I love food.
I like planning meals. A wander round Waitrose {sans children} is like therapy to me. Cooking brings me joy, and the act of eating is one of my greatest pleasures. You might even call me a foodie.
So why do I fail at lunch?
In a previous life I worked for Woolworths {may she rest in peace}. I was young, but working in a managerial role. The days were long and the stress levels high.
My lunch break was sacred. I would retreat from the shop floor and head out on to the bustling high street beyond, always careful to hide the hideous red shirt of my uniform beneath my coat.
My diet was appalling. I survived on Burger King, pasties from Greggs and M&S ready meals nuked in the staff room microwave. I drank diet coke exclusively, and always nipped out to hurriedly chain smoke at least 3 cigarettes before I returned to work.
By rights, I should have been massively overweight, but my speedy metabolism kept me safely within my low slung, pierced belly button revealing, size 6 jeans {it was 2001 and I listened to A LOT of Britney, OK?}. My skin was horrific though, and my immune system permanently stalled.
At some point I experienced an epiphany, and slowly morphed into the fruit and veg loving woman I am today. When I finally quit my job at Woolies and headed back to college at the age of 20, it was with a packed lunch firmly grasped in my hand. I ate salad and fresh fruit, stuffed pitta bread with hummus, snacked on nuts and sipped nothing but fruit juice and herbal tea.
With Izzy’s arrival a year or so later, my attitude to lunch was flaky at best. I often found myself feeding her while forgetting to feed myself. A serious bout of depression eliminated my appetite almost entirely and I would regularly reach 7pm having eaten nothing all day. My weight plummeted to little over 7 stone. It was not a good look.
Clearly, my lunchtime feeding habits have been formed on foundations that leave a lot to be desired. If I’m being honest, it’s just not a meal that inspires me and certainly not one I look forward to. These days, when I’m alone and working from home, my lunch falls into one of three categories…
1. Hideously unhealthy. Think pot noodle and a can of diet coke.
2. Massively uninspiring. Pasta with pesto. Beans on toast. Fried eggs. A cheese sandwich. I hate sandwiches.
3. Non-existent. Without the children here to nag me into the kitchen, it becomes all to easy to skip the meal entirely.
Even when the children are home, our midday meal lacks finesse. So, with half term rapidly approaching, and a week of lunches to plan for, I’m seeking an intervention.
What do you eat for lunch? Is it a meal you feel passionately about? Care to convert me with your favourite sandwich filling?
Love Audrey xxx
I nearly always take leftovers for lunch. This is probably easier as there are only 2 of us in the house so there are nearly always leftovers. I make up big batches of soup, pasta bakes, stews, chillis, etc, and then freeze what is left in tupperware boxes. Today I’ve got some beef stew with mash. Hmm. You can’t beat a warm lunch. If I had to make something from scratch I would be buggered. In the summer I take salads with quinoa and houmus, but these require more preparation time so I favour just removing something from the freezer the night before. Sandwiches are so very boring and I find that they don’t fill me at all! Sometimes a sandwich and soup is nice though.
That all sounds delcious, but we rarely ever have leftovers. Curse my husband and his enormous appetite. Perhaps I need to do a bit of batch cooking and fill my freezer with some homemade ready meals. Totally agree about sandwiches, even posh shop bought ones do little for me!
xxx
Soup! I love a thick, “healthy” soup, something like broccoli with cheddar, carrot, corriander and cumin, spiced pumpkin etc. Preferably with a big chunk of fresh bread and butter, but as I’m dieting, the bread is out 🙁
Yes, I love soup too. I find nice shop bought ones can be expesnive though {particularly as Carl can eat a whole carton to himself!}, so it’s finding the time to make some up myself. I need to dedicate an evening to filling the freezer by the looks of things.
xxx
I agree with you about shop-bought soups – plus, have you seen the amount of salt in them? Eek! Do you have a slow cooker? You could make a big batch, one a day maybe, in a slow cooker, then freeze in individual portions. Of course, then you need to remember to defrost them so you can have them for lunch. That’s where I usually fall down…
Waiting with baited breath for someone to add something inspirational. I go for one of the above (also finding sandwiches boring) or option 4 “leftovers” which originally started out as a healthy family meal.
Leftovers wuold be good wouldn’t they? They’re a very rare occurence in our house, everything gets demolished at first sitting. That said, I am going to heat up some leftover bean casserole today. Not feeling particularly enthusiastic about it mind!
xxx
This is less than inspiring but I thought I’d share anyway. I’ve recently been put on a new diet and where I used to snack through lunch I now have to eat a strict set of foods which requires much more thought! I’ve started putting some of my dinner into a container before putting any on my plate so that there are ‘reserved leftovers’ specifically to one side/in the fridge. That’s the only way I manage it! I can’t buy the food I can eat at work or in local shops so if I forget my leftovers I’m a little stuck! Perhaps that might help you with your leftovers issue though? xxx
This is quite a genius idea Laura, thank you. The Mr can’t eat what he can’t see now, can he?!
xxx
I am a horror for lunch since I loathe sandwiches too. A typical lunch for me might be a pastry and a latte, or ryvita and some nice cheese. Pasta with pesto is a new addition to my lunchtime range. Thrilling is not but it is at least something different for me. I give it a fortnight before I never want to eat pesto again. A favourite thing for me is a small plate with a small but lovely bread roll, feta,olives, anti pasti (any of those but not all, but they must be in a little olive oil so I can mop it up with my lovely bread.
Yes, that’s the kind of lunch I’d love too! I quite often wander up to the deli when I’m feeling flush and treat myself to such things. Maybe I need to buy my own jars of olves etc in bulk and lay out my own tapas each day?
xxx
Yes I do that. Or I will buy the little fresh pots (waitrose mozarella, pesto and tomatoes is lush) and try to make that pot last me three days (dates allowing!) with a small roll each time. Yum. I have experimented with buying the jars and whilst very nice, not quite as nice as fresh!
I must admit I struggle with lunch, it’s a funny one really. I am quite partial to a sandwich, of course you can substitute the bread for pitta bread or rolls… I like a salad too, with an egg and/or tuna. Or toast.
I like a good soup. It’s so easy to make homemade soup that I really reckon it would be worth doing that once a week and freezing portions. I could live off homemade soup!
I also like smoked mackerel or salmon, light enough for a lunch.
As for saving leftovers, if I’m making a chilli for example, I often decant it into tubs as soon as it’s cooked and then carry on cooking the rest for a little longer, that way it’s not in the pan after I’ve dished up (if that makes sense) therefore we don’t go back for seconds or pick at it. As soon as it’s in a tub and in the freezer, it won’t be touched!
I am hungry now.
Oooh lots of inspiration there, thank you. I think taking out ‘leftovers’ before I dish up may be the way to go.
xxx
I hate sandwiches too, but am limited as we have no heating up facilities at work… When I was at home during the days, I really enjoyed a good baked potato with butter and melted cheese. Admittedly, not that inspiring, but warming and delicious.
Yes, lovely lunch in theory, but I always forget to put them in the oven early enough! I know you can nuke ’em in the microwave but not the same if the skin isn’t crispy!
xxx
Oh, I’m starving! I have to admit I have a boring cheese sandwich with me with a packet of hula hoops for afters (rock n roll) I do agree, a sandwich never fills m up, so around 2.30 pm Im looking for something else.
This has inspired me to do some cooking/freezing this weekends, now I need advice on recipes please?
I’m very lucky to get free lunches at work – salads, jackets potatoes, sandwiches, soup. Nothing amazingly adventurous, but it fills a hole!
When I’m at home I like to try making up different wraps or pittas. Something the kids might enjoy in the holidays, make up little bowls of different ingredients and let them make their own wrap… and the challenge of eating it without the filling falling out everywhere is quite fun too (I think there’s a technique to the wrapping that I haven’t yet mastered)! You could do similar with crackers – let them pick their own cracker then try different toppings. They could even try sweeter ones – cheese and apple, or naughty chocolate spread and banana?
Leftovers thrown over jacket potatoes are always a winner in the winter, or simple beans and cheese. Yum! If a whole jacket is too much for the little ones for lunch, they could split one between them.
I prefer to put more effort into evening meals with hubs is home, but simple working-from-home lunches, like the wraps, that I can just throw together are sometimes the best!
Love the idea of wraps and I know the children would too. What sort of fillings do you offer with them?
xxx
You could do all sorts – grated cheese (different colours!), roasted veg, shredded and grated salad-y bits (lettuce, cucumber, carrot), shredded meat and fish, humous, pickles, chutneys… or go back to student days with fish fingers and tomato sauce! Then try sweet ones. You could even heat them up in the oven for five minutes for those colder days! x
I’m with you on the sandwich front – I can’t stand them! Lunch is easily my worst meal for the day. Here’s to dinner!
I always have this problem too! Would also recommend leftovers, mostly I cook extra for my husband and I to take for lunch. Not only is it a great money saver but also means I don’t snack as much X
Like pretty much everyone reading (it seems, judging from the comments) I’m a leftovers girl. Sometimes I’ll do a quiche or tortilla for a couple of days, I chuck in a load of veg to make them a bit healthier. If I’m home I’ll do omlettes, croque monsieur or welsh raebit.. Honestly don’t eat lunch at home much though (we eat out or have brunch) so my repertoire is limited! Lunch just isn’t inspiring like breakfast and dinner..
Oops, somehow managed to link to totally the wrong Twitter… D’oh
I used to hate lunch and would avoid it almost entirely (i think this came from a childhood phobia of sandwiches) but after not being too well last year I came to realise that food is about energy and I discovered how good a tasty lunch can do you! My working lunches consist of three set menus if you like 1. Chicken salad with couscous, humus and pitta 2. Black pepper rivita crackers with a little cheddar cheese and a chopped up apple 3. Granary bagel, low fat Philly, lots of rocket and a couple of slices of chorizo! I find each of these gives me the energy I need for the afternoon! Not overly excited but all very easy and satisyfing! Loved reading others ideas! Xx
Totally agree with everything you say in this post- it is the most uninspiring meal! At the weekend we tend to miss it completely. At work I usually just bring in soup with a bread roll- so boring but I literally eat it to give me energy. Really need to get some good lunch ideas so enjoying reading the comments on this post! Xx
At the moment I am LOVING
Fried Egg and Bacon with tomato ketchup on toasted bagels, Slamon and cream cheese sandwiches from Tesco, Waitrose Healthy Living Soups, leftover stews, mash and gravy. Anything hot and warming, or with a bit of spicy chickpea in 😉 A bit of curry also goes a long way into keeping my tummy satisfied and my body warm 🙂 x