Good lunches for work?

[Victoria1234]

36 minutes ago, Whitepaw said:

I had dashboard pasta today (meatless).   My local gluten-free bakery makes an awesome plain pasta, so I have it in a container in the fridge, ready to go.   I put some in my cooler today.   I had spread it out in a shallow round container, so there was only one layer.   I put it on my dash when I made a stop, and came out to nice warm pasta.

Sounds delicious! Today I'm home early so I'm not as deathly hungry as usual, or else I would have salivated all over my iPad.

[Victoria1234]

5 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

We do this!  Need to defrost a frozen gluten free bagel or cupcake fast (microwaving  it makes it rubbery)?  Put it on a plate and set it on the car dashboard.  In minutes, it is safely defrosted!  

The greatest idea here is that now I can defrost the potato soup my husband makes and freezes for me faster. Putting it on the counter takes forever as it's basically a big block of ice.

[cyclinglady]

18 minutes ago, Victoria1234 said:

The greatest idea here is that now I can defrost the potato soup my husband makes and freezes for me faster. Putting it on the counter takes forever as it's basically a big block of ice.

Whoa!  I would recommend defrosting a piece of gluten-free bread or a cupcake in the car takes just a few minutes, but defrosting frozen soup or meat or whatever, would not be fast enough to prevent bacteria from multiplying.  I would defrost the soup on the defrost setting of your microwave or let it defrost in the frig.   Be careful.  ?

[Victoria1234]

1 minute ago, cyclinglady said:

Whoa!  I would recommend defrosting a piece of gluten-free bread or a cupcake in the car takes just a few minutes, but defrosting frozen soup or meat or whatever, would not be fast enough to prevent bacteria from multiplying.  I would defrost the soup on the defrost setting of your microwave or let it defrost in the frig.   Be careful.  ?

Thanks! But I meant it as a joke, if not a rather unfunny joke. I was just picturing the big block of ice/potato soup sitting on the dash without even a bowl under it and just flowing all over the car. Ruining everything and stinking like mad. I probably should have used an emoticon with my post. Or  several. Thanks again for your concern 

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[cyclinglady]

No worries.  It is just that many people read our postings from all over the world.  They might misinterpret and really try to defrost a block of soup in the car!  

Glad that you have some food frozen.  Makes life easier, when you are too tired to cook.  ?

[Pegleg84]

If you have time to prep at home, and to cut back on the inevitable debris of pre-packaged stuff (and know exactly what's in your food), prep/cook 2 or 3 things you want to eat that week, some meat and veg, premade sandwiches or salads, etc,  and divide them among containers you can just grab from the fridge on your way out of the house along with ice packs for the cooler. Meat would need to be eaten up in 3-4 days, so might need to cook some a couple times a week (or take leftovers). Also, if you don't want a ton of prepackaged snacks, make cookies or another treat and stick em in a container.  Big bags of chips, nuts, whatever, could also be stored in smaller containers or zippie bags if you don't want to have the whole thing in your car.

Keep a box of cutlery (at least 2 sets), small jars of any spices you like, maybe a small cutting board and a sharp knife, and napkins/paper towel. All you have to do is remember to take your dirty containers and cutlery in for a wash every (other) day.

Whatever you do, don't go anywhere without snacks! You do not want to be starving in a gas station if you can avoid it.

Happy eating!

[Victoria1234]

49 minutes ago, Pegleg84 said:

If you have time to prep at home, and to cut back on the inevitable debris of pre-packaged stuff (and know exactly what's in your food), prep/cook 2 or 3 things you want to eat that week, some meat and veg, premade sandwiches or salads, etc,  and divide them among containers you can just grab from the fridge on your way out of the house along with ice packs for the cooler. Meat would need to be eaten up in 3-4 days, so might need to cook some a couple times a week (or take leftovers). Also, if you don't want a ton of prepackaged snacks, make cookies or another treat and stick em in a container.  Big bags of chips, nuts, whatever, could also be stored in smaller containers or zippie bags if you don't want to have the whole thing in your car.

Keep a box of cutlery (at least 2 sets), small jars of any spices you like, maybe a small cutting board and a sharp knife, and napkins/paper towel. All you have to do is remember to take your dirty containers and cutlery in for a wash every (other) day.

Whatever you do, don't go anywhere without snacks! You do not want to be starving in a gas station if you can avoid it.

Happy eating!

Fantastic ideas! I love the idea of cooking just once per week and divvying things up. I totally need to go buy some Rubbermaid style containers asap. And double check my stock of zip lock bags. And I need to get that cutlery too. Ok I need a shopping list first and carefully go over this thread again. Thanks so much.