My office is a pain in the ass. Our kitchen is the same room as the conference room, which means that if there's a meeting, you can't go in to heat up your lunch (well, no one has ever told me I can't, but everyone in the whole room turns around and gives you the death stare). I'm getting sick of this, and want to start bringing cold lunches so I don't have to worry about it at all.
What are your favorite packable cold lunches? All I can really think of is salad, sandwich, pasta salad, and fruits/veggies. Just hoping for recs or inspiration :)
-- Edited by Kelly on Tuesday 13th of April 2010 02:23:41 PM
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Fashion is art you live your life in. - Devil Wears Prada | formerly ttara123
well, you're certainly more limited in what you can eat if you can't heat it up, but I don't think it's too much of a problem. Maybe dip and veggies or pita chips? Hummus? Yogurt w or w/out granola mixed in? Fruit salad? Some foods can be eaten cold too for example: quiche. Also, roll-em-ups with lettuce on the outside, cheese and turkey, or a wrap. HTH
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"I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn't itch." - G. Radner
A typical lunch for me is whole wheat pita with hummus (been getting Basha roasted pepper hummus at costco lately -- yum!) with tabbouleh on top. I will also top the hummus with sliced green olives, or simply a sprinkle of paprika on plain hummus.
Apples and peanut butter... celery and peanut butter or hummus... I've really been liking the skippy natural peanut butter lately...
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"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." ~ Edna Woolman Chase
I find if something is really delicious, it's delicious whether I heat it up or not. One day this week I brought leftover blanched kale dressed with truffle oil and leftover mashed potatoes for lunch. I forgot to put it in the fridge so it was room temperature when I ate it, and it was still damn good.
Certain soups are really good cold - gazpacho comes to mind or minted soups like pea or cucumber.
I think you can totally turn 'salad' and 'pasta' on their heads to get a more exciting lunch - it doesn't have to be a totally new type of dish necessarily. I was thinking soba noodles w/ a peanut dressing and some veggies, tofu, etc. Or for salad, you could roast a diced delicata squash, mix it with some white beans and finely shredded kale, and drizzle it with some balsamic and honey. That one could be eated with some bread, or brown rice, or some cold grilled chicken if you were so inclined.
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To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ~ {Ralph Waldo Emerson}
People have elected recently to use our lunch room as a meeting room without (1) securing permission, and (2) without posting signs that alert others about their intentions. I walk in to make my lunch, and they look at me like I just entered the executive conference chambers at Ernst & Young or something. I'm like, bite me. It's a party-planning committee meeting with a budget of about twenty bucks. Pisses me off...
Yeah -- not too many categories to choose from.
I did a quick epicurious search on chilled + lunch + salads
- I think this category is your best bet for variety.
I attached a word doc with screenshots of the epicurious results. I guess if there is a recipe title that sounds promising, you can look it up.
You can keep crackers on-hand to break up that cold salad texture.
a whole wheat flour tortilla, spread with hummus, fill with 3-4 slices of fat free ham. Add some sliced onions and arugula (optional). Top with a little pomegranite sauce or balsamic vinegar if you don't have pom. sauce (or you can skip this step all together). Roll up and eat. Serve with a side of fruit (I like sliced apple sprinkled with cinnamon) and pretzels dipped in hummus. For dessert I usually eat a chex mix turtle bar. Hope that helps!
One of my faves is turkey breast from the deli (sliced thick), turkey bacon and avocado. I roll a slice of turkey, 1/2 pc bacon and a thin slice of the avocado and eat just like that. The flavors are so yummy.
One of my faves is turkey breast from the deli (sliced thick), turkey bacon and avocado. I roll a slice of turkey, 1/2 pc bacon and a thin slice of the avocado and eat just like that. The flavors are so yummy.
I like a whole wheat tortilla, spread with tapanade and topped with sliced avocado and some red peppers (either roasted or fresh). It is also good with some hummus or laughing cow cheese added in.
Also, red grapes sprinkled with blue cheese
Veggies and hummus with a few pita triangles or pita chips tossed in too.
Do you have a place to get hot water in your office? It's not the healthiest meal, but there are instant soup cups that could be awesome if you use it as part of your total meal. I take a ham and cheese sandwhich on French bread and use some instant broth powder in a little cup with hot water. Our office has a hot and cold water thing for tea, so it works really well.
So this week I've basically been having an mini antipasto platter for snack - and it's been awesome! I've had cucumber slices, red peppers slices, kalamata olives, baby bell cheese and some peanuts. It's been great. I think I'll add a bit more to it, and make it a regular lunch.
I like a whole wheat tortilla, spread with tapanade and topped with sliced avocado and some red peppers (either roasted or fresh). It is also good with some hummus or laughing cow cheese added in.
Also, red grapes sprinkled with blue cheese
Veggies and hummus with a few pita triangles or pita chips tossed in too.
Chips and salsa
Greek pasta salad
Yeah, you can do a lot with wheat tortillas. I usually get some at Trader Joe's and I mix things up. My favorite is pesto, romaine lettuce, cheese and salami. It's so good and I always want more!