The Lunchbox Gourmet

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Lunch of the Month

Main Dish Recipes

Crackers and Wraps

Egg Salad Wrap: Mash a hard-boiled egg with mayonnaise or salad dressing, and wrap in a tortilla. Cut the roll into sections for easy packing, or lay it flat in your container. You can vary the taste significantly by using different flavours of salad dressing.

Peanut Butter Wrap: Spread peanut butter on a tortilla and wrap it up. Cut the roll into sections for easy packing, or lay it flat in your container. If your workplace is nut-free, you can substitute soy nut butter instead.

Fruity Nut Wrap: Same as the Peanut Butter Wrap, except with toppings: peeled, sliced apple or a whole banana. Do not cut or mash the banana, or your wrap will turn soggy. Just peel it and lay it on the peanut-buttered tortilla, then roll around it.

Bean Dip Wrap: Spread the tortilla with bean dip. You can top it with a bit of mayonnaise for kick, or with shredded cheese or soy cheese, sliced avocado or whatever. Again, lay it flat or chop the roll into sections for easy packing.

Indian Wrap: I love these! I buy them prepared, but it's easy enough to make yourself: some cooked diced vegetables and mashed sweet potato and spices make a really filling wrap.

Cream Cheese Wrap: I use tofu 'cream cheese' but if you like the real stuff, use it. Bell peppers, cucumber or shredded carrot make nice toppings if you are so inclined, but pat them dry before you roll the wrap.

Avocado Wrap: Line the tortilla with mashed avocado and top with shredded carrots, lettuce, soy cheese or other garnishes. Roll up and slice into pinwheels, or lay flat in lunch box or container.

Deli Slice Wrap: You can use fake meat slices, or real meat if you want to. Top it with lettuce, shredded carrot or zucchini, sprouts or some combination for a yummy, filling lunch.

Deli Lettuce Wrap: As above, but use a large piece of lettuce as your 'wrap' instead of the tortilla. Many people swear by spreading cream cheese on the deli slice as an added tweak in this variation, but I have always found that icky.

Veggie Dog Wrap: Cook the veggie dog, let it cool, then lay it on the tortilla and roll up. Pack some ketchup on the side. I have found the inner plastic container which holds the toy in kinder eggs to be a wonderful watertight dip container.

Toasted Veggie Dog: As above, except put the wrapped veggie dog in the toaster until crispy. Eat hot, or let cool and pack in lunchbox with ketchup dip and eat at room temperature.

Pizza Wedges: Spread thin layer of pizza sauce on a tortilla, top with thin strips of pepper, thin slices of pepperoni or veggie pepperoni and dairy or vegan cheese. Broil until cheese melts, fold in half and slice into wedges.

Crackers and Dip: Your choice of cracker (rice cracker, melba, wheat thins etc.) packed with a small container of hummus, guacamole, bean dip, cheese dip, red pepper spread, cream cheese etc.

Triscuit and Bean Dip: As above, except that I have found bean dip and Triscuit crackers (especially the new triangular thins) to be an especially appealing combination.

Nachos to Go: Layer any of the following in small covered container: refried beans, cooked mince or veggie ground round, guacamole, salsa, plain yogurt and shredded cheese. Pack with a side of rice crackers, triscuit crackers, melba rounds or tortilla chips.

Make Your Own Lunchable

Note: These recipes attempt to copy the 'lunchables' pre-packaged lunches one can buy in a store. These lunches typically feature crackers, cheese and meat which can be stacked together in various combinations to make mini-sandwiches. The home-made version shown here is healthier, cheaper and more filling than the store-bought version.

To make a lunchable lunch, divide your lunch container in four. Two of the slots will be filled with a 'bread' choice, either a cracker-type item, or a bread-type item cut into cracker shape. Two of the slots will be filled with a 'stacker' choice, again sliced or cut into an easy-to-manage cracker-esque shape and size. Use cookie cutters to make them look fun!

If you have extra room in your lunchbox, pack some healthy sides or snacks to go along with it.

 

Bread Choices

  • Saltine Crackers
  • Rice Crackers
  • Triscuit Crackers
  • Melba Rounds
  • Tortilla Chips
  • Toast Squares
  • Tortilla Squares
  • French Bread Rounds

Stacker Choices

  • Deli Cheese Slices
  • Deli Meat Slices
  • Cooked Omelette
  • Hard-Boiled Egg Slices
  • Hot Dog/Veggie Dog
  • Broiled Tofu Slices
  • Cucumber Rounds
  • Sliced Avocado

Favourite Lunchable Combos

Original Lunchable
Rice crackers, deli slices, cheese slices. Pack some mayo in a dip container.

Pizza Lunchable
Tortilla squares, pepperoni slices, cheese slices. Pack tomato sauce in a dip container.

Hot Dog Lunchable
Tortilla squares, sliced hot dog or veggie dog, cheese slices. Pack tomato sauce in a dip container.

Vegetarian Lunchable
Rice crackers, broiled tofu slices, (vegan) cheese slices. Pack barbecue sauce in a dip container.

Party Sandwich Lunchable
Bread squares, hard-boiled egg slices, cucumber slices. Pack some mayo in dip container.

Greek-Style Lunchable
Melba rounds, sliced cheese, sliced avocado. Pack salad dressing in dip container.

Freezer Treats

Mini-Meatloaf and Side Dish: Cook your favourite meatloaf or faux meatloaf recipe in muffin tins and freeze. Pack them straight from the freezer with a side dish, they will thaw by lunchtime.

Meatballs and Side Dish: As above, but make them in balls instead of muffin cups. Or, buy frozen pre-cooked meatballs and reheat them the night before.

Fish sticks and Side Dish: Cook a serving of frozen fish sticks the night before and let them cool. Pack with a side dish and enjoy cold or reheated for lunch. Pack a dip container of ketchup or dressing with it.

Veggie Nuggets and Side Dish: Faux 'chicken' nuggets are widely available and microwave in two minutes or less. Do that before your shower, and it will be cool enough to pack when you come out.

Veggie Burger and Side Dish: As with the nuggets. Nuke your favourite one first thing in the morning and it will be ready to go. Forgo the side dish if you plan to pack a bun, or eat it solo with vegetables or garnishes.

Falafel and Side Dish: Either make ahead and freeze it, or buy pre-made freezer ones. My favourite way to cook it mess-free is on the Foreman grill. Just make up the batter (or thaw your frozen ones a little) and squish into balls. Then cook them on the grill until toasty. I usually pack hummus or some other dip with these.

Frozen Dinner: Your choice of packaged frozen entrée. Heat it at home and pack it into your lunch containers. You would be surprised at what you can enjoy cold! Or, zap it for 30 seconds to re-warm it at lunchtime, if you have access to a microwave.

Kugel Squares and Side Dish: Make your favourite kugel (noodle pudding) recipe and freeze it in squares. Pop into lunchbox and it will thaw by lunch. Or, mix an egg, seasoning and some leftover cooked noodles and microwave in silicone muffin tin for 2 minutes or so.

Broccoli or Spinach Balls: Combine one egg with 1/2 cup mashed, cooked broccoli or finely diced spinach, season to taste and mix with breadcrumbs until desired consistency is reached. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, flip and bake 20 more minutes. Cool, freeze and pack in lunchbox to enjoy at will.

Packable Pasta

Stuffed Pasta Shells: Get those extra-large jumbo shells, cook them and pack the insides with egg salad, chicken salad or something like that. Eat 'em like dumplings.

Pasta and Beans: Toss a handful of cooked pasta with a handful of cooked or canned beans and a little bit of salad dressing. Some prep work to get the pasta cooked, but if you have leftovers, this is especially easy to throw together.

Pasta and Pineapple: Toss a handful of cooked pasta with a snack-size serving of diced pineapple and a handful of cheese or cooked tofu cut into tiny cubes. Mix gently together, pack and go!

Easy Ramen Stir-Fry: This is a little more work. It's easiest to make it the night before. Rehydrate half a package of ramen noodles, then stir-fry it with a cup or so of frozen mixed vegetables. Stir in a raw egg and some soy sauce and stir-fry until cooked through. I get two lunches out of this one.

Orzo Salad: Mix cooked orzo or small shell pasta with chopped spinach, feta cheese and a dressing of two parts lemon juice, 1 part olive oil.

Rice to Go

Sushi: Roll your own, or buy it pre-made. For a variation if you don't like seaweed, you can wrap it in a spinach tortilla instead.

Rice Balls and Side Dish: Prepare some Japanese sticky rice as directed on the package. Wet your hands and form the rice into balls (or use molds, if you are lucky enough to find them). Decorate with a strip of nori seaweed for extra authenticity.

Pan-Fried Rice Balls: A variant found on-line called for mixing a tsp each of ketchup and margarine with the sticky rice, flattening into a patty and pan-frying 2 minutes per side. You could try this with sauces other than ketchup, too!

Lunchbox Rice Bowl: Throw together a cup of water, a cup of Minute rice and 1/4 cup tvp granules. Boil and let sit for five minutes. Toss with frozen mixed vegetables and bottled stir-fry sauce. Again, this is a bit of work, but it gives you two lunches.

Lunchbox Salads

Lunchbox Salad: Toss a handful of canned beans and a handful of frozen peas with 1/2 cup cooked couscous, rice or pasta. Pack in lunchbox with a side of salad dressing to mix in just before eating.

Potato Salad: Half a leftover baked potato (or about four mini potatoes, microwaved until cooked) cut into pieces and tossed with salad dressing and frozen mixed vegetables.

Mix and Match Cobb Salad: Top a bed of lettuce with any of the following, arranged in sections on top of the lettuce: cubed hard-boiled egg, cubed cooked chicken, cubed cooked roast beef, diced luncheon meat, diced cooked bacon, cubed grilled tofu, diced avocado, diced peppers, diced carrots, halved grapes, cubed feta cheese, cubed brick cheese.

Mix and Match Coleslaw: Fill your container halfway with packaged coleslaw mix, and top with any of the following, to taste: mandarin orange sections, diced peppers, halved grapes, bacon bits, nuts, soy nuts, raisins, drained pineapple tidbits, shredded carrot. Pack with dip container of dressing.

Big Salad: I take the two large containers out of my laptop lunchbox for this. Lettuce, whatever chopped vegetables I have, a dip container of dressing, and soy slices (or processed cheese slices) cut into little shapes with mini cookie cutters.

Five-Step Salad: Toss together one choice each from the following: greens (spinach, lettuce etc.), something sweet (carrots, sliced fruit, dried fruit or raisins etc.), something crunchy (pine nuts, chopped nuts, croutons etc.), something tangy (crumbled cheese, feta, goat cheese etc.) and a dressing (any type).

Easy Asian Salad: Top a bed of coleslaw mix with steamed edamame or peas, peanuts or soy nuts, sliced water chestnuts (optional) and manadarin orange slices. Bring a dip container with Asian dressing.

Chicken Caesar Salad: Top a bed of lettuce with leftover cooked chicken, cut into cubes, and salad garnishes of your choice (croutons, vegetables, feta cheese etc.) Pack with a dip container of Caesar dressing.

Other Main Dishes

Easy Potato Protein Loaf: Mash together one baked potato, half a can beans of your choice, one egg or substitute and a few teaspoons barbecue sauce, ketchup, salad dressing etc. Form into mini-loaves, pan-fry, or microwave 3-4 minutes.

Stuffed Potato: Bake a potato, then scoop out the insides, leaving a shell. Mash the insides and mix them with veggie ground round or cooked mince, and whatever vegetables you have handy, and some sauce. Stuff the mixture back into the potato shell. Yum!

Yogurt with Cereal: Depending on what kind of cereal you pick, this can be quite a filling lunch. Use two equal-sized containers. Fill one three-quarters full with yogurt. Fill the other with dry cereal. At lunch, combine them and dig in.

Lunchbox Kebab: Sliced veggie dog, mini-meatballs, cubes of meat or cheese, mini-potatoes etc. Spear them onto kebabs (firm coffee stir sticks work well for lunches) and enjoy! Pineapple slices and veggie dog slices are a fav of mine.

Easy Steamed Dumplings: Arrange packaged dumpling wrappers on work surface, place 1 tsp filling of choice in centre, fold and press edges to seal. Steam over boiling water or poach in simmering stock for 4 minutes.

Mini-Quiche and Side Dish: Toss some egg whites with 1 tsp soy sauce or salad dressing, and some tiny chopped meat or vegetables, bits of cooked rice or potato etc. Microwave 1-2 minutes in one of those silicone muffin tin things.

Regular or Soy Cheese Pizza: I don't have this often, as breads with yeast don't generally agree with me. But it is an occasional treat. I have it for dinner and reserve two pieces for lunch the next day.