What Do You Have for Lunch Everyday?

kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 01:53

Hi all,

Just wondering what everyone has for lunch on a typical day?

For example, do you have sandwiches everyday? Leftovers everyday? Something new? The same thing all week? Take-out? And do you plan specifically for your lunches, ie buying separate ingredients in your grocery shop?

I'm currently in recovery from an eating disorder, so I'm "re-learning" how to eat appropriately… and lunch was a meal I have never really had (my last memories of lunch were in early primary school). My family has also never eaten lunch at all (?!), so it's all quite foreign to me.

I'm looking for lunch ideas that are easy, quick, taste good, have some variety but don't require TOO much planning and ingredients in advance. At the moment, I have grilled cheese sandwiches, PB&J sandwiches, or sometimes Mi Goreng. If I'm in a food court, there's a lot more choice… but otherwise I'm stuck.

SO - I'm curious, what do you have? How do you keep your lunches interesting?

Any and all ideas welcome.
Thanks in advance for your input!

Poll Options

  • 37
    I bring lunch from home, but vary it up a bit.
  • 19
    I buy all my lunches, eg food court.
  • 18
    I bring lunch from home, and it's the same thing every day.
  • 3
    I pre-plan all my lunches in advance and have TONS of variety!
Food & Grocery

Comments

  • tomleonhart on 09/10/2015 - 08:14
    +5

    Left overs from the night before.

    • unco on 09/10/2015 - 08:36

      This^

      • Pootie Tang on 09/10/2015 - 09:06
        +3

        Why do left overs often taste better then next day? Point in case - Spaghetti

        • bobbified on 09/10/2015 - 09:33
          +2

          Anyhting tastes good when you're hungry…

    • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 12:46

      Thanks tomleonhart, that makes sense. Do you always have leftovers? Do you actually cook more on purpose, to make sure that you have leftovers?

      Just curious. :)

      • tomleonhart on 09/10/2015 - 13:35
        +3

        Yes! We cook more for dinner everyday as it takes the same effort.

        Every time i packed my lunchbox + my wife's lunchbox, I tell myself, $20 saved.

        • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 13:42

          Nice! That works well.

          Don't you have to buy more meats etc though, to make sure you have enough for the next day? Isn't that in itself an extra expense?

          Although I guess it still wouldn't be as much as $20/day for two people to buy their own lunches.

        • tomleonhart on 09/10/2015 - 13:47
          +2

          @kyttiekat: It's not that much more we find. We learnt to cope with whatever we have got left overs.

          Sometimes a lot of left overs, sometimes not much at all. But we cope with what we have.

          If there's no left over whatsoever, then outside lunch is considered a treat :)

        • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 14:01

          @tomleonhart: Sounds fair to me!

  • Banana on 09/10/2015 - 09:37
    +3

    I am having quinoa salad today. Quite excited about it! It has all the ingredients I like: eggs, beets, cucumber, mushroom (2 types), red onions, greens, avocado,quinoa with a balsamic dressing,served with Shapes. Can't wait till lunch!

    • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 12:48

      Wow, that sounds so healthy! I'm not the biggest fan of salads yet.

      As for the Shapes though.. that's a different story. :)

  • King Bee on 09/10/2015 - 09:47
    +2

    Lunch can be easily pre-planned. Cooking in bulk and placing them in the freezer using suitable tupperware is also an option. All you need to do is take it out the freezer the night before and place it in the fridge. It will be thawed by lunch that day. Some ideas with simple ingredients include:

    -Pasta
    -Noodles
    -Rice with stir-fry
    -Rice with curry
    -Chilli (minced meat and beans - you can bring some corn chips with you for your dipping pleasure)

    Left overs and sandwiches filled with various cold meats are also good options during the working week.

    Rotating around these foods with different flavours give heaps of variety

    Hope this helps

    • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 13:13

      These are all great ideas - thanks King Bee!

      I have similar rotating lists like that, but for dinner not lunch. Are your dinners more elaborate then? Or just a bigger quantity?

      I love cold meats.. I could look into those as another sandwich variety.

  • Randxyz123 on 09/10/2015 - 09:50
    +1

    Depends If I'm at Uni after 12 (1 day per week) I'll grab schnitz or maybe maccas. If not I'll have leftovers at home

    • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 13:14

      Sounds yum! Do you always have leftovers at home? ie do you guys purposely cook extra? Or just.. whatever is left over, quite literally?

  • Eivad on 09/10/2015 - 10:23
    +1

    Unfortunately I never have time to cook when I get home so I end up buying from the food court every day. I appreciate that bringing food in would definitely save money.

    • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 13:14

      There's so much convenience and choice in the food court! Pity about the money thing though, yeah.

      • Eivad on 09/10/2015 - 16:08

        That's true but only to an extent. Once you've exhausted the 2 or 3 food courts around your building, there really aren't many options left!

        • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 18:12

          Venture further out! :P

          Or rotate each option around again. Each food court would have 10+ options though, right? For example, 3-4 cuisines at least, and each cuisine would have 3-4 separate dishes.. not bad.

        • Eivad on 10/10/2015 - 10:19
          +1

          @kyttiekat: Haha good idea. I suppose I've been spoiled for choice. When you're working an office job lunch is one of the biggest things you look forward to during the day!

        • kyttiekat on 11/10/2015 - 14:02

          @Eivad: I totally feel you there! After lunches became boring, sometimes I just have lunch at my desk and look forward to a long coffee break instead. So many cafes to try!

  • Partake0486 on 09/10/2015 - 11:13
    +3

    I've eaten the same thing for lunch 5 days a week for the past two years - a Sistema 2L container consisting of:

    4 leaf salad mix from Coles
    cucumber
    capsicum (whichever colour is the cheapest this week)
    tomato
    seeds
    sultanas
    black pepper
    nas (no added salt) corn or beans (whichever is on special this week)
    pysllium husk
    1 or 2 "special guest" ingredients - this week it's avocado, last week it was avocado and raw green beans. others include nas beetroot, raw snow peas.
    finally, until a few weeks ago I was including a tin of cheap 80c/can tuna but I got concerned about the mercurcy content let alone the salt content (I have high blood pressure hence all the nas stuff) so I switched to 3 cans of coles nas red salmon a week for $3 per 105g can. The other two days of the week I have no fish/meat at all in the salad.

    P.S. the cans recently dropped to $2 reduced to clear so I'll have to explore other options soon it seems.

    Don't be under any illusions - this is a chore to prepare and an even greater chore to eat, but I figure if I put myself through this every day for lunch I can eat whatever I want for dinner and whatever I want on the weekends :)

    • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 13:16

      Wow! That's pretty intense! So much prep. Do you like the taste of it? I guess that's what matters.

      True about eating whatever you want the rest of the times - freedom!

  • inherentchoice on 09/10/2015 - 11:57
    +1

    Some of the meal ideas in this thread might be good for cheap and easy lunches:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/214450

    • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 13:25

      Thanks! Yes some of those are great - particularly your post in that thread. :)

      Only issue is I have a thing about not wanting my lunches and dinners to be too similar. So I was hoping to keep dinners to those meal ideas, but lunches to be… I dunno, lots of different sandwich fillings.. or.. something non-dinner-like.. though I'm not a big fan of sandwiches anyway..

      Still working on it. -_-

      Thanks again for your ideas!

  • rompastompa on 09/10/2015 - 13:44
    +2

    I buy lunch unless my wife makes me lunch to take to work :D

    • kyttiekat on 09/10/2015 - 13:45

      Cute scenario. :)

    • tomleonhart on 09/10/2015 - 13:47
      +1

      Why don't you make lunch so your wife can take to her work ? If she works that is :D

      • rompastompa on 09/10/2015 - 14:04

        She works, but I'm still in bed when she leaves for work :) She gets up an hour or two before me!

        • tomleonhart on 09/10/2015 - 14:24
          +6

          Hehe. I won't tell you what to do.

          Make it the night before and surprise her !

  • tabz on 09/10/2015 - 19:53
    +1

    I bring my lunch Monday to Thursday and buy my lunch on Fridays.

    I'm pretty lazy when it comes to lunches. It usually consists of either leftovers from the night before, or:

    • half a packet of pre-made brown rice from Woolworths / Coles ($1.60).
    • a serving of those frozen microwavable steamed vegetables.
    • can of tuna (different flavours for some variety).

    Total prep time: 3.5mins in the microwave.

    • kyttiekat on 11/10/2015 - 14:30
      +1

      Sounds very low-effort and low-maintenance! :)

  • Placebo on 10/10/2015 - 12:27
    +1

    I work in a school with an incredibly limited canteen menu and I am a vegetarian, so I either have to bring my own lunch or starve. As I get really hungry during the working day I plan my lunches really carefully so that I always have something substantial to eat. Usually it is leftovers from dinner the night before, but as dinner doesn't always have enough for left overs I sometimes make a meal up just for my lunches for the next few days. I generally plan our meals at least a week in advance so that I am able to work out what dinners will allow enough for left overs for me (my partner is a meat eater and will eat vegetarian meals at home under sufferance but generally refuses to take them to work the next day) and when I will have to make something extra, or if I will need to take something from the freezer as I always have a few things frozen to take in case my planned meal falls through (we end up eating out, can't be bothered cooking, are unwell, etc).

    • kyttiekat on 11/10/2015 - 14:37

      Hi Placebo, wow thanks for such a detailed response - really helps me to understand how other people live I guess!

      It must be so difficult having such a limited canteen menu at your school. Do you only get one break a day? (ie lunch) As an office worker, I have no idea how you'd survive with just a single break… I take lunch, but also various other mini-breaks eg walking to other buildings or grabbing a coffee etc.

      Freezer meals sound like a great backup option, too.

      • Placebo on 11/10/2015 - 16:35
        +1

        We have two breaks, recess in the morning and lunch, although we often have duty for one of those breaks so I need something that can be eaten while "on the move" for those breaks. Our lunch breaks are 35 minutes long but you often have far less time than that to eat by the time you've got the kids out to lunch, got up to the staffroom, been to the bathroom etc. So food always has to be something that can be heated and eaten quickly and I hate sandwiches, ha!

        Freezer meals are a lifesaver.

        You're very good to respond to everyone's comments. I hope this thread is helping you get some ideas for your lunches. Best of luck with your recovery :)

        • kyttiekat on 12/10/2015 - 20:50

          I really don't like sandwiches either! I thought I was the only one! (Except for grilled cheese sandwiches, I used to like those but now I cannot even hear the word 'cheese' without gagging)

          That really doesn't sound like a lot of time at all for you! Do you typically leave at the same time as students, or later? One of my friends is just doing her prac at a primary school now, and she spends a lot of time outside of school prepping lesson plans. Doesn't sound fun! Has that been your experience as well?

          (sorry for straying - just curious!)

          Thanks a lot for your encouragement… yes I've been getting plenty of ideas, which is great! And it's good to see that not everybody can perfectly pre-plan all their meals, if it's not realistic for them.

        • Placebo on 14/10/2015 - 14:06
          +1

          @kyttiekat: No, lunch isn't much time at all. When you say leave at the same time as students, do you mean at the end of the day? I stay back much later than the students. I hope your friend is enjoying her prac, prac can be incredibly difficult, but it is worth it, I think we have the best job in the world!

  • anastasiastarz on 12/10/2015 - 04:59
    +1

    Yesterday, a salad. Today a burger. Both I bought in a kit, but I did arrange/put it together.

    • kyttiekat on 12/10/2015 - 20:52

      Sounds yum! How did you buy the burger in a kit? (I know you can buy meat patties etc, but you have to cook those. Or is there a ready one of some sort?)

      • anastasiastarz on 13/10/2015 - 00:12

        Lite n' Easy but I intend to replicate it myself. They used spinach, beetroot (tinned), a patty and tomato sauce. I'd like to add cheese though, oh and there was a bun. Just bring all those things to work and arrange it there.

        • kyttiekat on 13/10/2015 - 00:38
          +1

          Ah right! I got really bored of Lite n' Easy after a while, despite all their variety. I see they have "mini meals" and "meals in a bowl" now, which would be good for lunch (if someone isn't doing the full plan).

          Of course my treatment team would have a heart attack if I ever touched Lite n' Easy again, so that's out for me! (plus, I just can't stand the taste anymore - pastas are OK, but any frozen/chicken meat from them = shudder).

          I guess there's always some non-diet food delivery services around that I could perhaps look into, eg gourmetdinnerservice.com.au, but ouch they are pricey (more than buying from a food court!)

        • anastasiastarz on 13/10/2015 - 06:07
          +1

          @kyttiekat: I'm got bored week one for breakfast as I don't eat ham, but now that I'm picking those options but subbing it with chicken it's better. :) The menu rotates every 4wks, so I might stop for a month and try DIYing it.

          Used to frozen food so it's fine for me :P

          I knew Green Refectory up north and some asian places in Springvale offer delivery services.

        • kyttiekat on 14/10/2015 - 23:44

          @anastasiastarz: Haha! That sounds like the perfect arrangement for you then. :)

          Oddly, breakfast is the one meal where I don't get bored of having the same thing for months on end. What's up with that!

  • [Deactivated] on 14/10/2015 - 15:37
    +1

    I'm sorry you had an ED. So DO I. Present tense.
    I hate food and wish I never had to eat again.

    My meals are typically the same everyday unless I am on a date or something like that.

    • kyttiekat on 14/10/2015 - 23:41
      +1

      Hi Beethoven - really sorry to hear you are struggling with an ED right now.

      Would you like to chat? I'm just a PM away. I don't consider mine past tense at all yet, but I'm hopeful. Makes sense to have similar meals everyday - it can be much safer / easier.

      I also know some fantastic support services if you'd like to try (or re-try) reaching out for help, if you're not engaged in something already.

      Thanks for your input and I'll be thinking about you xx.

  • Scrooge McDuck on 22/10/2015 - 16:11
    +2

    I plan most of my meals around protein intake, lunch is no different. Being frugal I also consume economically. I typically base a lunch on: half a ~400 g can of mackerel, tuna or salmon ($1), or 4 eggs ($1) scrambled in the microwave. If I'm short on time I'll go for a HJ Bacon Deluxe ($3 with PokitPal), 10 Chicken Nuggets from HJ ($2.95) or 2 McChicken patties from McD ($3.20).

    • [Deactivated] on 24/10/2015 - 15:15

      So no protein shakes?

      • Scrooge McDuck on 24/10/2015 - 16:14
        +1

        Not for lunch, that'd be too boring.

        I drink protein shakes PWO, and to supplement my protein intake if I'm short on time at home.

  • whitewatermelon on 26/10/2015 - 15:36

    Hubby was put on a low carb high fat diet by his doc, so I've had to replan lunches, as I used to just send him to work with sandwiches.
    At the moment I'm doing:
    Monday - vege quiche (homemade, from freezer)
    Tues - nibblies (Tupperware container with a mixture of carrot, celery, egg, cheese, cabanossi, capsicum, snow peas, beans - depends on what I have)
    Wed - tuna salad
    Thur - nibblies again
    Fri - bacon quiche (homemade from freezer).

  • Carpe Diem on 27/10/2015 - 13:59

    1-2 Days of Veggie supreme from my local cafe. Tastiest & healthiest sandwich ever.
    1-2 Days of avocado on wholemeal toast with turmeric & pepper
    1-2 Days of Macro Muesli with flaxmeal, goji & chia seeds.
    Weekends - Smashed avocado on toast, scrambled egg, spinach & cheesy portobello shrooms with turmeric, garlic, chilli & pep. Delish :)

  • scrimshaw on 27/10/2015 - 17:23

    I work in a shopping centre, so I rotate between

    1. Seafood (fish / chips and salad)
    2. Chinese food (Lok Lok) or Japanese (sushi bar)
    3. Salads (Soul Origin is great)
    4. SubWay
    5. and on the odd occasion some Oporto.

    my meals usually cost between $9-10 dollars.

    If I work in a place without a food court I'd have to bring my own, which is often just some leftovers from yesterday's dinner, which is usually just oven grilled vegetables and some protein (can tuna, chicken or beans)

  • tomorrows_angel on 29/10/2015 - 21:00

    I always find lunches fascinating… there are some people at work who eat exactly the same thing every single day, brought from home, and some who buy expensive lavish things daily.

    I don't really have a routine. Years ago when I was super broke I used to bulk cook things and chuck them in the freezer and take one out every day for lunch, there would usually be about 6 different types of food at a time: fried rice, pasta meal, stir fry and rice, curry and rice, chilli con carne and rice… when you look at all the different types of curries and stir fries there's actually a huge variety there.

    These days:
    I only cook for one. I go shopping on the weekend. I buy a bag of salad greens, cucumber, snow peas, sometimes baby beets, sometimes pumpkin, celery, sometimes pine nuts. On Sunday night I get out three containers and build salads and chuck them in the fridge - this only takes 10 mins, more if you're roasting pumpkin. Then, depending on what I have for dinner, I can take salad or leftovers, or a combination of both. Whether or not there are leftovers, often I have a piece of fillet steak with my salad or some chicken breast or some deli sausages. Sometimes I buy the fresh pizzas at the supermarket and cook them and have a piece of pizza with salad for lunch. If I have the three containers there, then I guarantee I have lunch for at least three days and rely on leftovers or buying the other two.

  • Gladioli on 30/10/2015 - 17:41

    I actually buy sandwich ingredients from the Aldi near my work and keep them at work (in the fridge for cold stuff), and make my lunch during my lunch break. Which poll option do I choose? Bringing lunch from home?

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