Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with food and Lunch

What are some good protein-rich meals I can take to work with me for lunch? I'm trying to gain some mass.

decrescendo — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:11:25 -0800

What are some good protein-rich meals I can take to work with me for lunch? I'm trying to gain some mass. I'll have a refrigerator and microwave present and my commute is only 15 minutes. I'm 6'3" 190 lbs and I'm trying to gain weight. I also eat out during lunch way too much. Saving 8 dollars a day would be fantastic on top of eating meals that will be better for my mass gain.

I automatically think pasta because I'm a terrible cook, but that doesn't seem like the route I should be going in order to bulk up.

Have any ideas?

(Maybe this will help me become a better cook somehow, too).

Lunch in Hartford?

haveanicesummer — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:46:16 -0800

Best places to grab lunch within walking distance of Constitution Plaza in Hartford, CT? My company has me in downtown Hartford for at least a month and I'd love suggestions for good lunch spots. I'm interested in all varieties/nationalities of food, with an eye towards a bargain (but I might splurge if someplace pricey was considered worth it.)

Exploring NYC one lunch at a time.

sesquipedalia — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:19:21 -0800

Taking my IT dev job to the librairies and coffeeshops of NYC for a couple of weeks (accompanying my wife, who's in a program at NYU). What are the best places to work, to lunch, and to explore in the relatively-immediate vicinity? So, I can work wherever I have internet connectivity, which is good. So I've been able to come along with my wife to New York from our home in the far Midwest and live near NYU for a few weeks. Great! Now... how do I make the most of it? O hive mind, can you help point me to:

* Good, comfortable, friendly coffeeshops near NYU that don't mind laptop warriors -- places with good wireless, non-cramped tables, enough electrical outlets to go around, great and not overpriced coffee, and an atmosphere you can spend a bunch of hours in at a time without wigging out.

* Cheap, yummy, and "only in New York" places to grab lunch within a 20-minute walk or so of said coffeeshops. I don't need or want anything fancy, just things that most of the country has only pale imitations of compared to New York. Examples: banh mi in Chinatown, real New York-style pizza, deli (Katz's?), custard tarts at Chinese bakeries, real bagels, black & white cookies, etc. Especially things that can be taken out & eaten outside.

* Other neat things in the vicinity I might not think to explore and/or find on my own.

* Bonus: favorite reasonably nice (~$100/two without wine) but fairly down to earth restaurants also nearby for a night out on my wife's birthday.

Thanks, all!

The portable tofu conundrum

zadcat — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:51:46 -0800

Another "safe to eat" question, this one about tofu. Supposing tonight I make a stir-fry with tofu, using sesame oil, some veg (mushrooms, onions, zucchini), soy sauce and spices. I eat it with rice, mix the leftovers together (tofu, veg and rice) and put it in the fridge overnight.

If I put this mixture in a container around 9 tomorrow and bring it to work, will it be OK to eat around 1 o'clock, without being refrigerated meantime? I don't plan to put any dairy or egg in there. (Although if I were to stir-fry an egg into it, which can be good too, would that make it much more dangerous to eat after 3-4 hours at room temp?)

(I will be walking to work and the weather tomorrow is not expected to get above 16°C.)

I can't find liverwurst anymore!

kestralwing — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:18:45 -0800

Where can I score some old fashioned liverwurst in the Pacific Northwest? There always used to be rolls of liverwurst next to the lunch meats, but no more. And Amazon no longer carries Mother Goose Liverwurst; there's a "unknown when again available" note. Mail order is fine, if it's a reliable source. (And I really don't want to make it myself; I just want to smear it on bread.)

Soft, cold brownbag meals!

flibbertigibbet — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:05:38 -0800

Because of a bus strike, I'm going to be on campus much, much longer than usual every day, and will have no access to any kitchens, nor will I be able to go home. I'm going to need multiple cold (microwave access is iffy) meals for each day, or many snacks. My jaw still hurts from surgery and chewing hard or large things is impossible. Ex.: most sandwiches, aside from the hated pb&j, are too tall, most granola bars are too hard. Any suggestions?

Tired of vending machine food!

bilabial — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:51:44 -0800

I've read all the food questions. I have a new one. I need portable foods that don't need refrigeration or heating that can keep me alert and satisfied for 12ish hours.

I'm a full time student that packs all five classes into two days. My first class is Oceanography at 9am and my last class (Cultural Ecology) ends at 9pm. My four "breaks" that have me scurry across campus are 15 minutes (one is actually only 10).

The drive to school takes about 40 minutes. I could take a shuttle, but books for 5 classes may prohibit that some days, and it adds an hour to each end of my commute.

Of course, there is another constraint. I have a ridiculously fast metabolism. So bonus points for foods that pack in the calories, but don't weigh a thousand tons (see the aforementioned book hauling).

I might be able to get a locker to switch books at "mid-day," and could theoretically store some things there, but keep in mind this is for Florida. I cannot store peanut butter and bread in a locker. It would be gone overnight with the ants.

To give you an idea of the kinds of things I might be looking for (but getting bored with) here's what I'm bringing tomorrow for the first day, in roughly the order I expect to eat things. (Before I leave the house I'll have a granola and yogurt combo, when I get home I will not feel like heating anything.) I carry all of this in a super sophisticated plastic Publix grocery store bag. I will not be investing in any kind of cooler/laptop lunchbox/Mr Bento, but I'm not afraid of food poisoning.

11am sandwich - boring lunch meat/cheese. I'm ok with that, I can hold this and eat while I walk. Loved a previous AskMe topic for fun sandwiches, will move in that direction eventually. I do not need any more sandwich suggestions.
145pm Cold Quesadilla (beans and sweet potatoes with a little cheese and spinach)
230ish Cheese manicotti. I might be sneaking out of a lecture to deal with this one. I eat my left over pasta at room temp.
5pm Bean salad
615 2 boiled eggs with no yolks. (I'm not afraid this is going to kill me)
630 Peanut butter and pretzels
Trail mix

Further - I don't need suggestions for drinks and I have never found a protein/meal replacer bar that I like. Please do not suggest that I try any more protein bars. They make me gag, and I will not pay $1 to feel like I need to puke. Also, I have lots of intestinal fortitude. I am not worried that I am going to poison myself, and I'm not picky about eating cold things cold and hot things hot. I will not be buying a thermos because they are HEAVY. So, sad as it makes me, no soups.

all this art is making me hungry!

shothotbot — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:33:28 -0800

Where is a nice place for lunch near the Brooklyn museum?

So do you walk to school or bring your lunch?

heavenstobetsy — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:56:51 -0800

What do you take for lunch everyday? I'm trying to stop buying my lunch everyday. It's hard on the wallet and generally not too healthy. So I want to start bringing a lunch. I'm looking for ideas of things to bring that are somewhat healthy, easy to prepare, or possibly frozen in advance. So what do you like for lunch?

Also, what do you bring your lunch in? I'm looking for something slightly more attractive (and environmentally friendly) than reusing plastic bags.

Thanks!

Not your average lunch

nnk — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:43:26 -0800

So where would you go to lunch with an old friend in or around Hagerstown, MD? I am planning to get together with an old college friend and Hagerstown is about half way between where we each live. Where could we go and sit and have a leisurely, tasty lunch? I am not really interested in any place we'd have to dress for, but I do want good food.

I'd be willing to consider Frederick or Sheperdstown, WV but it would be farther for me.

Delicious Vegetarian Sandwiches

exceptinsects — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:54:48 -0800

Ideas for delicious vegetarian sandwiches? I'm going on a picnic with a vegetarian friend, and I want to make some sandwiches that are more exciting than just cheese or PB&J.
I don't mind spending some time preparing them.

*Vegan not necessary but not excluded either.

What are some good, quick boxed international lunches?

nitsuj — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:58:04 -0800

I really love these easy-to-prepare, not-too-expensive A Taste of Thai/India/China meals for lunch. What else would I like? My local grocery stores don't stock very many things like this, but with Amazon Groceries, I figure I can get pretty much anything shipped to my door.

The Asian stuff is great, so any other brands/styles/flavor recommendations are welcomed. I'd also be interested some other international flavors, like Mexican, Spanish, Canadian, et. al.

Emphasis on easiness to prepare and quality of ingrediants.

Where should I eat while doing jury duty in Jamaica, Queens?

jason's_planet — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:29:32 -0800

Where can I get a good cheap lunch in Jamaica, Queens while I'm on jury duty? I've got jury duty in the Jamaica section of Queens on Monday. The courthouse is located on Sutphin Boulevard just north of the LIRR station.

Where can I get a good, cheap lunch within walking distance? I'm very open-minded about food and love the various "ethnic" cuisines. The ideal would be a restaurant that:

*is not crazy crowded

*is cheap -- that is, $8 at the very most

*has good food

*does not have a drive-through window

Those are my criteria. If you know of a good place, please let me know.

Many thanks in advance.

Thai Food on / around Sunset?

Weebot — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:19:37 -0800

Places to eat in Los Angeles, ArcLight edition. Hey, I'm looking for any recommendations for, moderately-priced place to eat for lunch around the ArcLight in Los Angeles. In particular, I'm looking for suggestions for good Thai (I know Thai Town is nearby...) or Vietnamese places, but that's not a rigid requirement.

I'd be more than happy with any other recommendations. I'd like to get an idea of what are the good places around there.

Lunch Spot in Seattle Near Bainbridge Ferry?

chriswarren — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:48:38 -0800

I'm meeting my siblings in Seattle before heading to Bainbridge Island to visit our parents for Christmas. Where should the 3 of us have lunch before getting on the ferry? This is the first time we've all gone to visit at the same time, and we're hoping to find a good spot between the airport and the ferry where we could grab lunch. Preferably it would be within walking distance of the ferry terminal.

Mr. Bento you're a bloodthirsty foe, but your chicken is delicious!

indiebass — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:34:21 -0800

I bit the bullet and bought a Mr. Bento lunch box and it is awesome. Now what? I purchased Mr. Bento for a few reasons:

a) to save some money instead of buying lunches and Lean Cuisines (which is what I currently do) which has recently become more important

b) to eat healthier foods because I'm trying to shed a bunch of lbs, and what I'm doing now is OK but I think I could do better (plus, frozen foods have a TON of sodium), and

c) to help regulate portion size, because even when I eat healthy I do tend to have a lot of it, which is (let's face it) counterproductive, and I feel like only so much can fit into the bento compartments which means what doesn't fit doesn't come for lunch.

So now I'm looking to stock the kitchen with the things I'll need to make delicious and nutritious bento lunches. I have brown rice, natch, and Mirin but what else do I need to pick up? I got a jar of Giardiniara yesterday, which are italian pickled veggies (I understand pickled veggies are a common bento course) so I'm not necessarily looking to make traditional Japanese bento food every day, but I do love it so I certainly will be making some, learning how to along the way. The only requirements will be that it is, more or less, "healthy" and that it isn't overly complex to make. (I understand that's one of the Raisons d'être of the bento). I'm less interested in making everything 'cute', which seems to be the focus of a lot of the bento websites I've seen. I'm more concerned with the food itself than the aesthetics.

So, hive mind: you've never failed me before. Can you help me make a startup shopping list for my Mr. Bento lunch adventure?

I'm HUNGRY.

Sijeka — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:26:33 -0800

Lunch-box-rescue-filter! Help me find a Mr. Bento lunch box (or similar multi-compartmented box) in London, UK. I really want a Mr. Bento lunchbox after seeing those cool lunch pictures from this flickR group. Amazon won't ship it to the UK, the official Zojirushi website is useless, and e-bay has crazy quotes which seem to be more than the item's normal price. Anyone know of a website or a store that sell this product?

Alternatively, does anyone know where I could find a similar product in London (my only criteria is that I want at least 3 containers, not two)?

Salvation from Super-Sizing!

EatTheWeak — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:24:53 -0800

Lunch time! Calling all Mefites for any and all suggestions of successful brown-bagging! So right now, lunch hour at work means a drive up to all the fast food spots that have sprung up around a nearby off-ramp. After only a week at this job, I'm already disliking the toll this is taking on my wallet and health. There has to be a better way!

So I'm looking for any suggestions you might have on affordable, nutritious, portable meals. I'm not a picky eater by any account, so don't hold back on account of my palette. The only things to take into consideration while making suggestions is that I cannot cook meat beforehand at home, though cold cuts and the like are okay. Microwaves and coolers are available to me at my job.

Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to trying out dozens of mobile MeFite meals!

peanut butter, i think i hate you...

kendrak — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:25:12 -0800

i'm sick of peanut butter sandwiches! vegan lunch ideas? with my normal lunch is a peanut butter (no jelly) sandwich with either an apple or some carrots. once a week or so i might go out to eat, but i'm cheap and i don't like battling the crowds. the problem is, after 24 months of peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, i'm really starting to grow tired of it.

hive mind, any ideas for cheap and easy to prepare vegan lunches? preferably things that can be eaten room temp, though i do have access to a fridge and microwave. i've looked through this ask mefi and i read vegan lunchbox, but the food isn't so appealing (a little too fusion) and way too much work. part of the reason i fell into the pb rut is that it takes a minute to make.

help me look forward to lunch time again!

Easy Lunch Menus

rorycberger — Sat, 13 Nov 2004 21:10:27 -0800

What's a good, simple lunch to make when hosting a few guests? I'm looking for something nicer than sandwiches, but not something that's going to seem like dinner fare. [mi]