Tasty lunch ideas?

[BobMc]

I’ve eaten fast food for lunch 5 days a week for the last 35 years. I’ve had a pretty good variety available to me for the last 14 years, every national and local chain and one offs to be had within a few miles of work.

March 16th I got my usual Monday Wendy’s, the lady handed me my drink with her hand sprawled across the top of it. I was done, that was the last time I’ve left the building for lunch. I’ve adjusted and am not quite as paranoid about the whole touching thing, but I still keep my interactions with people to a minimum. We order curbside pickup from a restaurant one night every weekend just to give us something different, one of us goes and brings back for all.

I’ve been bringing my lunch to work ever since. I’ve mostly been doing the microwave stouffers or what not meals, alternating with ham/turkey/swiss on healthy ass bread (which I’ve been surprised I like), and prepackaged salads. My garden is doing well enough I’ll be able to make my own salads soon.

My selections are starting to get a little stale after three months, what am I missing? What are your lunch go-to’s?

[Mazderati]

Last night's leftovers. easybutton.jpg

[east or bust]

^What he said. Usually make 2 larger portioned meals a week that serve as lunch the following 2 days. Fill in with pb sammies (no jelly) when necessary.

It ain’t pretty

[Rideski]

[Jong Lafitte]

Well, if you’re microwaving stuff at work, then the answer is clearly fish. Heat that shit up so hot people be smelling it for days. Fuck em.

Is there a bag of pistachios so large that it cannot be eaten in one sitting? Didn’t think so.


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[shafty85]

First off, congrats on moving off the fast food - I suspect you have noticed some big health improvements.

The leftovers mentioned above are a good idea. But, stop making the premade food. Start making your own stuff from scratch - it is MUCH better tasting and better for you.

Salads are incredibly easy to make from scratch. Lettuce, tomato, avocado, peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms, cilantro, celery, radishes, spinach. Chop whatever you like up, throw in a bowl. Done. So much variety you can add/subtract and completely change the salad. Dressings are the same. Don’t but from the store. Olive oil + balsamic vinegar. Boom. Cut out the preservatives and make the ratio suit your tastes. Mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar (balsamic,l or red wine are common) for a creamy dressing. Again - ratio to your liking.

Sammiches - easy way to create variety is adding different cheeses and vegetables. Grill up some peppers and onions, add to some roast beef with hot mustard. Boom. Buy good quality meat from a butcher - don’t get the cheap stuff from the box store.

Buy some cookbooks focused on quick, easy, healthy meals. You’ll enjoy them so much more. We like Jamie Oliver, cooks illustrated magazine is awesome, joy of cooking - so many options out there. Start with the basics and work your way up. A good, home cooked meal can be whipped up in 30min and taste SO much better. Don’t buy things like pasta sauce - too easy to make.


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[old goat]

The key to a good sandwich is the bread. If you use good bread from a local bakery or bake your own anything you put in the middle will be fine. If you put a bahn mi in the middle it will be better than fine but you don't sound industrious enough for that. Neither am I. I get mine from Juno's when I'm in Sacramento.

[evdog]

Do you have places nearby that are better than fast food? In the good old days when I used to work out of the office, had an awesome taco shop and sandwich shop right across the street. And good sushi and thai places a 5min drive away. Unless you only order off the dollar menu fast food isn't that cheap these days. Why not spend a couple bucks more and get food that is actually decent, and give your business to local small business owners rather than national chains?

If bringing food from home (and now working from home) I often do the leftovers thing. Last weekend I cooked up a hudge batch of mixings for breakfast burritos - sausage, egg, bacon, potatos and will have that for a day or two more. For lunch. Lasagna, tuna casserole, all sorts of things are will be good for a number of days meals. Often I'll have fruit for breakfast and then typical breakfast for lunch - cereal, oatmeal, etc. Tons of ways to switch it up. I have a ton of awesome restaurants near where I live so I'll do that for lunch a couple times a week.

[Beaver]

Leftovers. If not enough leftovers, a quesadilla with leftovers in it. A pice of friut or two, a couple handfulls of unsalted almonds. That is usually my lunch.

And ya, there is a bag of pistachios too large for one sitting. Costco size.

[Skidog]

Leftovers. If not enough leftovers, a quesadilla with leftovers in it. A pice of friut or two, a couple handfulls of unsalted almonds. That is usually my lunch.

And ya, there is a bag of pistachios too large for one sitting. Costco size.

I'd agree, but the Costco sized is only 2 sittings at best. If you get the shelled ones 1.5 days. Thems are delicious nuts.

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[huckbucket]

"I’ve eaten fast food for lunch 5 days a week for the last 35 years."

I stopped reading there. Holy crap.

[glademaster]

Just skip it altogether. I've never been able to take a break to eat a meal in the middle of the day without my productivity/focus/energy taking a hit. I prefer to eat a big breakfast and then plow through the workday and afternoon workout on that.

[Timberridge]

Forget these pedestrian suggestions. Before the Covid hit we used to go to Cipriani's for the poached Chilean sea bass and a vodka martini. It's on the lighter side and won't weigh you down.

[ill-advised strategy]

Snausages!

[irul&ublo]

"I’ve eaten fast food for lunch 5 days a week for the last 35 years."

I stopped reading there. Holy crap.

[bagtagley]

I've eaten a big ass salad for lunch almost every day for the past several years. Basically lettuce and veggies with last night's leftovers as the protein/accoutrements and an oil/fat heavy homemade dressing for extra calories. Doubling dinner for everybody's lunches requires a bigger pan, but relatively little extra effort.

[ötzi]

Bake a few boneless chicken breasts with a little olive oil and salt and pepper on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes at 350. Let them cool, put them whole into a tupperware or whatever and keep in the fridge. Now you can make chicken salad, chicken sandwiches, a quesadilla, a salad with chicken, etc. Dead easy and simple to clean up.

The next week do the same thing with a small round roast like 2 pounds max, put it in a 500 oven for about 10 minutes to brown a little, turn the oven down to 300 (or off if it's on the small side) and let it roast for a few minutes. Check the temp with a meat thermometer and either take it out of give it a few minutes. Nothing to it and you can do a lot with it.

I don't dig egg salad but hard boiled eggs are versatile too.

[old goat]

I've eaten a big ass salad for lunch almost every day for the past several years. Basically lettuce and veggies with last night's leftovers as the protein/accoutrements and an oil/fat heavy homemade dressing for extra calories. Doubling dinner for everybody's lunches requires a bigger pan, but relatively little extra effort.

He can't eat fast food for lunch for 35 years and go directly to salad. His system will not tolerate it. He might even die. He has to work up to it. Start with a ham sandwich with a piece of lettuce. Once he can tolerate the lettuce--might take a week or two--add a slice of tomato. Then maybe a slice of avocado. After a couple of months might be able to eliminate the bread, then the meat. And there you have it--salad.

Personally I'd rather buy lunch. I don't mind not going out for dinner. It's all my favorite lunch places I miss during the Covid.

[Buster Highmen]

Smoked salmon, basil, shallot sandwiches.
Speck, mayo and iceberg lettuce sandwiches.
Phad thai rice noodles with smoked salmon or prosciutto or tomatoes and peas and dill or thyme.
Toasted turkey and manchego cheese sandwiches with dill or thyme.
Salads with meat or shrimp or egg a la France.
Leverage the garden with sn00ty meats.

[huckbucket]

He can't eat fast food for lunch for 35 years and go directly to salad. His system will not tolerate it. He might even die.

Wait .... what?

[::: :::]

[ötzi]

Wait .... what?

He's a doctor, he knows things.

[exsparky]

This thread does not deliver.

That was a pun, get it?

[SB]

Country ham sammitch

[seano732]

Salads FTW....