anyone pack a lunch to work?
what do you bring?
what is your favorite?
i find this very difficult cause i work retail- only get 1/2 hour lunches- and i REFUSE to use a microwave...
what do you bring?
what is your favorite?
i find this very difficult cause i work retail- only get 1/2 hour lunches- and i REFUSE to use a microwave...
posted by:
|
SF Bay Area
|
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Mon, November 7, 2005 - 12:25 PMi give in and use a microwave and heat stuff up. partly this is because i tend to run cold, and don't do well with cold food. i used to bring soup/stew/etc. in a thermos, but it didn't stay that warm. actually, i used to go out to eat lunch a lot to get out of the office, but that was before i joined the gym nearby, and before i realized i can't really eat much chinese food/thai food because of the wheat (in soy sauce) and sugar (in thai food). luckily there's a whole foods near here and i can eat from the food/salad bars, though they've raised their prices :( .
so, in general now it's leftovers in the microwave, pre-made tamales in the microwave...stuff like that. i don't really make sandwiches with non-wheat bread because i don't like any of the non-wheat bread unless it's toasted, and that's just a pain.
i do miss sandwiches, though. they seem easy and filling. i get stressed out when having to travel in the u.s. and get quick lunches or be served lunch as part of a group since most people will just do a sandwich.
some lunch ideas (obviously whether or not you can eat this stuff will depend on your specific needs): a spelt tortilla wrap. a spelt or kamut pita sandwich. a big salad with chicken or tuna or other protein. yogurt with some other stuff to munch on. ????? -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Mon, November 7, 2005 - 6:51 PMthanks for the input!
but- you do realize that spelt and kamut are just as wheaty (possibly more so) as the soy sauce you are trying to avoid with chinese foods...
yeah- i don't do sandwhiches anymore at all cause of the toasting thing-
and b/c of the high prices i don't even go near whole foods...
i really get stressed out when it comes to group eatings (like when work buys "food" which is really just pizza- no body gets it and i end up not eating when i am in these situations, which is no good. so i am finding that i always have to have SOMETHING with me, which is a pain in the ass cause i am an artist and i have this bag o crap i insist on carrying with me (pens, pencils, pastels, multiple sketchbooks and of course the all empowering portable c.d. player) and to add food to it all the time (besides the basic luch thing- which i don't do very often ->trying to change this ) is a royal pain in the ass. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, November 8, 2005 - 12:02 PMre: spelt and kamut - i don't do them very often, actually. spelt rarely. i seem to do ok with them if i limit how much i eat them. it seems like some wheat-allergy (or maybe wheat-sensitivity, which seems to be more how i am) people do ok with some spelt/kamut, some not.
-
-
Unsu...
Re: lets talk lunch
Sun, March 19, 2006 - 12:20 PMfrom my experience ... and I have a REALLY severe allergy to wheat...
I can eat spelt (some)... The Kamut is fine... but I know my system is happiest with NO grains at all.....
although Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck) has a new line of Gluten Free Products... Hugley expensive.. bread is between $7 & $9 bucks.... and the brownies are $13 or something!!
I can eat Luna bars.. I only get them if I am going to a seminar or something like that that...
also when I am traveling around ... I will get the soy chips they have now or rice crackers..
-
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Mon, August 6, 2007 - 9:27 PM>but- you do realize that spelt and kamut are just as wheaty (possibly more so) as the soy sauce you are trying to avoid with chinese foods...
Huh? I thought I was safe with those. I've been buying Kamut bread from TJ's. It tastes pretty good, kinda like rye and costs 3 or 4 dollars a loaf. But please tell me that it's not as bad as wheat!
Since an allergy develops due to repeated exposures, and kamut is not as wildly used grain, wouldn't it be less likely to cause problems? -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, August 7, 2007 - 12:10 PMit depends on if you have an allergy or an intollerance.
i can not have either of those grains, but i have an intollerance- not an allergy.
Allergies, sensitivities different conditions
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Q:What is the difference between a wheat allergy and gluten sensitivity?
A:Although many people confuse celiac disease with a wheat allergy, they are in fact two different conditions.
Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that causes negative digestive reactions when an individual consumes gluten, a protein found in some grains.
A wheat allergy is a type of food allergy. Food allergies occur when the immune system reacts to a specific food's proteins as if they were harmful.
Therefore, gluten sensitivity is the body's inability to break down gluten, whereas a wheat allergy is the immune system's response to eating wheat proteins.
People sometimes outgrow their food allergies. Celiac disease, on the other hand, is incurable.
Celiac disease occurs in one out of 133 people and is often left undiagnosed. The Celiac Sprue Association estimates that nearly 2.1 million people in the United States are unaware they have the disease.
For individuals with celiac disease, consuming gluten-containing food can cause stomach pain and other digestive symptoms. If left untreated, celiac disease can lead to the destruction of the small intestine's lining, improper nutrient absorption and severe weight loss.
People with celiac disease should avoid eating foods that contain gluten. These foods include anything containing wheat, barley, rye and to a lesser extent, oats. Items made from rice, corn, potato, arrowroot and soy are typical substitutions for these grains.
Being allergic to wheat is a very specific food allergy, just as if you were allergic to milk, peanuts or soy. Responses to wheat allergies vary in severity. Some people get hives, have trouble breathing, diarrhea or vomiting. While for others, a reaction can be life-threatening. Treatment for a wheat allergy is avoiding products that contain wheat as a whole.
Unlike with celiac disease, individuals with wheat allergies can continue to consume barley, rye and oat products. Still, people with wheat allergies should continue to read food labels carefully. Consumers may be surprised to find what foods contain wheat.
For example, even if you think you're eating a wheat-free cereal, you could possibly be eating wheat derivatives as added ingredients such as flavorings.
Take note that although celiac disease is different from a wheat allergy, there is one similarity. Wheat gluten can cause a reaction to individuals with either condition. The key word being wheat.
Gluten, regardless of its source, will cause a reaction for individuals with celiac disease. Gluten, unless it comes from wheat, would not cause a reaction for individuals with a wheat allergy.
If a food label simply states gluten is an ingredient, people allergic to wheat should contact the manufacturer to find out if the source of the gluten is wheat or one of the other gluten-containing grains.
Proper diagnosis by a physician is essential for living with either condition. You should meet with a registered dietitian to assure your nutrient needs are being met through your diet. Carrie Taylor is a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian nutritionist with Big Y. If you have a nutrition question, e-mail her at askcarrie@ bigy.com or write Living Well, Eating Smart, Carrie Taylor, 2145 Roosevelt Ave, PO Box 7840, Springfield, MA 01102.
(no need to click the link- i copied and pasted all the info there)
www.masslive.com/metroeast.../index.ssf
-
-
-
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Mon, November 7, 2005 - 6:10 PMI hate to use amicrowave too, but I also get sick of cold food. The no wheat thing is relatively new fo rme, and mainly it's because I am doing sort of an elimination diet, trying to see what foods I am sensitive to. (currently, yeast, eggs, milk products...maybe wheat, not sure yet). So far, I have packed lunch for a month straight! Whoo! For me, that's HUGE. I used to eat out every other day due to poor planning and last minute need to escape the office for five minutes.
I do all kinds of salads, grains with vetetables. Last week, I think the best lunch I had was quinoa pilaf with black beans and a small salad. It left me feeling full and the different textures and temperatures were also well balanced.
Another really good meal is tortilla soup (sans fried tortillas and cheese, but with kamut pasta added instead). The soup had chicken, tomatoes, black beans, corn, onions, zucchini, carrots.. lots more. It was so good. If you don't eat meat, you can still make this.
I really, really miss a good sandwich. It hasn't even been doing this very long. I haven't tried any of the wheat free bread (partly b/c of the yeast thing). -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, November 8, 2005 - 12:03 PMmmm.... that soup sounds great! got a recipe for it? -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Sat, March 4, 2006 - 12:35 PMAll I do is saute some onions, garlic, celery (if you want) in olive oil. I spice it with cumin, salt, pepper, maybe a little cayenne or sambal or red pepper flakes. Once the onions are translucent, add in a couple cans of tomatoes (whole roma tomatoes, or Italian/Mexicanstewed tomatoes) and some broth. You can let that simmer awhile, and add cooked chicken, black beans, corn, zucchini, carrots, etc. To serve, place fried tortilla strips and shredded jack cheese in a bowl then ladle the soup over it.
-
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Sun, June 17, 2007 - 12:20 AMHere I am again....;)))
Well, get an electric steamer, it's the same size as a microwave and steams/heat leftovers like nothing else, leaves the food intact, super yummy and so much healthier than a microwave.
I got mine for $40, it has an oval shape, it's a 2 tier, has a bowl for rice/millet/quinoa etc, you can do amazing puddings in there, creme brulees too, it's versatile and again perfect for reheating leftovers.
Mine is a Oster:
www.oster.com/ProductCategory.aspx
Bon appétit.
S.
-
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, January 18, 2006 - 8:25 PMI'm embarassed to admit it, but I just bought a new plastic widget at the (big, mainstream) grocery store that makes lunches way easier! (Ok, I've used it once, today, but I've already packed my lunch for tomorrow!)
It's designed specifically for salads. Theres a 4 cup capacity square container. In the lid is a holder for dressing that you can open from the outside and then shake the whole box up to get things distributed. There's a little knife and spork that also have a home in the lid. And an ice pack that snaps into the inside of the lid to keep things cold! It's got some flaws - the dressing holder has an area that's hard to clean, but if you don't let it sit and cake on it shouldn't be a problem. The lid is a little hard to get onto the box when the icepack isn't in it, because the inside lip is a tad flimsy. But overall I really like it. I never take salad to work 'cause I don't have anything the right size to put dressing in, and it's too many pieces to carry, and my current job is mobile so there's no fridge, wah wah wah.
As for what goes in it, I am lazy and get bits of it ready to go. Prewashed salad mix (mmm... organic baby greens!), shredded carrots (mmm... vitamin A!), cut up some tomato, green pepper, and avocado. And beans! So important in salad - and they make what's normally an appetizer into a meal. Garbanzo beans are my favorite. Drain the can, give them a quick rinse, and a 15/16 oz can usually gets split between 2 salads for me. Have I mentioned how happy I am that my avocado allergy turned out to be a passing phase? That was a horrible few years!
I discovered last night that Annie's Tuscany Basil dressing is explicitly free of gluten and added sweeteners (which I found odd in a dressing until I kept reading and discovered soy sauce in others). and it's pretty tasty. The raspberry vinagrette is also marked gluten free, but I'm not really into sweet dressings, so I can't vouch for it. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Thu, January 19, 2006 - 2:06 PMi want one of those boxes! -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Thu, January 19, 2006 - 4:53 PMThen you should go to your local Ralphs/Vons/Safeway/Albertsons and get one! Day 2, and I still love it. And all the other girls at work were asking about it. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, March 7, 2006 - 10:44 PMthey didn't have it!
i'm still looking...
i guess i havn't looked at the big safeway on market...
-
-
-
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, May 16, 2006 - 3:24 PMthat whole foods line is crazy expensive.
I do the wildwood patties, cold, wrapped in lettuce. VERY good. sounds icky, but AMAZING. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, May 16, 2006 - 5:59 PMare you sure those patties are wheat free? -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 10:54 AMyeah! the wildwood ones are wheat, gluten, dairy free and the original are corn free.
no modified food starch. nothin'.
I LIVE on them. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 12:30 PMuh oh, i am going to have to find those...
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 1:01 PMyeah-- they SERIOUSLY rock. Trader Joes has 'em; so does whole foods. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 1:42 PMnow i see whay i haven't seen them- i hardly ever shop at either of those stores -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 4:56 PMooh, you live in the bay-- you get access to a greater variety of grocery options then we do here in LA. lucky!
-
-
-
-
-
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, May 16, 2006 - 6:46 PMmy current fave is salad - we have a fridge at work so i bring stuff in at the beginning of the week and kinda feed off that for a few days. i keep a box of rye crisps in my desk too so when they have sandwiches i can reconsruct my own... sometimes... those things save my life sometimes - even if just plain to munch on or with peanut butter or whatever you have laying around on top... tapenade, pesto, any other spready thing...
i eat a lot of hummus and veggies.
it takes time, but you could do all the prep at home ahead of time and just bring a little thing for your dressing or whatever.
quinoa salad is good too and transports well. i've taken lettuce leaves and made wraps with it for easy eating.
i think it would be key to have the right container to transport it all if you don't have a kitchen to use at work though... i'm personally a big fan of small yogurt cups for small quantities of stuff... or spice jars.
edamame.
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 8:52 AMEating Lunch makes me angsty.. esp. when I have to go out....
Today is rice pasta spirals and homemade red sauce.
But.. I don't mind the microwave..
Faern- what about rice noodles bowls.. I think I've seen them at Trader Joe's and the like.. and is Fantastic Foods still around.. they made wonderful instant soup cups... I bet most are wheat free..
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Thu, June 7, 2007 - 12:31 PMmy usuals:
yogurt and granola
pb&j rice cake sammiches (they get softer if you leave um in the fridge overnight)
fruit salads
salads
veggies & hummus
brown rice salads (loaded w/veggies & fresh herbs)
homemade pasta or potato salads
rye crackers and aged cheddar (the older the cheese the less lactose!)
dried fruit
homemade cold pizza or casseroles are good cold too.
I LOVE sweet potato chips but they are $$$$ and fatty.
pretzels, corn chips
ever tried making any soups that are supposed to be eaten cold? Gazpacho or cold cucumber soup? -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Sat, June 9, 2007 - 1:48 PMThese are great suggests (and a great thread too).
I have been doing green salads for lunch and am getting really tired of it.
I need to look into doing a gf pasta or brown rice salad maybe. Seems I could make a bowl on Sunday and have enough for a few lunches during the week.
Would love if anyone has pasta or rice salad recipes for ideas!
~O -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Sat, June 9, 2007 - 2:10 PMSome garbanzo beans and the right dressing (Annie's makes some tasty gluten free choices - check the label because many have soy sauce, but the GF ones specify that they're GF) can make a boring green salad a lot more exciting (and filling). But I still wouldn't want to eat that every day.
Lately I've been making a couple cups of brown rice (or quinoa) on Sunday night, usually with a cut up red pepper and a few spices, plus a pot of black beans, packing it into boxes for lunch, nuking it at work (sorry, Faern!), and dumping on some salsa verde, usually with some greens on the side. Other weeks it'll be a big pot of brown rice pasta, sauce from a can, cannellini beans for protein, and greens (usually kale or chard) added to the sauce.
Apples dipped in nut butter (lately it's been cashew or almond) have become one of my favorite work snacks (and a good excuse to stop typing for a few minutes!). I've also started keeping a bag of nuts in my desk. The current batch is spicy pumpkin seeds. My cube mate seemed to prefer the previous batch - wheat-free tamari pumpkin seeds (yay for the local coop!).
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Sat, June 9, 2007 - 8:04 PMYeah, my digestive system has to have some sort of complex carbs along with a salad. It can't handle all that roughage in one sitting! I bring 100% rye crackers, granola, and quinoa that I can make in the microwave. As far as wheat-free pastas, I love this brand: www.tinkyada.com/ Even my husband says that it tastes like regular wheat pasta. You could always make a big batch and microwave for lunch. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Mon, June 11, 2007 - 7:13 PMNewest favorite lunch discovery - Annie's Wheat and Gluten Free Mac n Cheese.
Throw in some steamed broccoli or other veggies and it's outta this world yummy goodness. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, August 7, 2007 - 12:12 PMas soon as they make those mac n chesses wheat and dairy free i am there!
and if they do, i havn't seen them in the stores -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, August 7, 2007 - 2:45 PMthere is one already - penne and chreese - wheat, gluten free AND vegan!
i like it better when it has veggies added to it. -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, August 8, 2007 - 4:37 PMsee- i still havn't found one!
darn -
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Wed, August 8, 2007 - 5:56 PMare you back in SF?
they carry it at rainbow - in a blue and natural cardboard box - i forget the exact brand but it's called penne and chreese.
say hi to rainbow for me. i miss it. -
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: lets talk lunch
Thu, August 9, 2007 - 10:14 AMthanks...
i never go there though....
if i do, i will for sure!
-
-
-
-
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, August 7, 2007 - 3:55 PMyes! i just discovered those and they are awesome!! esp. with veggies :)
-
-
Re: lets talk lunch
Tue, June 12, 2007 - 9:26 AMTinkyada pasta is great! You really can't tell the difference from wheat pasta at all.
I am about to make a macaroni salad with their spirals right now. yumm!
-
-
-
