Wednesday, September 2, 2009

What does everyone else do?

College is messing up my eating. All summer I've had a refrigerator and microwave oven to use for lunch. Between the two I had totally decent lunches. Now in college I don't have either one. I can't heat up the previous night's dinner leftovers for lunch. I can't bring yogurt. I can't heat up soup.

I've been tossing some fruit in my bag to eat midday but it's not too good. Not just because my apricot worked its way under my books and got smushed all over the bottom of my bag yesterday. Also because warm fruit is gross.

It seems like everyone else buys lunch. Not going to happen here.

Breakfast - grape nuts & milk
Snack - asian pear
Snack - banana
Snack - random package of saltines I found at work
Dinner - watermelon fresca, shrimp and scallops over pasta, broccoli, pretzels

9 comments:

miSz tUna said...

Sandwiches? I always do that.

Amber Lee said...

Yeah, your choices are:bought, sandwiches, fruit, nuts, go hungry. Next semester, if you can allot some of your financial aid to one of the meal plans.

Anonymous said...

i bought a sturdy lunchbox that was insulated to keep stuff cold, and pack yogurt, cheese stick, veggies and dip, hope that helps

Monica said...

Insulated lunchbox and small icepacks are the way to go. If you want yogurt for lunch some of them freeze well and act as an icepack for the other stuff in your lunchbox but thaw by lunchtime.

I use ziploc containers (the ones with the screwtop lids) and layer yogurt, frozen berries and granola. Make up a weeks worth at a time and freeze them, take them out the night before and put it in the fridge and it's a great midmorning breakfast break. I still cannot bring myself to eat first thing in the morning.

thordora said...

THermos works if you want a break from sandwich/fruit. Something with solid sides will protect the squishies-I always pick stuff like that up at local thrift stores for next to nothing, but I have no idea what you'd have available like that. I just like to have more than a few on hand for when I lose or forget to wash them. :)

Frozen juiceboxes make good ice packs-granola bars, etc is portable and filling.

I always went hungry myself. But I'm lazy.

uberimma said...

I second insulated lunchbox and cold pack. I send my kids with a piece of cheese--when I buy a block I slice it, put the pieces in a bag and freeze the whole thing. A good-size chunk of cheese is thaw by lunch but keeps the rest of the lunch cold. Sometimes I also freeze juice boxes, which work better but are expensive. An insulated lunch bag is $5 at Target right now.

OTRgirl said...

When we make a salad, we make enough for leftovers.

Trader Joe's Breaded Tilapia is great on top of a salad and makes a good heat-free lunch.

The other salad we make is with tuna fish (mix spices in with the fish), feta cheese (or whatever cheese), cold pasta (rotini), almonds and whatever combo of veggies we have on hand.

Anonymous said...

Insulated bag or separate box, ice pack or frozen food or drink item, sturdy container for mushable items, Thermos or similar brand containers to keep contents cold or even hot.

Sandwiches, salads, some dinner leftovers are good cold, some dinner leftovers can be transformed into something that would be good cold like a meat sandwich or chicken salad or pasta salad or broccoli dressed with lemon juice.

Maybe there's a lounge some place with a microwave.

Carry tea bags or hot cocoa packets and get a cup of hot water, probably cheap if not free, to have a nice warm drink.

Eat a very substantial breakfast.

Variety of healthful snacks.

Anonymous said...

Look back at your older food posts. You made yourself a lot of interesting salads over the summer. You could still do that, no?

You also did buy some things at times.

What was the lunch situation in high school?