Ideas for Lunches That Don't Need to Be Refrigerated
I often have to go straight to court in the morning, which can sometimes take hours (and hours, and hours...). The problem is that it is hard for me to take lunch on those days, because I am worried about it being out and not refrigerated. I have some canned/ boxed soup that I keep at my desk, but that gets old and boring pretty quick, so I often end up buying a salad, but that gets expensive!
Does anyone have any idea for good (healthy) lunches that don't have to be refrigerated (or that would be OK being out of the fridge for a few hours)? I'm not a big sandwich person.
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11 Comments:
What about hummus and pita and veggies? I pack my daughter's school lunch with a frozen waterbottle in it to keep her sandwiches cool - would this work for a salad as well if you had an insulated lunch bag? What about stuff in a thermos (soup, pasta, chili)? Lunches can be challenging, especially when you don't like sandwiches particularly - my daughter has just started eating them at age 9!
Maureen at 8:38AM on 01/23/09
Have you tried a Mr. Bento? I use mine a lot. It's a vacuum-insulated stainless steel bento set that keeps your food either warm or cold. It has 4 different containers that stack on top of each other and go into a thermos jar.
I'm not a sandwich person either, annd I got tired of spending so much money every day for lunch, so bought this. With it, you no longer have to worry about refrigerated, not refrigerated, as the point is moot and you can eat whatever the heck you want.
It's not cheap, but it's totally worth it. I use it 2 or 3 times a week and have done so for over a year.
chisai at 8:52AM on 01/23/09
Well, strombolis might be a nice thing. I'd go with one stuffed with spinach, and you could make mini ones for yourself, or bring a whole one and make some really good friends at work. Might be nice for a potluck too. Here's a tutorial from the Big Red Kitchen:
http://www.bigredkitchen.com/2009/01/stromboli-part-ii-how-to-tutorial.html
dhorst at 11:01AM on 01/23/09
Is this too obvious?? Bring your own salad!! If it just has veggies in it, you can leave it out till lunchtime. You could bring separate bottles of oil/vinegar and salt and pepper grinders and be all set.
akk328 at 12:52PM on 01/23/09
The Japanese have a long tradition of unrefrigerated boxed lunches: bento. There's a very active "Bento Boxes" group at flickr.com, where you can get a fairly painless education. You don't have to learn to cook Japanese food, either; the basic principles are readily adaptable to other cuisines.
Lunchinabox.net is a bento tutorial site by the mother of a small child, but the food is mostly not Japanese and could easily be scaled up. The lady is a foodie herself and like to keep preparation simple.
gentlyferal at 1:18PM on 01/23/09
A thermos of soup, spaghetti, etc. The thermos is the sandwich-hater's best friend. I'd have starved to death in elementary school without my thermos.
beth1 at 1:25PM on 01/23/09
fruit. nuts. cheese. crackers/bread/pita. hummus. insulated lunchbox.
joyyy at 3:44PM on 01/23/09
Laughing cow cheese, crackers, nuts, fruit, fresh vegetables.
IllinoisPam at 10:23PM on 01/23/09
@gentlyferal - I LOVE lunchinabox. It's given me so many ideas. It's also really feeding my addiction to bento boxes, which at this point is out of control.
Also, @NYCEater - on the non-bento front, I'm a fan of apples and cheddar with a greek yogurt followup. None of them will be harmed by being out of the fridge for 6 hours and it's super tasty, super simple.
chisai at 7:14AM on 01/24/09
Chisai, do I know you from the "Bento Boxes" group at flickr? I'm Obiwan Bento over there.
gentlyferal at 4:47AM on 01/26/09
@gentlyferal, no. However I just went in there to look around and I love it! I very much enjoyed your photos. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be brave and post my own pics.
chisai at 12:59PM on 01/26/09