Brown Bag lunches (no microwave)

[turtlegirl115]

Hi, I am a social worker and do home visits 4 days per week. I need lunch ideas. I can take a cooler so it's fine if things need to be refrigerated, but I don't have access to a microwave. Any suggestions? The only things I can come up with so far are tuna salad, ham & cheese rollups, and eggs. I don't eat chicken. TIA!

[hhhmom74]

celery sticks
cheese sticks or cubes
homemade cole slaw
chef salad w/dressing
cucumber slices w/ranch
sandwich fixin's without the bread

[dcarlee]

steak
ham salad
burgers
deviled eggs
salmon cakes
quiche

[Happylowcarbing]

Not sure where you are in your weight loss, but how about some low carb yogurt, pepperoni and cheese, low carb wraps (lettuce, cheese, ham or turkey, and some mayo)?

[Chrissykin]

I don't know if you would be interested or not. We bought two different sized coolers at Wal-mart. The plug into your cig lighter and can be used for either hot or cold.

This would open up your options for lunch ideas.

We use ours all the time for travel they work great.

[ChubbeeChik]

I make an awesome blackened chicken breast (boneless/skinless chicken breast pounded thin, sprinkled with blackening seasoning, then cooked in a hot skillet in some butter) it is just as good cold dipped in some ranch dressing.

[lancerpants]

My last job was very similar to yours...in home mostly all day. I usually packed hard boiled eggs (can easily eat while driving!!!!) string cheese, pepperoni, celery sticks, dill pickles...I actually kept away from salads because I was so busy all day driving to and from client's houses that I had to eat while driving....very difficult to eat a salad while driving (and shifting!! LOL). Did the deli meat/cheese roll-ups. I used the carbdown flat bread from walmart to make wraps when i could afford the carbs. But mostly eggs and string cheese. Not very exciting, but I liked them. Also would do a low-carb shake once in a while. All the bars were nasty to me, but if you like them, that is a really good quick option. The porkrind crust pizza is really really good cold too. Hope that helps!!!

[2AHealthyJan]

I copied this from this board quite a while ago...although the first part might not be all things you can do, I'll leave it in as it might help others with lunches as well. The second and third sections are all "brown bag-able". I make my husband's lunch every morning and put it in a large cooler with two blue ice pieces (he too works from his vehicle so it sits in the warm car all day. During the summer I add a third blue ice.) I take a lunch for myself and my girls when we'll be gone on errands at lunchtime.



1) Chicken thighs. I bake a whole pile of them every weekend and then
just nuke a couple for lunch or eat them cold.<BR>
2) Ground lamb patties. I don't add anything to the lamb. Just bake
it at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes or until it's done. Yum!
3) A BLT (with very little "T" - LOL!) wrapped up in one of Rani's
low carb crepes. Works for ANY sandwich filling.
4) Cream cheese and thinly sliced roast beef on a WASA Fiber Rye
cracker.
5) Anything left over from dinner the night before.
6) Chicken "pizza." Mix bite-sized pieces of cooked chicken, shredded
mozzarella, quartered pepperoni, and a little pizza sauce in a bowl
and nuke it until it's hot and bubbly.
7) Any LC soup. LC chili and clam chowder always hit the spot for me.
8) Scrambled eggs with steamed asparagus on the side. I always feel
very "la-dee-da" when I fix this.
9) Scrambled eggs with sauteed hot dogs added. Not fancy, but yummy.
10) Reheated quiche of any kind, but spinach quiche is my favorite.
11) Lettuce wraps. Use large romaine lettuce leaves to wrap up your
favorite sandwich fixings in.
12) Small steaks (beef) or shoulder steaks (veal or lamb) broiled up
fresh.
13) Salad with sliced or shredded beef, pork, or chicken added. I
particularly like chicken breasts that have been marinated in Italian
salad dressing, broiled, and then sliced into bite-sized strips. I
make up a whole bunch at once and then freeze them in Zip Lock bags
in individual portions.
14) Cucumber bull's eyes. Use an apple corer to hollow out a
cucumber. (It's easier of you slice the cucumber in half first so you
don't have to dig so deeply.

Stuff for the car (or packed lunches):

1) Always have bottled water. Sipping on it is great for
keeping the sleepies away.
2) I portion out nuts in 1/4-cup servings in those snack-
size Zip Lock bags and always have a few bags in the car.
3) Ham crisps or pepperoni crisps. I nuke smoked ham (gotta be
smoked - boiled doesn't work) or pepperoni slices in paper towels in
the microwave until they're crisp and put them in a zip lock bag.
4) I also nuke a whole pound of bacon at a time and package it in
aluminum foil, 4 strips to the package. Easy to grab, and since I
sort of like it cold, too, easy to eat in the car.
5) Protein bars. Not the best choice, but I always have a couple in
the glove compartment for emergencies. You can also bring your own
home made ones.
6) Deviled eggs. I put them in those new Glad plastic containers. If
you smoosh the two halves back together after you've filled them with
the yolk mixture, they travel pretty well.
7) Jerky, store bought or homemade. I like homemade better because I
can control the amount of salt. All the commercial brands are too
salty for me.
8) Baked chicken legs (for the car) or thighs (for the car or work)
or broiled, boneless chicken breasts.
9) Plain hard-boiled eggs.
10) Premade tuna with mayo and a plastic fork or spoon or some WASA
crackers to pile it on.
11) Lettuce wraps. Take some nice big lettuce leaves, spread them
lightly with mayo, put some sliced deli meat on top, and roll them
up. Voila! Lettucewiches!
12) Slices of leftover steak, meatloaf, pork roast, etc., in zip lock
bags.
13) Low carb muffins.
14) Any low carb breakfast casserole baked in muffin cups or cut up
into individual serving sizes and popped in a Zip Lock bag.
15) Slices of cheese.
16) Cooked and peeled shrimp sprinkled with a little lemon juice and
salt.
17) Low carb cookies packed 3 or 4 to a Zip Lock bag.
18) Home made yogurt in a cup with a lid. Don't forget a plastic
spoon!
19) Chipped beef spread, WASA crackers, and a plastic knife to spread
it with. (Cream cheese, packed chipped beef like Buddig's, shredded,
green onions, and a little Worcestershire sauce all mixed together.)
20) Cut up low carb veggies and your favorite dip. Put the dip in an
old margarine tub.
21) Low carb cheesecake put in small plastic containers instead of
made as a whole "pie."
22) Rumaki packaged 3-4 to a Zip Lock bag.
23) Some of Rani's low carb cheese straws in a Zip Lock bag.
24) Cheese crisps.
25) Sliced leftover quiche (only if you like it cold).
26) Celery stuffed with cream cheese or sugar free peanut butter.
27) Those pre-packaged sugar free Jell-O cups.
28) Chips Chips another low carb chip, pork rinds, psyllie snacks,
Just The Cheese crisps and some dip.
29) Turkey (or other deli meat), chopped tomatoes, and cooked
crumbled bacon rolled up on mayonnaise-smeared Romaine lettuce leaves.
30) Sugar free gum.
31) Deli ham, roast beef, or turkey rolled up with slices of cheese.
32) A salad in a plastic container. Put anything you like on it, but
be sure to include meat! Bring a bottle of your favorite salad
dressing.
33) Any LC soup in a thermos. LC chili and clam chowder always hit
the spot for me.
34) Cucumber bull's eyes. Use an apple corer to hollow out a cucumber
and fill it with your favorite cheese ball recipe. Wrap and
refrigerate and then slice. (It's easier of you slice the cucumber in
half first so you don't have to dig so deeply.
35) Any cold LC appetizer.

Rani's 30 Ideas For LC Brownbaggers:

1. HARD BOILED EGGS
2. DEVILED EGGS
3. EGG SALAD HEAPED ON WASA CRACKERS
4. TUNA SALAD HEAPED ON WASA CRACKERS
5. EGG OR TUNA OR CHICKEN SALAD WRAPPED UP IN BUTTER LETTUCE LEAVES
6. BLT ROLLED UP INSIDE A SLICE OF TURKEY BREAST
7. MEATBALLS (COLD)
8. COLD ROAST CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS OR WINGS
9. SLICED ROAST BEEF WRAPPED AROUND STRING CHEESE STICKS
10. BEEF JERKY, SLIM JIMS, OTHER CURED DRIED MEAT PRODUCTS (I MAKE MY
OWN JERKY!)
11. SUGAR FREE JELLO (BUY IN 6-PACKS IN THE DAIRY SECTION OR MAKE
YOURSELF)
12. CHEESE, CUT IN CUBES
13. CELERY STICKS, BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER FLORETS, WITH DIP
14. SUGAR-FREE GUMMI WORMS
15. WASA CRACKERS SPREAD WITH SOFT CHEESES
16. WASA CRACKER SPREAD WITH CHEESE AND TOPPED WITH PEPPERONI SLICES
(MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA LUNCHABLES!)
17. PEPPERONI SPREAD WITH CREAM CHEESE AND ROLLED UP
18.DITTO TURKEY OR ROAST BEEF SLICES <BR>
19. CHEF'S SALAD
20. LEFTOVERS IN ANY FORM! (COLD RIBS ARE GREAT THE NEXT DAY!)
21. LC SOUP IN A THERMOS
22. SUGAR-FREE LC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
23. CHEESE STRAWS/CHEESE CRACKERS (RECIPE TO FOLLOW)
24. LOW-CARB MUFFINS
25. QUICHE SQUARES (DELICIOUS COLD)
26. SALAD STREWN WITH LEFTOVER MEAT FROM LAST NIGHT'S DINNER, TOP
WITH RANCH OR BLEU CHEESE DRESSING.
27.PORK RINDS, TRY THE BBQ OR HOT FLAVOR!
28. PLAIN PORK RINDS WITH PIMENTO CHEESE
29. SUNFLOWER SEEDS, ALSO TRY THE SALSA FLAVOR.
30. LC DONUTS

[turtlegirl115]

Thank you everyone, great ideas that will make my life much easier! It's been a while since I've done LC so I'm a little rusty on my ideas.

2AHealthyJan - A huge thank you to you, as I had seen that post before and couldn't find it. THANKS!

[griffin]

wow! thats a great list!

[Mimosa23]

Great list, Jan! I just printed it out to keep for new lunch ideas! Thanks!

I usually cook an extra piece of meat in the evenings, so I can have it cold cut up with salad and a nice dressing. I have a fridge at work, and everyone thinks I eat weird stuff, so no risk in it being eaten by others, LOL!

[Mimosa23]

Sorry, just posted twice... browser is slow...

[24Fan]

24Jan, that's a great list, thanks for posting it. Saved it on my computer to check when I'm feeling bored with lunch

[griffin]

such a great thread, bump!

[amygirl_011]

I don't have anything that list didn't already say....

I just wanted to say that I am going to school right now to be a social worker !

[debbiedo]

I like chicken salad, shrimp salad and egg salad. I can't always microave my food so eat cold stuff at work.I also do tossed salads, cold steak sliced up and String cheese.

Once you are allowed low carb tortillas you can do wraps.

I tend to eat the same stuff over and over.


Debbie

[clfatheree]

how about some boiled shrimp. I love that to snack on.

[TaiwanTeacher]

I would invest in a good insulated container because if you can keep the food warm then the possibilites would include anything you had for dinner the night before heated up just before you left. I always feel that on cold days a hot meal is much more satisfying than a cold one. Cold foods fill me up in the summer, but not in the winter.

[tyler43836]

I recently found (when rushed one day) that tuna patties taste pretty dang good cold.

[Belle9]

I really, really like cucumber slices smeared with cream cheese and topped with deli meat (especially smoked turkey) or sliced salmon (like lox?). Just an idea that I haven't seen here. Very cool, refreshing, and a bit salty. Maybe mix a bit of green onion into the cream cheese.

[Heather150]

When I do my Greeter job that is a 13 hour day, I take a small 6 pack cooler that has:

HB eggs or small container of egg salad (for breakfast)
Small container of tuna salad (just white tuna and mayo)
1 oz almonds
baggie of sliced sharp cheddar cheese
baggie of celery sticks
Baggie of black olives
Baggie of 2 cooked hamburger patties.

I end up bringing most of this home for the next day. Its good to be prepared, but no reason to eat it all if you don't want!

Lots of wonderful ideas! Thanks Jan for that huge list!