Brown Bag/Lunchbox Meals for Kids & Adults

[Bashful3]

The problem with preparing a sandwich the night before is that the bread will be hopeless by the time you eat it. The only sandwiches I make that withstand sitting around all day in a warm place are peanut butter and jelly, or maybe egg salad, where the softened white bread adds to the charm.

Why not make a huge meat loaf one morning/evening whatever, and consider this your Dogpatch Ham: slice for sandwiches made at the last minute when you are exhausted; open a jar of good pasta sauce, drop in cubes of meat loaf while angel hair pasta is cooking (2 min?); reheat slices in the microwave, or in a pan with a tiny bit of water.(this changes the whole gestalt of the meat loaf)?

[jeniac42]

I generally pack my sandwich components separately to avoid sogginess (does this make me hopeless?), so that shouldn't be a problem. The meatloaf is a good idea (and believe me, I've done it), but what I want is things that are pretty complicated that either reheat well or make good sandwiches.

An example of something not terribly complex, but fun enough to take up some time on a weeknight: Bake bread (using bread machine), make mayonnaise, boil eggs, make egg salad, and take that as a sandwich the next day. Or maybe some type of roasted meat to throw on some bread, but that's not very complex either. I like broccoli slaw which involves lots of chopping, for example.

Don't ask me if I'm making any sense, it's been a long week

[Wilfrid]

I envy someone who is trying to complicate their life in the evenings! This may be obvious, but stews and braises are easy to pack in a plastic contained, improve overnight and re-heat okay. You could spend a couple of evenings at least making elaborate and authentic versions of coq au vin, daube de veau or pot au feu. I used to spend nights making dishes like this in idle moments when baby wouldn't sleep. A bit of crusty bread to dip, and there you go.

[elyse]

Are you interested only in sandwiches? I make casseroles and stews etc, and portion them in plastic containers to take to work. As for sandwiches, you could try a Hunter's Sandwich. It's a loaf of bread cut horizontally, and layer a steak, onions, peppers, mushrooms bla, bla, then put the top layer on and weight it with something heavy so the bread soaks up all of the juices. Tell me if you want recipes. It's pretty straight forward, though.

[JAZ]

You could spend a lot of time making various spreads for sandwiches. I make an olive spread, for instance, to use on italian-type sub sandwiches, or a caramelized onion and roasted red pepper spread for chicken or beef sandwiches. Is that the sort of thing you're thinking of?

[Holly Moore]

A couple of folks mentioned egg salad as sandwiches for a brown bagged lunch. One talked about them sitting out warm all day. Nine times out of 10 or 99 times out of 100 that is fine. But those other times... Let's just say you'll be missing work for a day or a few days, but will be in no mood to be cooking or doing anything more than a quick dash distant from the bathroom.

Egg salad, because of the eggs and especially because of the mayonnaise, is an ideal medium for bacteria growth and the ingredients increase the odds that bacteria and their toxins will be present. Egg salad should be immediately refrigerated and should not be allowed to become warm.

[jeniac42]

Spreads are great (I love olive-based spreads). I tend to look through How to Cook Everything and a few other books for ideas, and I'd love to hear some new ones.

Luckily I have a fridge at work so I can keep my egg salad cold. I wouldn't want to eat it if it sat out all morning... *shudder*

[Jinmyo]

When I make egg salad, the eggs are usually still vaguely warm and I've just made the mayo. Minced scallions, garlic, a bit of ginger. I really enjoy a few spoonfuls while it's still in this state.

[IrishCream]

Egg salad, because of the eggs and especially because of the mayonnaise, is an ideal medium for bacteria growth and the ingredients increase the odds that bacteria and their toxins will be present.

Not to mention that egg "salad" sandwiches stink...and will offend your coworkers.

[Miss J]

Hummous is good. It's especially good spread thickly on wholegrain bread, topped with roasted peppers and sprouts, and seasoned generously before finishing with the second slice of bread. It keeps well, doesn't smell, and manages to both taste good and be good for you.

Chickpeas.

[snowangel]

The school year ends tomorrow. The verdicts:

Heidi. A sandwich girl all the way (unless we have leftover frittata). Cheese, turkey, whatever. She loves sandwiches.

Peter. Sandwich boy. Just about anything goes, including mayo and jelly (no comments, please).

Diana. The adventurous one. If it's a sandwich, it has to have stuff like feta, hot peppers, roasted red peppers -- not the stuff most kids in North Minneapolis put on their sandwiches. Tabouli is another favorite. Salads (I got a little rubbermaid container for dressing). Bread and cheese. But, her favorite is leftover Thai curry or larb. When she mentioned to one of her teachers that she loves leftover curry, he offered her the use of his microwave, in exchange for an occasional curry fix. She has been known to get up early in the morning if we have some leftover steak and make larb.

All kids get fruit with their lunches, and sometimes cookies, cut-up veggies, etc. It has been a good year, and I've appreciated the fact that they decide what they want and help fix it.

[KatieLoeb]

First off, congratulations on starting your children on the road to self-sufficiency and adventurous eating habits! Brava!

This might be a bit late in the game, but my favorite quick lunch of late that isn't as ordinary but just as easy to prepare is tuna salad with some wasabi powder sprinkled in. Pretty good with salmon salad made from leftover salmon too.

[Marlene]

I'm not even gonna tell you what my son takes for lunch . After this thread, I'd be crucified! He doesn't always take the healthiest stuff for lunch, but he always takes fruit (ok to salve my guilty concience, I make him take fruit ). But he is an adventurous eater at home now that's he's getting a bit older, and I was informed the other day to start putting extra garlic in stuff. (up until now, he hated garlic).

All I can say is I'll be glad when our school year is over next week.

[Kim WB]

I'm not even gonna tell you what my son takes for lunch .  After this thread, I'd be crucified!

My kids take $5. I have always hoped that they bought food with it.... They have cafeterias with vast selections, although I suspect that fries and chicken fingers are the daily staples.

[snowangel]

My kids take $5.

Per week? Per day? Per what?

[Kim WB]

My kids take $5.

Per week? Per day? Per what?

$5 a day. I think Chicken strips are 2-3 bucks or something, plus juice and fires and whatever.

[KNorthrup]

A real favorite was baked beans.  In the morning, in the microwave, they'd heat up the beans, and heat up a frankfurter.  Then, they'd pour the beans into the thermos and stick the hot frankfurter down into it.  Seal it up, pack up a bun and some potato salad.  Lunchtime, retrieve the wiener, put it on the bun, and they'd have a nice warm hot-dog, with beans and potato salad.

My brother and I loved loved loved Beenie Weenies. Probably in part because it was the closest thing to junk food we ever got. Didn't like normal hot dogs, just those.

By high school, we made our own lunches. The school didn't have a cafeteria so buying was a non-issue. I've frankly always regretted missing out on those 'typical American' mystery meat cliches and such.

Everyone has made everything I would think of and more suggestion-wise so I'll just add the one thing that I've never forgotten. Variety is very important. Which you clearly know so this really isn't directed at anyone here. When we were rather small and my father was trying to raise us alone, I mentioned once (again, I was quite small, that's my excuse) that I really liked canned corned beef hash. I had it every day in my lunch for at least six weeks. I didn't have the heart to say I didn't want it any more. I think it eventually stopped just because the store ran out.

[hillvalley]

Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the high 80's and of course I am spending the day at the zoo. I have to bring a lunch that will fullfill my food snob needs but will not go bad either.

Obvious choice is a sandwich, right? Wrong. I am not a big fan of the sandwich when it's not going to be sitting in a hot backpack all day. It will take one look after I pull it out of the bag before I loose my appetite.

So here lies my delima. Thought about a hunk of brie and a baguette, but then I had a vision of cleaning melted cheese out of my backpack during a field trip. Would make a pasta salad but I spent last week eating one and am pasta'd out.

Help!

[sequim]

Mmmm, a thermos of iced lemonade sounds good.

Also, how about a chunk of good bread, salami, and some fruit that won't go weird like grapes.

I like to just go to a specialty store and cruise through it looking for ideas.

[slbunge]

If you want cheese and bread, I would go with a 'hard' cheese like maybe Vella Dry Jack. At 80ish degrees it will have a sheen of oil but will otherwise be intact. It is the cheese I take wilderness camping where there is no cooler and it holds up great.

Although it isn't the right time of year, I've done tomato bread salad at picnics on hot days. This time of year, your best bet might be cherry tomatoes. Anyway, toss together tomato, olives, vinegar, olive oil, garlic macerated with salt, and some roughly treated basil leaves and put into an oversized leak-proof container. In a separate bag carry some chunks of baguette. About 5 or 10 minutes before you want to eat, throw the bread chunks in with the tomato, shake, and let sit so the bread soaks up some of the moisture from the tomato mixture. The recipe I start with is at Epicurious website and is called 'tomato bread salad with herbs' (Gourmet, 8/96). I'd link the recipe but their site isn't working right now.

[aliwaks]

Those packs that you crack and they get cool are a fantastic addition to any picnic (you can get them at any drug store)

foodwise:(I'm thinking vegetarian is best)

how about?

Hummus /pita chips

Salad of tomato, cucumber & feta with oregano & mint

Grilled zucchini, red peppers & summer squash

Cous Cous salad with sultanas & almonds

sweet iced mint tea

baklava

Gorp with toasted walnuts, dates, candied ginger & chocolate chips

or

roasted tomato tart with goat cheese

radishes, raw fennel, aged provolone & fat green olives marinated in EVOO, an anchovy, orange zest & oregano

Marinated artichokes

Semolina bread

iced espresso (in thermos)

biscotti

Gorp with: almonds, candied orange peels, chocolate covered espresso beans

(here you could add a dried whole sopressetta and be okay food-saftey wise)

or

Cold buckwheat noodles with Shredded napa cabbage, snow peas , carrots, cucumbers in peanut sauce

Summer rolls (rice paper) with avocado, tofu, cilantro, mint thai basil w. sweet vinegar dip sauce (lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar)

sliced melon

ice green tea

delicate cookies

gorp with: toasted salted cashews, candied ginger, butterscotch chips, dried cherries

or

lentil salad with walnuts

nicose olives

manchego cheese chunks marinated in lavender, garlic & evoo

baguette

Eggplant "caviar"

Mint scented lemonade

strawberries

ginger cookies

gorp with: white chocolate chips, toasted salted pecans & dried apricots

ok I need to go on a picnic soon.

[Hiroyuki]

I understand you like Japanese food. Why not bring rice balls with umeboshi (pickled plums) inside? They won't go bad. In fact, umeboshi is said to protect you from food poisoning.

Enjoy the zoo!

[slbunge]

Gorp with toasted walnuts, dates, candied ginger & chocolate chips

...

Gorp with: almonds, candied orange peels, chocolate covered espresso beans

...

gorp with: toasted salted cashews, candied ginger, butterscotch chips, dried cherries

...

gorp with: white chocolate chips, toasted salted pecans & dried apricots

Oh my. Gorp to me has always been peanuts, M&Ms, peanuts, raisins, and peanuts. therefore totally avoidable.

You've opened my eyes to a whole Gorp world. I'm going for the almond/orange peel/espresso bean one as soon as the weather clears.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Freezing a bottle of water works well. You'll have it for sipping throughout the day and for keeping food cold.

Pat

[hillvalley]

Bottle went into the freezer when I got home this afternoon. The trick will be remembering it tomorrow morning!

I now have enough ideas to get me through the end of the school year and a few picnics this summer.

aliwaks I bet your life tastes pretty good. All those gorp combos! I forgot about gorp. I am getting up early to get the supplies needed to whip up a batch for the walk around the zoo.

Lunch tomorrow will be one of two things, depending on my stomach. Rice balls with umeshiso if it is not happy and a hunk of cheese, nuttella and a baguette plus an apple if it's not.

If it were them iddle of summer I would make the tomato bread salad, but it's worth waiting a month or so to do it right. Thanks for all of the ideas.

(Keep your fingers crossed for a freak cold front!)