Creative Lunches

[MeganLLB]

I'm tired of the same old salad or deli sandwich for lunch. I need some better lunch ideas. I'm going grocery shopping, and want to buy some new food to eat for lunch.

Anyone have creative lunch ideas?

 

[LTS3]

How about pasta / noodles or fried rice or wraps or summer rolls? Or make a big batch of somethng for dinner and bring the leftovers for lunch? You might find ideas here:

Brown Bag It! 14 Great Ideas for Weekday Lunches
Lunch – smitten kitchen
40 Easy, Not-Sad Desk Lunches
Healthy Lunch Recipes
Cheap Healthy Lunch Ideas for Work
15 Quick and Easy Lunch Recipes - Damn Delicious
Cheap Healthy Lunch Ideas for Work
Healthy Lunch Ideas to Pack for Work (40+ recipes!)

I prefer hot lunches so I usually bring leftovers from dinner served over rice or pasta or cook some frozen dumplings (potstickers / goyza) from the Asian supermarket. I'm eyeing these recipies for a future lunch:

Sesame Noodles | Gimme Some Oven
Honey Lemon Chicken Bowls (Meal Prep) | Gimme Some Oven

 

[orange&white]

I'm with LTS on that...I always cook a lot of food if I'm going to bother turning on the stove/oven, and freeze leftovers in one-cup containers to take to work. I try to always have one-cup servings of rice, beans and pasta, but use your favorite foods (after looking up "can you freeze _____") to make sure it freezes well.

You didn't say whether you cook or not. If you don't cook, I'd browse the pre-cooked bulk foods in the freezer section and buy some little storage containers. If the big bag contains 6 servings, repackage it into 6 individual containers for grab-and-go lunches.

 

[MeganLLB]

Thanks for the ideas. And Yes orange&white I do cook. I have often considered culinary school for a second career, but I really lack in creativity and originality with creating recipes-especially lunch. I like hot lunches, but I've grown up always having to eat a sandwich or salad. My entire family just tells me, why can't you just eat a sandwich? They buy gross deli meat and bologna, and white bread, and yuck...

I've tried to create some different salads like a farro and spinach salad with chick peas, walnuts, hard boiled egg and a lemon dressing.
And I made a pita with goat cheese, red pepper, and basil.

Next time I go to Wegmans I should go to the Asian section and look for some dumplings, or something where I can make my own, and make my own spring rolls- that would be yummy.

 

[orange&white]

I moved into my first apartment when I was 17 and didn't know how to cook. Or at least I didn't know how to cook good tasty food. My mom was a horrible cook.

After a couple of years of "creative disasters", plus lots of Spaghettio's, Hamburger Helper, and Kraft Mac'N Cheese, I bought myself some classic cookbooks and learned the basics of making sauces, meats, and side dishes...the classic gourmet way.

My "bible" cookbook became this NY Times:
Fannie Farmer became my second favorite:
Now, a few decades later, I don't use recipes except to get some new ideas. I won a 3rd prize and got published in Better Homes & Gardens recipe contest (quite a few years ago). I get in the kitchen and make a meal with whatever is on hand (of course I buy fresh meats and veggies on sale every week, and keep the herbs/spices/oils up to date).

If you love cooking, then you just need to learn enough to understand "the basics" and you are on your way to creative culinary delights.

Your salads sound both creative and delicious, by the way.

 

[LTS3]

I don't like sandwiches either. It's just something I never grew up eating. I always bought a hot barely edible lunch at school. I didn't have my first PB&J until college

Looks like Wegman's has their own brand of frozen dumplings Chicken Dumplings, FAMILY PACK - Wegmans