What do you pack for lunch for someone who....

[Greta]

1.  Doesn't want to use the microwave in the break room and would prefer to just eat something cold.

 

2.  Doesn't want sandwiches or wraps.

 

 

I'm kind of at a loss here!  I've been sending tuna salad and crackers for eons now.  He loves tuna salad, but quite understandably, is sick of it now.  I just don't know what else to send.  

[regentrude]

Hummus and vegetables.

A hearty satisfying salad that can be eaten cold. 

One of my favorite main dish salads is chick peas+roasted butternut squash in lemon tahini dressing

Also good: 

potato salad

pasta salad

tabuleh

quinoa salad

 

Add cheese to any salad for protein. If he can easily keep it cool until lunch time, you could also add chicken, eggs, sliced steak.

Edited March 20, 2017 by regentrude

[school17777]

I make a refried bean/cheese quesadilla for dd's lunch. Don't know if you consider that a wrap or not.

[Greta]

Hummus and vegetables.

A hearty satisfying salad that can be eaten cold. 

One of my favorite main dish salads is chick peas+roasted butternut squash in lemon tahini dressing

Also good: 

potato salad

pasta salad

tabuleh

quinoa salad

 

Add cheese to any salad for protein. If he can easily keep it cool until lunch time, you could also add chicken, eggs, sliced steak.

 

Pasta salad!  He would like that.  The others are great suggestions, too, but I think that one would be his favorite.  Thanks!

[Greta]

I make a refried bean/cheese quesadilla for dd's lunch. Don't know if you consider that a wrap or not.

 

 

That might work, if the quesadilla doesn't get soggy by lunch time.  Thanks!

[ScoutTN]

hard boiled eggs

meat and cheese wrapped together

hummus with veggies

apples with nut butter

tabbouleh

pb or cheese with crackers

fruit

bagel or waffle with cream cheese

chx salad

cold salmon with dill sauce

fried chx

yogurt with toppings

cottage cheese with veggies or fruit

sushi

My dh loves a salad of tomatoes, artichoke hearts, cukes and feta with oil and vinegar.

Edited March 20, 2017 by ScoutTN

[SKL]

When I worked in an office, I used to bring the following to eat each day:

• orange
• apple
• yogurt
• spinach leaves
• baby carrots
• one or two cereal bars

[alisoncooks]

I've been getting ready-made Bistro salads from Walmart.  They have a ton of flavors and are surprisingly tasty!  They're a little small, so today I had the Asian style (with edamame and grilled chicken) salad and a half of an avocado. 

 

We also do a lot of those Sargento Balanced Break packs (fruit/nut/cheese).  Add crackers (cause we don't love to eat cheese alone) and a banana.  Maybe a veggie and we call that lunch.

[KungFuPanda]

If he gets tired of cold lunch, those mini crockpots are great for heating leftovers. I'm not talking about the little ones for dip, but the plastic "lunch crocks" that are designed for this purpose. They seal so that you're not smelling it until you open it at lunchtime and the food tastes better than microwaved. He just has to remember to plug it in when he gets to work and it's ready by lunchtime.

[Greta]

Thank you all!  I like the idea of the Bistro Salads because pre-assembled stuff would make my morning go a lot easier.  Scout, you mentioned bagel with cream cheese, and that made me realize that he might like sandwiches better if I made them with bagels instead of regular bread.  His main complaint about sandwiches is that the bread gets soggy.  Bagels won't get soggy!

[Greta]

If he gets tired of cold lunch, those mini crockpots are great for heating leftovers. I'm not talking about the little ones for dip, but the plastic "lunch crocks" that are designed for this purpose. They seal so that you're not smelling it until you open it at lunchtime and the food tastes better than microwaved. He just has to remember to plug it in when he gets to work and it's ready by lunchtime.

 

 

I've never heard of this!  Thanks, I will see what he thinks about that.

[Seasider]

If he gets tired of cold lunch, those mini crockpots are great for heating leftovers. I'm not talking about the little ones for dip, but the plastic "lunch crocks" that are designed for this purpose. They seal so that you're not smelling it until you open it at lunchtime and the food tastes better than microwaved. He just has to remember to plug it in when he gets to work and it's ready by lunchtime.

What? I'm going to need a link for that. To go with my new blender, y'know.

[StephanieZ]

Google up "salad in a jar" and find some appealing ones to try.

 

Check out Ina Garten's Guacamole Salad. I could live on it. Add a bag of tortilla chips if desired.

 

Hummus and pita and carrots/celery.

 

Fruit.

 

Cheese.

 

Yogurt.

 

Veggies & dip.

 

 

 

 

[ScoutTN]

My dh does not like soggy bread either, so sometimes I pack his sandwich un-assembled.

He can put it together when he is ready to eat.

Edited March 20, 2017 by ScoutTN

[cjzimmer1]

Personally I'm a big fan of cold fried rice but my son doesn't want to take time to use the microwave either.  So I bought him a food thermos and we just heat up leftovers each morning and stick them in the thermos and his lunch is ready whenever he is.  Some days it's 8 hours later before he gets around to his lunch and it's still plenty warm.

[marbel]

My dh does not like soggy bread either, so sometimes I pack his sandwich un-assembled.

He can put it together when he is ready to eat.

 

This is what I was going to say.   My husband hates pre-made sandwiches that have been sitting around.  So I pack the components and he puts it together.  

 

I like that little crockpot!  Didn't notice if anyone posted a link, here it is on Amazon.    If my husband didn't like using the microwave  or toaster oven at work, I'd get one of these.

[Liz CA]

Dh cannot heat things up either nor would he want to in the summer.

I always put rice and then some meat (he is a meat eater). If we have chicken the night before, I put a piece aside, cube it and put it in with the rice and some veggies. A little tamari sauce or teryaki sauce gives it some flavor.

You could add a hardboiled egg, olives, cheese, sweet corn, almonds (separately), bananas or apple slices.

 

When I pack my lunch in mason jars (because they fit in the cupholders of my car) I layer cherry tomatoes, hardboiled eggs, cukes and cheese.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Liz CA

[gardenmom5]

I use a vacuum thermos for hot items so they don't' have to be microwaved.

pot stickers

teriyaki and rice

chili

pulled pork with a bun in the lunch box to make a pulled pork sandwich

leftover hot pasta

I've even used a drink thermos and stuck a heated hot dog (leave the water in the thermos to help it stay hot.) - bun on the side to be put together when eaten

 

 

for cold

pasta salad

cold salmon

brie and baguette (dh prefers crackers)

 

 

[Wilma]

Picky people definitely have to manage their own lunch around here. Just sayin'.

 

Sent from my XT1094 using Tapatalk

[school17777]

That might work, if the quesadilla doesn't get soggy by lunch time. Thanks!

I microwave it for a minute, then I put it on the gas burner for a few seconds (to dry it up), then I wrap it in foil and put it in a thermos. Dd seems to like it and says it stays warm and she is a picky eater, so it must be ok!

[Bootsie]

cold quiche

some people like cold quiche

cheese and cold cuts to place on multi-grain bread

peanut butter and apples

[wintermom]

1.  Doesn't want to use the microwave in the break room and would prefer to just eat something cold.

 

2.  Doesn't want sandwiches or wraps.

 

 

I'm kind of at a loss here!  I've been sending tuna salad and crackers for eons now.  He loves tuna salad, but quite understandably, is sick of it now.  I just don't know what else to send.  

 

How old is this person?  I think they just lost the good will of the lunch-maker and will have to do the job them self. 

[Annie G]

I make homemade chicken tenders- either baked or fried- and they last several days in the fridge and are delicious cold.  That and some pasta salad is a favorite lunch around here.  Dh won't eat a regular salad for lunch- he feel it takes too long to eat- but he'll eat pasta salad. And it's filling. 

 

Another fav is homemade pizza.  I rarely eat pizza cold but the rest of my family loves cold pizza. 

[Caclcoca]

I was also going to suggest a thermos.  You can heat up leftovers or whatever.  

[J-rap]

A pasta salad that contains lots of chopped veggies?

 

A pocket bread sandwich?  (Lots of different fillings...)

[Greta]

Picky people definitely have to manage their own lunch around here. Just sayin'.

Sent from my XT1094 using Tapatalk

  

How old is this person?  I think they just lost the good will of the lunch-maker and will have to do the job them self.

 

Oh my gosh, you have no idea! He doesn't want to go to the break room, for reasons I can't begin to fathom, so he eats at his desk. So it has to be something cold, and not messy, and completely ready to eat, no cutting or assembly required! Maybe I should just hand it over to him to handle! I generally don't mind being the one responsible for food, but he sure has been throwing me some challenges lately (in other areas too).

[Greta]

Thank you all so much for the great ideas!

[wintermom]

  

Oh my gosh, you have no idea! He doesn't want to go to the break room, for reasons I can't begin to fathom, so he eats at his desk. So it has to be something cold, and not messy, and completely ready to eat, no cutting or assembly required! Maybe I should just hand it over to him to handle! I generally don't mind being the one responsible for food, but he sure has been throwing me some challenges lately (in other areas too).

 

My dh goes to the store, picks out the food he likes, brings it to his work and I assume that he eats it there. When ever I made a lunch for him, he'd forget it in the fridge at home. I stopped making him a lunch very, very quickly.

Edited March 20, 2017 by wintermom

[amyinva]

My husband and older kids love this for salads. Greens in the bottom section, proteins (meat, hard boiled egg, cheese, bacon, etc) and chopped veggies in the top section. He/you can prep a bunch over the weekend and just put it together each night as you prep dinner: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017LJ70A0/ref=twister_B017LJ70IM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Seasider]

My dh goes to the store, picks out the food he likes, brings it to his work and I assume that he eats it there. When ever I made a lunch for him, he'd forget it in the fridge at home. I stopped making him a lunch very, very quickly.

Yes, back in the early days I would make dh lunch, but half the time he'd not eat it because "something else came up" - a lunch invitation, someone bringing food in, etc. By the time we had three in diapers, he was on his own for lunches. Work at home days he fixes his own leftovers or sandwich.

[mathnerd]

I send in a piping hot lunch because no one in my family will eat a cold lunch. I have several Termos Insulated Food Jars and heat up the food in the AM and fill the jar. It is piping hot at lunch time. The trick is to fill the empty thermos with hot tap water and close it and leave it for 5 minutes. In that time, heat up the soup, fried rice, pasta, spaghetti, mac and cheese, chili or whatever else your hot lunch consists of. Then, dump the water out and immediately fill the thermos and close the lid. This will preheat the thermos interior so that the food does not drop in temperature. I have been doing this for 14 years now and it works well for the people who do not want to use the office microwave.

Insulated Food Jars: http://www.thermos.com/product_catalog.aspx?CatCode=FOOD

 

[cjzimmer1]

I send in a piping hot lunch because no one in my family will eat a cold lunch. I have several Termos Insulated Food Jars and heat up the food in the AM and fill the jar. It is piping hot at lunch time. The trick is to fill the empty thermos with hot tap water and close it and leave it for 5 minutes. In that time, heat up the soup, fried rice, pasta, spaghetti, mac and cheese, chili or whatever else your hot lunch consists of. Then, dump the water out and immediately fill the thermos and close the lid. This will preheat the thermos interior so that the food does not drop in temperature. I have been doing this for 14 years now and it works well for the people who do not want to use the office microwave.

Insulated Food Jars: http://www.thermos.com/product_catalog.aspx?CatCode=FOOD

 

I did that the first few uses and DS told me the food was too hot to eat at lunch time and he'd have to leave the container sitting open for a while to cool off so now I skip the preheat so the food is a better temperature for him. I suspect I'm just heating the food hotter when I put in the jar than some people are hence the reason the added preheat is overkill.

[matrips]

Makes me glad my dc and dh are all responsible for making their own lunches!

[Ausmumof3]

We have this a bit as DH is mostly mobile so often doesn't have access to a microwave. I often don't make lunch at all as it doesn't get eaten. One good option is cold schnitzel or pizza as they taste ok cold.

[Cinder]

His main complaint about sandwiches is that the bread gets soggy.

 

My ds used to complain about this too. Switching to slider buns helped a lot, though it took 2 sliders to equal one regular sandwich. For some reason ds was averse to just using a sandwich bun. 

[Greta]

My ds used to complain about this too. Switching to slider buns helped a lot, though it took 2 sliders to equal one regular sandwich. For some reason ds was averse to just using a sandwich bun. 

 

I had no idea that slider buns would be more . . . "resilient"?  Thanks for the idea!

[Greta]

My husband and older kids love this for salads. Greens in the bottom section, proteins (meat, hard boiled egg, cheese, bacon, etc) and chopped veggies in the top section. He/you can prep a bunch over the weekend and just put it together each night as you prep dinner: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017LJ70A0/ref=twister_B017LJ70IM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

That's pretty cool - I think he'd like that.  Thanks!

[gaillardia]

I really detest the taste of warmed up chicken, so I eat it cold with various dips. 

Avocado or guacamole. 

Bean salads. Three bean salad. Black bean & corn salad (cilantro, tomato, cucumber, cumin too).

Gently cooked carrots with thawed baby peas and cucumber tzatziki sauce.

Caesar salad. Cold steamed shrimp, shelled, with old bay, cocktail sauce. 

A hunk of earthy good bread. Good cheese. Fruit, chopped or whole. Nuts.

[Greta]

 

A hunk of earthy good bread. Good cheese. Fruit, chopped or whole. Nuts.

 

 

All good ideas, but this one sounds especially good.  At least, it does to me!

[happypamama]

Deviled eggs or egg salad

Chicken salad

Sushi/sushi bowl

Yogurt

[gaillardia]

Two of my fave sandwiches, you said no to sandwiches but I must say...hunky bread (the organic store bread or homemade), slice of Monterey Jack or Havarti, lettuce, tomato, sprinkle of spike, mayo or mustard, avocado; and hummus sandwich with spinach and cucumbers. Or just put the makings for the sandwich in the container and bread in separate container and he can eat it like salad with bread since you say he can't really "make" it at his desk.

[RKWAcademy]

I'm fairly picky and don't like hot lunches.  The things I've been alternating:

Salads

Cold leftover meat (I prefer it that way to warmed up, the best is BBQ chicken from the grill leftover and I cut it before I put it in my lunchbox) add veggies and dip and fruit and maybe some crackers and a fork since he's afraid to go to the lunchroom for a fork ;) 

Blackbean salad with chips

Hodge-Podge - fruit, veggies/dip, crackers/cheese, nuts, muffins, etc.  Mix and match.  Also one of my go-tos for the kiddos. 

 

I second the above person who suggested if he likes sandwiches, pack the components separately and let him build it himself at lunchtime (I personally can't stand lunch meat so no other help there).  Or how about cold pizza (some people like it I hear).  Or a pack of pb crackers and tell him he'll appreciate dinner when he gets home. 

[gaillardia]

Chickpea salad (Mediterranean). Mint, basil, lemony dressing, cucumbers, green or red peppers, tomatoes, feta cheese. 

Hunk of bread.

Cheese.

 

[Sneezyone]

Asian salads

 

1) cabbage, carrot, cilantro and chicken w/creamy sesame dressing

2) rice noodles, mint, cilantro, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, w/or without chicken, Vietnamese or Thai lime vinaigrette.

 

In lieu of chicken you can also sub Krab or sliced fish roll.

 

What about a crispy ebi roll, CA roll, spicy tuna, or other such?

Edited March 21, 2017 by Sneezyone

[Nan in Mass]

A bento box?

[Guest]

My son ate apples and cheese for lunch for 12 straight years.  Every picture the kids at school drew of him, both in first grade and in 12th had him holding an apple.  For his birthday, they'd get a big loaf of Tillamook cheese and stick candles in it.  

 

You got a lot of suggestions upthread that are better than this, but this is what we did when we packed lunches.  :0)

 

[KungFuPanda]

What? I'm going to need a link for that. To go with my new blender, y'know.

  

I've never heard of this!  Thanks, I will see what he thinks about that.

https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Lunch-Crock-Warmer-ounce/dp/B00CEILWI0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490182634&sr=8-2&keywords=Lunch+crock

 

Here you go. I have the twenty ounce. If I fill it I almost never finish my food. They also have a 24 ounce model. https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Lunch-Crock-Warmer-ounce/dp/B00CEILWI0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490182634&sr=8-2&keywords=Lunch+crock

[Mom-ninja.]

  

Oh my gosh, you have no idea! He doesn't want to go to the break room, for reasons I can't begin to fathom, so he eats at his desk. So it has to be something cold, and not messy, and completely ready to eat, no cutting or assembly required! Maybe I should just hand it over to him to handle! I generally don't mind being the one responsible for food, but he sure has been throwing me some challenges lately (in other areas too).

 

Hand him lunch money and then go back to bed.  Heck, I don't even have patience with my kids being picky. 

 

My dh takes a green salad every day to work and has for years. 

[Bambam]

My dh doesn't want to use the microwave either (???).

 

I've sent sandwiches (I know you said no to this), salads - basically greens, tomatoes, whatever leftover meat we had for dinner the night before, cheese (chedder or feta), sunflower seeds, raisins, craisins, whatever I felt like dumping on. I included a little container of dressing - sometimes used, sometimes not. 

 

I've sent just whatever we had leftover (rice, beans, meat) all in one container. It was his choice not to reheat and just eat cold.

 

Now he is on a must-eat-red-meat-and-lots-of-it kick. I'm not fond of red meat, so I'm not generally involved with his lunch anymore. He smokes a brisket every month or so, cuts up pieces that will last 1-2 days, packages them individually, freezes them, pulls one out on his way to work, grabs an apple and calls it good. This sound horrible to me, but he is happy, so great. 

[Seeking Squirrels]

I have never, in 12.5 years of marriage, almost 9 as a SAHM, made my DH a lunch to take to work. I am amazed at how common it is! He's a big boy! He can decide what he's going to eat and fix it himself! Sometimes DH takes leftovers or makes a sandwich, sometimes he buys frozen dinners, sometimes he meets his mom out for lunch. Whatever, it's on him!