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Make roll up sandwiches, Spread a tortilla with some cream cheese & ham & lettuce or whatever you like. Roll it up, & then cut it into slices, Pinwheel sandwiches.
You need some protein at lunch time. Or make an egg frittatta n the microwave, on your day off, it is a good way to use up any leftover or fresh veg & meats too, Just throw them in the egg batter & microwave about 7 or 8 minutes ( for 6 eggs) You can have a slice a day for the work week.
Make roll up sandwiches, Spread a tortilla with some cream cheese & ham & lettuce or whatever you like. Roll it up, & then cut it into slices, Pinwheel sandwiches.
You need some protein at lunch time. Or make an egg frittatta n the microwave, on your day off, it is a good way to use up any leftover or fresh veg & meats too, Just throw them in the egg batter & microwave about 7 or 8 minutes ( for 6 eggs) You can have a slice a day for the work week.
because carbs burn much to quickly for most of us causing us to feel hungry much to quickly and hunger is a pain . proteins and fats burn slower holding us over better . fats are almost 3x harder for the body to break down so fats are much higher in calories per volume of food . that leaves proteins as the best choice and the healthiest choice .
Any ideas for frugal lunches to bring to work or school that require minimal dishwashing? For example, my go to are mustard sandwiches. No fork or dishes required. If I could find a way to pack leftover rice without having to wash a lunchbox, that'd b great
Buy disposal containers and flatware and pack your own lunch. Pack leftovers from dinner and throw it all away when you're done. However, you're looking for frugal and buying disposable anything is far from frugal.
You can find some decent frozen meals for $2 (weight watcher brand) a piece or the not so decent ones for $1 (I can't think of the name but the boxes are green and they are always $1)...it all depends on how healthy you want to eat. I"m guessing 'eating well' isn't your concern as much as 'eating cheap' is.
If you really want to be cheap, buy some Cup O Soups for 25 cent each and call it a day.
I agree that you need some protein...hard boil a dozen eggs...cheap and easy to eat and full of protein.
because carbs burn much to quickly for most of us causing us to feel hungry much to quickly and hunger is a pain . proteins and fats burn slower holding us over better . fats are almost 3x harder for the body to break down so fats are much higher in calories per volume of food . that leaves proteins as the best choice and the healthiest choice .
one thing i want to add is if you are hardly eating lunch and don't get hungry that is a bad sign . when you stop getting hungry it means your body is going in to starvation mode .
it slows itself down to preserve fat and that is not good . your body now burns muscle and fat to feed itself .
the more muscle you burn the more you slow .
this is the number 1 reason dieters lose weight then gain back even more
i see it with the women at the gym . they eat like birds and do cardio and burn muscle . they rarely weight lift to gain the muscle back so what they do becomes self defeating .
......... If I could find a way to pack leftover rice without having to wash a lunchbox, that'd b great
Buy the cheap fold-over sandwich bags. Carry the rice in that. Buy the really cheap flimsy paper plates. They are often 100 in a package and they won't support any weight.. Heat your rice, eat it, and throw the sandwich bag and cheap paper plate away.
You can buy big packages of really flimsy plastic disposable forks or spoons. Use them and toss them. Or eat your rice with your fingers, makes no difference to me. If you make rice balls, those are intended to be eaten with your hands.
I buy the fold-over sandwich bags, a box of 150, for 79 cents. It's not like tossing them is going to add a bunch of cost to your lunch.
I used to make burritos and freeze them. By the tome lunch came around, they were thawed and my kid ate them cold for school lunch. Wrap canned refried beans and grated cheese into a flour tortilla and fold t it up. That's all it takes. No cooking, and only the spoon you scooped the beans out of the can with to wash. You can buy cheese pre-grated. Get the 5 pound bag and keep it stored in your freezer.
Take a piece of fruit.
Take cheese and crackers.
Take a hot dog and bun and microwave them on a paper towel, eat them without a plate. I can't stand the cheap hot dogs, but someone is eating them. I see them on sale all the time for 79 cents for a package of 10 of them.
Take some raw veggies and eat them with your fingers.
I just checked. There are paper plates on Amazon for 2 cents apiece. I don't care how tight your budget is, that isn't going to ruin your finances to throw one of those away. They can most likely be found cheaper locally when you don't have to pay shipping to get them to you.
Last edited by oregonwoodsmoke; 02-07-2017 at 08:24 AM..
The dollar tree has plenty of paper plates & you can get plastic container 2 for $1. Dollar tree, everything a dollar or less. You can also get some cheap meats in cans or frozen to vary your lunches. The potted meat is Ok. Well of course, tatses vary, but it kind of like a liverwurst.
I rarely eat boxed processed food, but if I were in your situation, I would take a baggie full of yellow box original Cheerios. They are fortified with some vitamins to help fill in the nutritional gaps, have some fiber, and are filling. As someone else suggested, also take a banana. They are very cheap, filling, and have nutritional value. The yellow box Cheerios can be found really cheap on sale, and it's fairly easy to find coupons for them. Cheerios and a banana would keep me full at lunch and supply a little nutrition.
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