ, banana, turkey meats etc) and then i realized that all those go really boring and were not proving all the nutrients that I needed. Also i was overeating on some days. So to avoid that, I do food prepping. 

 

Here is a sample video of what i made this week ( it is not my video)