Do you use a brown bag, or do you have an actual lunchbox? Is it insulated? How much food do you bring, and what types of food?
Thanks in advance, I’m super interested by this type of relatively mundane stuff.
For myself I usually bring some kind of sandwich in a paper bag, nuts/dried fruit in the bags they come in from the store, and tea in a thermos. All of those things in my backpack.
I pack my spouse’s lunch every morning. One of our prepped meals, a small dish of almonds, 2 cookies, 2 peanut mini butter cups, a nalgene of lemon water, and a spork.
As for lunch bag, she has a collection of different dino or space themed bags that we cycle through depending on her mood.
I have stainless containers with silicone lids. Turkey sandwich with cranberry goat cheese on ciabatta and a side of cheese crackers, and something like a rice krispie treat for a late afternoon snack.
I can’t remember how long I’ve been eating that, but it’s simple and I haven’t grown tired of it. My wife makes it for me, and I make her a nice fancy coffee every morning in exchange.
I’d love to swap lunches with several here. I can offer Norwegian matpakke in trade.
I’d trade for matpakke. You guys look to have a lot of ingredients we don’t get here in the US like all kinds of cheeses, pate, that caviar in a tube, different breads, etc. A lot of pics had cucumber in them though. I have yet to find any form of cucumber I enjoy, so skip that and we have a deal.
These are the little containers I have, but my lids are orange.
Berries included?
I think those are either a new addition or AI. Mine came empty, likely for the better. Plus those strawberries look very small.
That sounds amazing tbh damn
It’s honestly really good! And all Aldi ingredients, so it’s cheap. Was even better when I was working from home, as I could warm it in the toaster oven!
I live in an 18-wheeler for most of the week; I keep a mini-fridge behind my passenger seat. It’s mostly there for drinks, but I save some shelf space for sandwich supplies. Deli meats, cheeses, etc., plus some occasional treats in the freezer. I generally just slap a sandwich together, maybe pop it in the toaster oven for a bit, and then I’m off again.
My microwave gets some occasional action, and every now and then I’ll use my coffee maker to boil some ramen. I’m also thinking about hooking up a crockpot for this winter, have soups or stews going while I’m driving all day. Just depends on what food I bring onto the truck; convenience store and vending machine prices hurt my wallet, so I try to stay away from those.
You know how much your truck jostles around better than me, but there are crockpots with rubber sealed lids and locks to keep it shut that might be good!
Small insulated lunch bag (cheap) - and almost always some kind of sandwich. Leftovers from the weekend dinners too. I eat in my car as the lunch room is an awkward silence
5 identical glass Tupperware. Usually it’s a can of refried beans, 2 chopped green peppers, chopped sweet onion, small bag of frozen corn, and brown rice with a packet of taco seasoning mixed in. All divided roughly equal between the 5 containers.
Been doing this for like a decade. Used to have broccoli, chicken, pork, mushrooms, and other stuff but more or less the same idea. Been trying to go more vegetarian/vegan over the years.
I love it. I love spending 1 hour on Sunday to make all my lunches for the week.
Usually whatever leftovers from dinner. In a glass pyrex container in a lunchbox that fits in my saddlebag on my motorcycle. If there are no leftovers, usually a sandwich of some kind with chips and fruit.
Leftover dinner in a plastic box. Reheated in the microwave at work. Carried by hand to and from my car.
Exclusively work 12s so I bring 2 meals. I also have a dedicated cabinet at work for my stuff. So I keep some random snacks in there. I prep one set of meals about once a week. So one of those ends up in my cooler. Big ass cooler I can fit lots of stuff in. Then usually leftovers of something my girlfriend didn’t eat or something I can setup fast like overnight oats. Schedule rotates so its either 5 am to 5pm or 5pm to 5am. So I don’t a breakfast lunch and dinner setup. Bring a few seltzer and I have a big water bottle.
I usually do a sandwich and some nuts in an insulated lunch box with an ice pack to keep it cold
I use a 6-pack size cooler bag. Inside it, I pack whatever I can find in the kitchen, like an unhinged raccoon foraging the trash. Maybe something normal like a sandwich. More commonly, like half a green pepper, leftover corn chip crumbs, and a tablespoon of cream cheese, or some such. Then I open the lunch bag and wonder who packed my lunch.
OP I’m curious what your reasoning is behind using a paper bag. I put my lunches (usually just dinner leftovers) in a reusable bag or lunch bag, and that is mostly to keep things clean if there’s leaks.
I can’t imagine that a paper bag would do much if something leaked, and they’re more difficult to carry (though I guess not if you have handles). Plus you can’t reuse them forever. No judgment, just genuinely curious if there’s some benefit I’m not seeing.
The bags themselves are “free” because I bring home other stuff (mostly bulk dry goods) from the store in them, and I don’t really put anything that would leak into them. I typically reuse the same bag for at least a few days until it gets messed up. I have been thinking about getting a lunchbox, though, just because they’re neat, hence this thread.
I use a lunch box with a good size freezer pack that lasts all day (or at least long enough to survive summer heat past lunchtime). I have a few extras ready to go incase I forget to take it home one day or refreeze it. I also put it in a ziplock bag so when it inevitability leaks it won’t make a mess.
Paper bags in the long run are costing you more than buying a lunch box. I used to have one of those packit freezable lunch bags. It was only a bit larger than paper one but it didn’t condecne as well. The paper bags are great for when going somewhere you don’t want worry about leaving anything behind.
Sandwiches I put in a container to prevent them from getting smushed. I also bring a small reusable bottle water so I have fresh cold water at lunch instead relying on my full size one.
Paper bags in the long run are costing you more than buying a lunch box.
The paper bags are “free” because I bring produce (potatoes) and other dry bulk goods home from the store, but I hear you. Part of why I started this thread is I wanna get a lunch box and I wanted to hear about how people are using 'em.
I see, well if you get them for free and it’s working for you…
The biggest hassle for me is forgetting it at work overnight, so I have to use an old lunchbox and remeber why I replaced it, but wont get rid of it for that exact situstion.
I have a soft insulated old Hello Kitty lunchbox.
Bring leftovers, usually, just put away half of supper for lunch. In a 2 cup glass Tupperware so about 2 cups I guess. And if there is any fruit, will bring some. And if I have made bread, a slice of sourdough for breakfast.
ETA if I don’t have supper or if there is not any left over, there is a cafeteria at work that has hot meals, sandwiches, and a salad bar. Also a Panera fast food across the street. But that ends up around $16 usually so not a daily sort of thing.
