Packed lunch ideas?

[Izabellax18]

i wanted to ask for some help on packed lunch ideas. Not for me, my boyfriend starts working out of town on Monday, he will be gone most likely Monday-Friday, he gets some money for food while he's on the road but he'd like to save it up and not use much of it because he can keep what he doesn't use. He'll have a couple coolers, but no access to a microwave. I was wondering if anybody had any ideas on food I could make for his lunch that either doesn't need microwaved or would be okay in a cooler. We've already thought of pepperoni rolls... But that's pretty much it lol

Thanks!
- Isabella


Also, there's not really a limit on ingredients, I can get stuff if needed.

 

[Kayelle]

Hi Izabella, and welcome to Discuss Cooking.

Will you be packing five lunches for him at a time for the work week, or is he willing to make some sandwiches for himself from the coolers?

 

[Izabellax18]

Thank you. And I was planning on packing 5 lunch for him at a time. He will be driving most of the time and I'd like to already have something prepared.


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[Kayelle]

He has to stop driving to eat anyway, if only at a roadside rest stop. I'd encourage him to at least make his own sandwiches for the last three workdays, and you pack his first two lunches. I can't imagine wanting to eat a pre packed lunch that was older than two days.

 

[Izabellax18]

Yeah, that makes sense. I think I'll do that, but I'd still like to find some other ideas too.


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[Kayelle]

Oh, you'll get lots of ideas here Izabella!
I've never known a man who didn't love a good meatloaf sandwich. Does he like meatloaf?

 

[Izabellax18]

Yes he does, he likes just about everything, the only thing I know he will not eat is tomatoes lol.


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[Aunt Bea]

A week is a long time to keep a sandwich in a cooler.

I would go with some things like a stick of peperoni, ring bologna, a chunk of cheddar cheese, hard boiled eggs left in the shell, oranges, apples, bananas, chocolate bars, crackers, a box of cereal, milk and some cookies or granola bars.

He can also cut some corners by hitting a grocery store or convenience store with a deli and pick up some cold cuts, fried chicken, salads, milk etc... If he is not much of a shopper make him a short list of survival items that he can just grab and go.

I would think in terms of taking the "extras" and planning on picking up the main portion of the meal with a quick stop along the way. I'm concerned that it may end up costing more if you try to pack everything and then when it is not so tasty towards the end of the week he ends up buying his meals to escape the cooler.

Good luck!

 

[Oldvine]

I agree with Kayelle. Except in the case of an extreme financial crisis, I can't imagine planning a lunch that includes a 5 day old sandwich. Besides there are more than 5 lunches in a week. There are also 5 breakfasts and 5 suppers and a few snacks along the way. Maybe he should check out some frugal meals along the way in various eating establishments.
Maybe you could go to a large truck stop and check out the various plug into the cigarette lighter food prep. items that are available. He could open a can of chili beans or soup now and then and heat them up driving down the road and have a 99 cent meal.

 

[Izabellax18]

Thanks for the ideas, I wasn't planning on making 5 sandwiches for the 5 days because I knew by the end of the week he wouldn't eat them. I think I'll do what Kayelle make a couple sandwiches for the first couple days then pick up a loaf of bread and some lunchmeat tomorrow for him to make some towards the end of the week. I'm also thinking some crackers, chips ect for snacking on. And I think I'll also look for those ciggerates like


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[Izabellax18]

Lighter* items, I think those would come in handy.


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[Cheryl J]

Hi Isabella, and welcome.

Best wishes to your boyfriend while he's on the road. Since he'll have access to cooler(s) on the road, could you prepare a few pieces of fried chicken for him? Not a lot, just what you think he will use within a couple of days....maybe a few slices of roast beef or ham, and some sliced sandwich cheese so he could make his own sammies. A small tub of cream cheese with some pre-sliced bagels could be breakfast for a couple of those days, along with bananas, apples and/or a bag of small clementine oranges.

Bagels, pita bread or pita chips, crackers, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of honey if he likes it, would work for non perishables for that short of time on the road. As another suggested, granola bars is a good idea, too.

You've probably already thought of this, but life on the road will be easier and more pleasant for him if he has a large ziplock bag filled with disposable plates and cutlery, napkins, small travel sized salt and pepper containers, a can opener, and some Clorox handwipes. A few plastic grocery bags would be helpful to hold trash in until he can get to a trash bin, in case he just wants to pull of the road under a shade tree and eat.

Hopefully he will be traveling in a state with nice weather this time of year!

 

[Izabellax18]

Great ideas I could definitely do fried chicken and beef, I think he'd like that. Also thanks for the ideas on the paper plates and such. I wouldn't have thought of packing the can opener or salt and pepper. Might come in handy.

 

[Izabellax18]

Roast beef* I just cooked up some roast beef today I'll probably slice that up for him.

 

[GotGarlic]

I love these ideas about putting salads in a jar for the upcoming week: http://www.thekitchn.com/salad-in-a-jar-make-a-week-of-lunches-173014

These would make a nice addition to sandwiches for a few days. You could give it a try for a week or two and see how well they last.

 

[Izabellax18]

I really like this idea.. I thought about making salads and this seems like the way to go since we have plenty if mason jars. I'll give it a try this week.

 

[menumaker]

Another idea to get away from 'bread' every day could be a pack of tortilla wraps, a tube of mayo, and some packs of smoked salmon/ salami/ cold shredded chicken etc. He can make those up himself easy peasy ( don't forget to give him a knife to spread with) and some tortilla chips for crunch. A good item to go with these or as a snack is Avocado pear

 

[Izabellax18]

Thanks everybody for their ideas, he ended up getting called out tonight instead of in the morning so things were pretty rushed, I packed as much as I could for him I'll still take ideas for next week.

 

[Cheryl J]

Hi, Isabella. Let us know how the first week went! By the end of the week you'll have a better idea of what works, what doesn't, and what you might need more of...or less of. Again, best wishes to both of you.

 

[Izabellax18]

Thank you, I used a lot of the suggestions I got on here. I'll be sure to let you know how everything works