Gemini the Great

I need help with some lunch box ideas that I can bring from home...something light, fresh, and healthy.

I have a few problems so the lunch ideas need to be worked around..

I dun like seafood.. so no tuna sandwich ideas please!
I don't have time to fry or cut anything in the morning.. I bought chicken patties but I never got around making a sandwich due to time issues
I would prefer something salty... not a big fan of meetha so no jam bread sandwiches or even the fruit yogurt
No leftovers because I don't want to bring desi food with masalas to work

gosh I am impossible

Please share easy and quick recipes for lunch!!! Thanks a lot

funguy

Need to know if you like cold cut meats such as turkey, chicken, roast beef? any non-zabiha restrictions? can you keep a small fridge in your cubicle/office?

Gemini the Great

yep halal and no I dun like cold cuts either

We do have a big fridge at work for 6 people and it's always pretty much empty so I can use that!

I just thought about keeping some hard boiled eggs and probably make the egg sandwich but that is just one idea.. need more please!

Ira

what about pasta?
pizza
chicken sandwiches? grill some chicken breasts, put between some good quality sandwich bread or focaccia with guacomole, salad etc.

Gemini the Great

pasta n pizza sound good but not healthy at all

chicken sandwich would need some cooking/frying in the morning.. nahin?!!?!

don't go "etc." on me..I have no idea what that includes

Ira

ok pizza isnt the healthiest unless you make it with thin crust and lots of veggies.

pasta: use whole wheat and less pasta and more veggies and chicken. How is it unhealthy?

chicken sandwich: it can be prepared the night before and rest in teh fridge.

You think i make hub's lunch 5 min before his lunch time? I make things at night and all he has to do is pack his lunch bag in the morning.

also what about chinese? make some sort of kung pao/cashew chicken and serve over rice?

shami kababs (too much work)/chapli kabab (not a lot of work at all)?

Ira

I dont know if you guys like desi only but there is a lot of non desi options that you can eat for dinner the night before and use leftoevrs for the next days lunch. Thats waht we do. And the best of all, the non desi food i usually make, takes wayyy less time than the usual masala bhoona and all. You can easily cook quite a lot of things after work.

Gemini the Great

really?!?!?! share those recipes too please!

We don't have desi/non desi preference for food anymore..as they say nokar ki tay nakhra ki.. jo mil jaye kha lain gaye

healthy pasta doesn't taste as good as the unhealthy one

Ira

lol @ pasta nakhray

so heres my ideas
make chicken breast sandwiches
some sort of chinese
burritos (stock up on black beans, cheese etcand then cook keema/chicken on a weeknight and mix with otehr things and make burritos out of it)
quesedillas (sp?) make these with chicken/cheese/beans etc
salsa chicken with spanish rice
pasta in cheese sauce (mix ricotta cheese+pasta sauce+parmesan and mozarella, layer with cooked pasta and bake)

for recipes i usually go to recipezaar.com or foodnetwork.com and search for good reviewed ones.

Cheegum

Here's some: Lunch box ideas

SeaBee

Whole wheat pasta is pretty good! A lot better than I expected. Other than the fact that it's not as 'smooth', I couldn't tell much of a difference.

Like Ira said, have non desi dinner, and take leftovers for lunch. Oh and stay away from eggs! I'd rather take desi food (rice or something) than make an egg sandwich at work. All that stench from boiled eggs. Eek!

As for ideas:

1. Chicken breast, rice, sauted veggies or salad (or substitute rice with roasted potatoes.)
2. Is tandoori chicken too desi for work? If not, you could always do an extra piece or two and take that with rice or veggies/salad. You could also shred the meat part and make a roll in pita bread with salad.
3. Make potato patties (cutlets) in bulk. Fry one the night before. Slap on some mayo/ketchup and/or salad and make a sandwich.
4. Make chicken patties (like the ones you have) the night before.
5. Stews/Soups are pretty good for lunch.


etc.

chips6

etc etc etc etc.....

You have great ideas and replies here....
One thing I'll add is that you dont have to make lunch fresh in the morning....
You can do the preps the night before like frying stuff etc etc....

RupayHalwa

Er, hello...????

CHEESE AND CRACKERS!!!!

Take hummous and pitta bread with some olives, pickles, a tomato n celery. Just chop it up at work.

Take a little knife, whole bag of whole fresh fruit n veg, a little bag of bread rolls, a jar of pickle, some cheese n butter and store it in the fridge. Whenever u r in need of lunch, just prepare.

redvelvet

Make cold sandwiches for lunch. You make these sandwiches the night before....put them in a ziploc bag........and then you simply take them from the fridge in the morning and head to work. That's it. Examples of such a sandwich include peanut butter sandwich.........chicken salad sandwich.........egg salad sandwich.

Make a pasta dish over the weekend (spaghetti, ziti, lasagna)......and you usually have plenty left over for the next couple of days. You can even make casseroles in advance. Or stir-fries. Or rice. Simply pack your lunch in a container at night so it's ready to go in the morning. That way you won't have to waste time in the morning.

I've seen some people take pre-made packages of soup. Buy a few packs and just microwave them at work. Or you can take homemade soup.

Another option is salad. Although it will take time to make one if you do it in the morning. If you do it the night before, it's easier. To save some time......use canned kidney beans/chickpeas for your salad.

Pre-made frozen meals from the grocery store......buy a few boxes.

CorruptAngel

Sorry but your 'nakhre' can't work coz there are very limited choices when it comes to lunches. Some ideas would be:

-easy whole wheat bread sandwiches made of egg/cheese/aloo/chicken/kabab/leftover roasted chicken/redmeat

- bagel / some sort of bread(french bread, etc) to eat

-salads....cut them up at night.

Gemini the Great

woww you guys are great..I guess I willl be making a lot of "etc" now

Ira... they sound great but I need to learn how to make all that :$

Seebs.. you really think egg stinks bad for work?!?!?! I love hard boiled eggs potato cutlets become soggy in a day in refrigerator? Should I freeze them?

Cheegum.. good ideas in there.. will print out a few recipes! Thanks for sharing!

All those who suggested kabab sandiwches.. yeah right like kababs are easy to make na

oh well, at least I have a list of things that need to be done and bought now.. thanks :-)

PSquared

Chicken salad sandwiches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My favorite thing in the whole wide world! It stays fresh and tastes so good even with wheat bread.

Egg salad sandwiches

Potato cutlets...freeze them.

Veggie sandwiches, cut up all sorts of veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, sprouts, add some cheese, mayo and mustard.

Salads!

Unfortunately, eating healthy always takes some amount of planning and work. So, you might have to do meal/menu planning on the weekends to help save time.

Gemini the Great

Psqaured.. how do you make your chicken salad sandwich?!!?!

PSquared

Boil a couple of pounds of boneless chicken cubes with 2 tsps ginger garlic paste and a pinch of salt.

Finely chop up a red onion, bell pepper and some celery stalks.

When the chicke is done, drain and either shred with your fingers or chop in a chopper.

In a big bowl, mix a bottle of mayo, all of your veggies and chicken.

Add some salt to taste, black pepper and red chili powder.

Serve on wheat or white bread with a slice of provolone cheese.

funguy

A bottle of mayonaise in two pounds of chicken?????????? and by slapping it on whole wheat bread it makes it healthy? lol

o-kay!