Lunch ideas

brianthebard

Hi all, I'm looking for ideas of what to bring with me to college as a second lunch/cold replacement for a dinner (no access to microwave or anything). Currently buying rolls but they aren't healthy or cheap. Don't fancy eggs because I generally have 3 or 4 for breakfast. I bring sandwiches and a protein shake every day, and sometimes salad, with some steamed meatballs for instance, but just looking for something a little different to salad or sandwiches. Also just to be awkward, I don't like soup. Soz! So any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

GirlInterrupted

Pieces of tandoori chicken.
Wholegrain pitta stuffed with salad, taramasalata and cooked meat like chicken or turkey pieces.
Pasta salads in tupperware with pine nuts, olive oil and whole olives.
Cold grilled polenta, slices of hard boiled egg, and segments of mandarin orange.
Cold french toast with sliced cheddar.
Pasta, cheese, and bacon, mixed with a light white sauce.
Tossed leaves with three cheeses and olives.
Tomatoes stuffed with couscous and capers.
Stuffed peppers with rice and vegetables.
Seven grain bread lightly brushed with extra virgin olive oil and sandwiched with mixed leaves and mozzarella.
Procuitto and melon (balled or sliced and skin discarded), with rye bread on the side.
Cold gnocchi in passatta.
Meatballs steamed in spinach leaves and served in ciabatta.

For a start...!

Dizzyblonde

Pasta salad - cook pasta shapes (spirals are great), drain and run under cold water to cool. Mix in a spoonful of pesto and a dash of olive oil. Add chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions or onions. Bring tuna and mayo, or ham, chicken etc separately and mix in before eating.

Latchy

A few more ....

Peanut butter /Tahnni on wholemeal bread
Pumpkin seeds ( for snacking )
Tuna mayonaise with salad on rolls

PrettyInPunk

I find wraps and pittas always a good alternative to sandwiches. If your a fish eater, salmon wraps are delish, just cook a salmon fillet the night before and make up your wrap, add whatever vegtables take your fancy. It will taste as good the next day, just wrap it up.

Pittas are also lovely, just be careful what you fill them with, i made a packed lunch for a plane once and put raw red onions in my pitta, needless to say when i opened the tinfoil the people surrounding me were gagging with the smell.

Are their any kind of hot dishes you can eat cold? For instance i like cold lasange, and also cold chicken and rice and bring them in a lunch box for lunch sometimes.

Also you could make up your own fruit salad at home and bring it in.

Sparks

Bejaysus, I got through four years of Engineering with the hang sandwich every day...



Try a salad of rice, pearl barley, beans (pinto/black/broad/etc), shredded carrots, chickpeas and toasted black mustard seeds, and take a small bottle of vinagrette and don't mix until before you eat.

Sparks

Oh, and swing by TK Max's kitchen section. They often have wide-mouth thermos flasks there for minestrone and other hot soupy things; just heat them in the morning, pour them into the flask and take with you along with some bread rolls. The flasks I saw the last few times were going for between €5 and €10.

rubadub

+1 on the flasks. Any saucy thing can be put in them, spag bol, curry etc. Best to preheat it in the morning with boiling water, then microwave up your stuff until it is boiling hot and stick it in. Even hotdogs in boiling water in the flask.

Piko

How long do those wide mouth thermos flasks keep food warm/hot for? I've started evening classes and have no time to eat anything substanstial between leaving work and starting class so I'll be eating during the break in class which won't be until 8. I can fill the flask during lunch around 1.30 so that's 6 1/2 hrs... too long? does it depend on what i throw in it?

murphym7

Pot noodle, white bread butter'd. Easy, glad I could help!:)

Sparks

Well, it works - I'm not even slightly hungry after reading that

Edgedinblue

any type of stirfry always got me through college, quick to make and taste good cold.

chicken mulligatawny is nice cold too, you can make it thick with more lentils/potatoes so its not soupy and it goes well with pita bread.

you could always make your own kebab of sorts with pita bread, salad, meat of your choice and chilli sauce mixed with mayo.

or you could just make double of whatever you have for dinner the day before!