Hi guys,

Okay so I know we have had lots of threads about quick meals about what to eat etc, but here's my dilemma.

I work from home most days- breakfast is fine, tea is fine, but lunch is a problem. What can I eat?

I'm a major hater of bread and wraps therefore sandwiches are not an option (unless they're Gregg's sandwiches which are uber yummy but uber expensive), and things like jacket potatoes take too long to make because I always forget to put them in the oven a while before I want to eat it, and they taste funny in the microwave. I tried soup for a while but I'm really not a fan, even the chunky soup isn't too fab.

I've recently been resorting to crumpets with butter, or crackers and cheese, which aren't exactly filling.

Any ideas? I like the look of pitta bread in Asda but I would have no idea what to put on it, or how to make it filling. What do you have for your lunches? Preferably something that doesn't take too long to make, and doesn't involve too many ingredients!

This may seem like a ridiculous thread, however I've asked my other half, my mum, even the lady in Asda, with no success!

Thanks everyone!

I've got some ideas: pre-packed pasta salads, packs of dessicated savoury rice that you just add water to and boil for a bit, frozen curries, pot noodles (again you only need add hot water to these), microwave popcorn (my favourite) and Dairy Lea dunckables.

I have exactly the same problem, and I also would like ideas that keep the kcals down. I have gone through scrambled egg on toast, cheese toast and warmed up evening meals e.g. lasagne but now stuck

I tend to have cup soups with pitta bread, pitta filled with cheese and lettuce or another filling, or thai noodle pot things! Pre-cooked chickpeas with tomatoes, sweetcorn, a bit of chilli powder and garlic makes a good filling for pitta imho, or perhaps hummus would be nice too.

I hope by now the whole forum knows my feelings on houmous. :-s

I can't say I've ever actually tried houmous sneaks!

Thanks for the ideas guys, I might try something with pitta bread. I don't really like pot noodles, I've begun to realise that I'm REALLY fussy!

======= Date Modified 20 Mar 2010 11:14:06 =======
Beans on toast is good: protien and carbs, and tasty too. Or pasta with pesto. Or... leftovers. I often make a load of curry (curry is from a jar so really easy), spag bol, chilli or similar and then have leftovers for lunch. Very nice too.

There is also cheese on toast; lentil and tomato dhal, which needs hald an hour cooking, but is just a matter of throwing lentils, tinned tomatoes and water in a pan with some herbs and seasoning; errrmmmm, omlettes; and the fabulous tinned mackerel in chili (they have other flavours but chilli is my fave) from tescos plonked on a pile of new or otherwise potatoes - you only need to cook the spuds. Today I am having a fishcake which was reduced in Tescos with some baked beans and potato wedges.

I love wally's super healthy suggestions. I haven't dared eat a pot needle for over ten years, maybe I should try it.

I have just realised that this forum is fast becoming a personal food log!

- salads, and throw in some tinned tuna
- home made soups - I cook a big lot, divide into person-sized portions and freeze
- stir fries - throw bunch of vegetables into a wok, add some Asian sauces, eat with either 2 minute noodles or some packet crispy noodles
- when I go to the shops I'll buy some cooked chicken, a tub of tabouli, an avocado and eat this in pita bread/wraps or on big crackers for a couple of days.

Soup is a good idea. I often make my own, a big pan of it keeps in the fridge for several days and will provide you a few lunches, with some bread or toast. I find tinned soups usually taste horrible, and the fresh ones e.g. Covent Garden brand are nice but expensive, and can be a bit excessively salty if you care about such things. Making your own is cheap and easy when you get used to it.

I usually have it for dinner/supper, not lunch, as I'm out at work all day and have my main meal at midday, so it's nice to have something simple and easy when I get home.

Grate - or food prcess -some carrot, white cabbage etc in the evening whilst doing your cooking and stick it in a bowl in the fridge, - I think ASDA actually have this already prepared in a bag alongside their salad stuff - then you can add mayo, and anything else you fancy, like cheese at lunchtime and put it into a warmed pitta bread, although when I'm in a hurry its also usually cheese and biscuits. I usually put together a friut bowl of prepared stuff though, like kiwi, grapes etc. to give me something to nibble on - although not to sound too healthy, I've also been known to have some of those special K bite things, which are surprisingly OK despite the advert, and other such goodies... and the odd bit of choc...or the few raisins or oher dried fruit, or the crisps left in the packet. Last time I was on holiday from school, and therefore working a lot on writing I tried that special K diet, as I thought this would be easy and quick and would save me having to think of things to eat but it didn't work for me at all, in fact I put weight on even though I stuck to their portion size :-(.

Couscous or noodles take no time at all to cook, you just need to find something which makes them less bland. Luckily there's absolutely tons of things you could add, it's just a matter of personal preference.