Taking my lunch

[Blonde Granny]

I take my lunch the 3 days per week I'm at the VA.  Even though they provide us with lunch, I refuse to eat mystery items.  So, I remembered an idea I saw from a long time ago and searched for it today.  Salads in a jar is a great way to fix your lunch for 5 days in advance and just grab the jar on the way out the door.  I've got a couple of mason jars so plan on trying a few of the ideas just for something different.

Here is the link to ideas:  hurrythefoodup.com/how-to-pack-a-salad-in-a-jar/

[Shooby]

I love taking salads for lunch.

[Shooby]

Putting the dressing in the bottom makes good sense! I make my own ranch, never buy the bottled stuff.

[thyme4change]

Nov 7, 2017 20:00:21 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Putting the dressing in the bottom makes good sense! I make my own ranch, never buy the bottled stuff.

I hate bottled dressing.

The other thing I do with a mason jar is make homemade cup-o-noodles. It works if you have access to hot water. You can Google instructions.

[dannylion]

Bento lunches.

Amazon has some good books on assembling bento lunches. I just bought Effortless Bento, with many recipes that look to be within my skill level. I take my lunch on the days I volunteer in the ER. The ER and one whole end of the hospital is under construction, so the ER break room has been reduced in size and refrigerator space is limited. Bento are intended to be held at room temperature and then eaten at room temperature, so that will be useful. 

I am currently teaching myself to make Japanese rolled omelets.  It's not as easy as the YouTube videos make it look.  However, judging by the program specifically about bento lunches that I watch every week on the Japanese channel, omelet pinwheels and omelet noodles, both of which are sliced from rolled omelets, are essential elements in any bento lunch.  So I persevere.   

Next I will learn to make the triangular rice cakes that are apparently also a staple of the bento lunch. 

Bento lunches are fun.  And you can buy cute little bento boxes to put them in.   

[ZaireinHD]

I have tried taking my lunch a few times to work. but usually my lunch seems to miss the car pool ride to work on the kitchen table! LOL

and it is better often this way because. I have something to eat soon as I get home.

but it's better to just go in the office kitchen frig and look for someone frozen food that has been left behind for more than a week. it's free!

   

[Tiny]

Dec 4, 2017 20:12:20 GMT -5 dannylion said:

Bento lunches.

Amazon has some good books on assembling bento lunches. I just bought Effortless Bento, with many recipes that look to be within my skill level. I take my lunch on the days I volunteer in the ER. The ER and one whole end of the hospital is under construction, so the ER break room has been reduced in size and refrigerator space is limited. Bento are intended to be held at room temperature and then eaten at room temperature, so that will be useful. 

I am currently teaching myself to make Japanese rolled omelets.  It's not as easy as the YouTube videos make it look.  However, judging by the program specifically about bento lunches that I watch every week on the Japanese channel, omelet pinwheels and omelet noodles, both of which are sliced from rolled omelets, are essential elements in any bento lunch.  So I persevere.   

Next I will learn to make the triangular rice cakes that are apparently also a staple of the bento lunch. 

Bento lunches are fun.  And you can buy cute little bento boxes to put them in.   

You are my hero.  I would love to create a more traditional bento lunch... but I just haven't gotten there yet.   I have several "everyday"  bento boxes (ordered from Japan).  And I do use them - just not with traditional Japanese food.     A friend also brought me a kawaii! bento box after a business trip to Japan.  The thing I love about the boxes is the portion control.   American anything is ginormous.   

I really want an egg press... that's the next thing I'm buying!

[Tiny]

I did not use a bento box - but I did pack a kale, lentil, mandarin orange, green onion and baby beet salad for lunch everyday this week. I haven't really mastered the art of creating 5 different single portion salads (or anything else for that matter) so when something makes 4 servings - I have 4 lunches.   I use 2 cup Tupperware bowls (they were a set of 4).   I know plastic is bad... but, hey, I'm already doing a number on my body with all the artificial sweetner I've consumed over the last 30 plus year...

[dannylion]

Dec 27, 2017 16:57:08 GMT -5 Tiny said:

I did not use a bento box - but I did pack a kale, lentil, mandarin orange, green onion and baby beet salad for lunch everyday this week. I haven't really mastered the art of creating 5 different single portion salads (or anything else for that matter) so when something makes 4 servings - I have 4 lunches.   I use 2 cup Tupperware bowls (they were a set of 4).   I know plastic is bad... but, hey, I'm already doing a number on my body with all the artificial sweetner I've consumed over the last 30 plus year...

Get some silicone cupcake liners (Amazon and eBay have lots of options) to hold small portions of different items in your containers. Instant bento box! They come in pretty colors and different shapes and sizes, so they make your lunch look fancy and festive.

I'm getting better at the rolled omelet. It's still a tad flat where it should be round, but I'm getting it nicely compact, so progress is being made.  I got one of the special rolled-omelet-making pans, so that was fun. It's purple. 

[Blonde Granny]

I make a romaine lettuce salad 3 days per week: radishes, boiled egg, walnuts, baby carrots, green or red peppers, sometime a couple of olives, grapes cut in half, feta or blue chees crumbles, sunflower seeds, salad toppings. I measure the salad dressing using 2 T.

once in a while I’ll have premade cranberry pecan chicken salad in one section of my container, hard boiled egg in one, grapes in another and a baby Bell cheese.

I don’t like to cook so this is as close to cooking for lunch as i can get.