Yummy and healthy lunches to have on the go?

Hello all,

I have just started my masters program and I will be starting a new job on Friday, so rather than making whatever I feel like at home for lunches I need to buy/make snacks and lunches to bring with me every day. I've been thinking of making assorted wrap style things with chicken or steak but I was just wondering what everyone else brings! I would like to eat healthily but any suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Wraps can have more calories and carbs than regular bread (depending on size of bread and type of either wrap or bread), and you can generally stuff more crap in them than even between two slices of bread.  Plus, they are usually made out of white flour.  I like the taste of them, but I never got why so many people thought they were healthy.  Maybe because you tend to eat one of them as opposed to two slices of bread.

I make my husband's lunches.  I usually either pack him a container of leftovers from the night before.  I usually make extra to make sure there's some for him to take.  Fruit is pretty portable, and he eats about a piece a day or a serving of smaller fruits/berries.  He's been on a junk food kick the past year or so, but I used to pack him plain yoghurt which I sweetened myself with fruit or berries in it, raw veg sticks and humus, cheese snacks, meat slices wrapped in lettuce and a cheese slice, stuffed tomatoes (stuffed with the tomatoes insides mixed with cottage cheese and mayo), nuts, etc. He even had at one time started preferring things like Finn Crisp rye cracker breads over regular.  He's really picky though and his pickiness lead me to adopt my present strategy.

Cheese sandwiches get pretty boring pretty fast. I normally have a salad-bar salad from work (about $3 depending on how much I take) Otherwise I've discovered a quick lunch from home: small container of plain/vanilla Greek yogurt plus some frozen berries tossed in a storage bowl with lid. By lunchtime the berries have defrosted and I mix in the yogurt and it tastes almost like strawberry shortcake! Might toss some flaked almonds on as well.
Another sandwich alternative is take an apple (Granny Smith is good) and a container of cottage cheese and some chopped up walnuts. Chop up the apple at lunchtime and add the other stuff.
Take some carrot sticks and/or celery for your veggie food group. Obviously, you can add crisp bread, granola bars or whatever according to how hungry you get.

Hi there,

Congrats on the new job! And good luck tomorrow! I'm so excited for you.

Like Legs Akimbo, I mostly pack leftover dinner as lunch the next day. But for some healthy lunch ideas, I usually make whole grain salads with ingredients like chickpea, quinoa, brown rice pasta, spelt pasta, etc and toss them with sautéed vegetables and a bit of cheese for added flavor/texture. For extra protein, add some chicken, fish, egg, or tofu. Think deli display cases at Whole Foods. Unless you use mayo or dairy-based dressings, these kinds of salads keep pretty well at room temperature too.

Like Legs Akimbo, I mostly pack leftover dinner as lunch the next day. But for some healthy lunch ideas, I usually make whole grain salads with ingredients like chickpea, quinoa, brown rice pasta, spelt pasta, etc and toss them with sautéed vegetables and a bit of cheese for added flavor/texture. For extra protein, add some chicken, fish, egg, or tofu. Think deli display cases at Whole Foods. Unless you use mayo or dairy-based dressings, these kinds of salads keep pretty well at room temperature too.

This! That's my favorite kind of lunch.

I also buy salad ingredients - whatever I'm in the mood for that week: lettuce, cucumber, beetroot, fresh herbs, carrots, olives - and keep them in the fridge at work and just make a salad every day. I always change up what goes in the salad, and sometimes I have meat or cheese as well as veggies, different dressings, etc. so it doesn't really get too boring. Works out really cheap for the week, too.

Congratulations on your new job! Wishing you luck.

I also buy salad ingredients - whatever I'm in the mood for that week: lettuce, cucumber, beetroot, fresh herbs, carrots, olives - and keep them in the fridge at work and just make a salad every day. I always change up what goes in the salad, and sometimes I have meat or cheese as well as veggies, different dressings, etc. so it doesn't really get too boring. Works out really cheap for the week, too.

My coworkers and I used to do this at an old job. We'd all go to the store (usually 1-2x/week) and pick up salad fixings (always the basics, sometimes something extra/fancy like avocado). We'd usually get an add-on as well - bread, cold cuts (for them), sometimes soup. Every day we'd fix a fresh salad with fresh ingredients, and (if we had it) add in the extra side item. It worked out to less than £10/week that each of us chipped in to the pot, so pretty cheap for 5 meals, especially healthy ones.

I hope my next job/office has a real fridge/kitchen, as here I have access to hot water, and that's it. No more fresh salads for me.

I too am a leftovers for lunch person. 

Get yourself a thermos and/or bento tins that keep things hot and you can have anything without a microwave- heat up in the morning add to the thermos/bento tin - will usually keep nice and warm until lunchtime. 

Thanks so much these are all great suggestions!! I always have issues trying to do leftovers for lunch because it seems that whenever i try to make extra my boyfriend will go for seconds rather than saving it for the next day! I swear he's never full! Haha i think im giing to prepare salads ahead of time and bring them to work-i had my first day friday and was pleasantly surprised to see fridges, freezers, and microwaves! I just need to figure out a way to bring my vinagrette with me without it making my salad all soggy!

Thanks so much these are all great suggestions!! I always have issues trying to do leftovers for lunch because it seems that whenever i try to make extra my boyfriend will go for seconds rather than saving it for the next day! I swear he's never full! Haha i think im giing to prepare salads ahead of time and bring them to work-i had my first day friday and was pleasantly surprised to see fridges, freezers, and microwaves! I just need to figure out a way to bring my vinagrette with me without it making my salad all soggy!

That's tough! My mom always had little containers to bring it in, but for some reason I don't have any. I never even think to look when I'm in the store, so it's my fault. Keep meaning to mix up a vinegarette and put it in a used vinegar bottle and just leave it at work. I hope you're more proactive than I am!

These work great!

Ohmygoodness so cute!!! Im ordering them now!! Haha thanks!

I too am a leftovers for lunch person. 

Get yourself a thermos and/or bento tins that keep things hot and you can have anything without a microwave- heat up in the morning add to the thermos/bento tin - will usually keep nice and warm until lunchtime. 

I have two bento boxeshttp://images.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=588&q=bento+box&gbv=2&oq=bento+box&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1536l2816l0l4833l9l9l0l0l0l0l205l1307l1.6.2l9l0, but that one looks far more practical for hot foods.

Of course, I am still looking for a job so I have a need to pack a lunch.

I usually portion out lunch for the next day as I am serving up dinner. I am less likely to dip into my lunch than a pot on the stove calling out for seconds.

Most days I don't refrigerate or microwave after I pull it out of the fridge in the morning. Whole grain bases and veggies are good for this so are green salads. I make homemade dressings and keep them in empty spice containers to drizzle on at lunchtime.