Dear Erin,

I’ve been having this problem lately. You see… I really like to bring my own lunch to work. But you know how it is. I’m always rushing around first thing in the morning with barely a sip of tea in me. And I work in a kitchen so I’m not necessarily stoked on coming home to whip up and pre pack something clever for the next day. I’ve got a little roster of foods that I tend to take with me, but it seems like I could use a never-ending list of ideas!

And I mean sure, I don’t pack a lunch all the time. But I really prefer it. I feel more like myself when I eat my own food. I feel more confident in that I won’t have to run around looking for something palatable during my ever-so-short lunch break. I can just kick back for a minute and enjoy food that I made myself with love. Not to mention saving my cash for something more exciting than a slice of pizza.

What do you think, sis?

Love,

Silvi

*********************************************************************************************************************

Dear Silvi,

Well, I have some thoughts about this!  I also prefer to pack my lunch.  Many of the neighborhoods that I teach in do not have any great lunch options (especially gluten-free ones) so I pack my lunch almost every day!  Okay, I did have a bit of an addiction to getting huevos rancheros  from the cafe near my favourite school last year.  But I have that under control now.  It is just too expensive to eat out every day!

You and I cook very differently.  You are a vegetarian and I am an omnivorous non gluten eater.  You are an improviser and experimenter where as I follow and then tweak recipes and record all of my measurements.  You take care of your self by eating whole grains and vegetables and I take care of myself by eating foods that I find comforting, which usually involves adding some butter or duck fat.  BUT  we do have these two things in common….We eat seasonally and we are frugal.

Here are a few general tips….

1. I like to cook a lot of food on my day off.  I always cook at least one or two things that can keep all week and be packed for lunch.  It is time well spent on future happiness!
2. I find that it is helpful to have a lunch bag that you like.  This may sound silly but, I feel like enough of a bag lady carrying art supplies around the city.  Acquiring a good-looking lunch bag with a zipper on top and a little bit of heat insulation has really helped.  My mother sends me these awesome insulated lunch bags that they sell for just a few bucks at the  grocery stores near her house in Hawaii.
3. I also like to have containers with compartments. I pack a lot of salads, and most salad greens wilt if they sit around with their toppings for a few hours.   A Tupperware with two compartments will do just fine, but I really love my tiffin.  I put salad topping in the one with three compartments, greens in the middle and a container of dressing, a towel and a fork in the bottom!  Then I stack it all up. I got this one from mod cloth and its all cool and Jetsons looking, but a classic metal tiffin from one of the Indian stores near your house might be a good investment.
4. Get yourself a little, tightly sealing jar for salad dressing.
5. In the winter I take mason jars of soup to work in addition to salad.   In general, I do not use microwaves but a nice warm jar of soup for lunch really takes the edge off on the days that I have a long cold commute.  For a fairly comprehensive list of soups click here.
6. Most food really does not need to be refrigerated if you are going to eat it within 5 hours.  Us modern folks tend to be needlessly obsessive about refrigeration.  Actually Silvi,  your mother taught me that when I used to come and visit her and our dad when I was a teenager.  She said that when she lived in Italy, people didn’t refrigerate their food so much….so you probably already know that!
7. Get some cheap silverware that you don’t mind loosing.  Plastic forks are depressing.

Here is a list of recipes from our blog that make fabulous packed lunches, organized by season!  All of these recipes are fine without refrigeration or reheating, in my opinion.

YEAR ROUND

• Classic Quiche with a little, simple green salad
• Yummy Quiche with Baked Potato Crust
• Chicken Empanandas   with a little, simple green salad
• Coronation Chicken Salad  with a green salad

SPRING/SUMMER

• Quinoa-Amaranth Sushi
• Salad Rolls
• Cobb Salad
• Green Salad with Roasted figs and Asparagus
• Ride Your Bike To Coney Island Salad
• Ieva’s Greek Salad
• Smoked Salmon Hash with Fresh Herbs
• Roasted Potato Salad with Garlic and Rosemary
• Savory Sweet Corn Pudding and Mona’s Bean Salad
• Peach and Corn Salsa with corn chips
• My Mother’s Amazing Crab Dip with celery sticks and/or Roasted Asparagus

• Baked Samosas with Rima’s Indian Green Beans and/or  Cauliflower Fried with Aromatic Spices
• Green Salad with Smoked Trout, Apples, Pecans and Manchego (pack a knife to cut the apple!)
• Spinach Salad with Fuyu Persimmons, Green Beans, Toasted Almonds and Spiced Vinaigrette
• Fennel, Apple and Red Cabbage Slaw with Savory Sweet Corn Pudding
• Quinoa, Fennel and Pomegranate Salad
• Hashed Chicken or Turkey with Cranberries and Sage
• Alex’s Brussel Sprouts with roasted squash or yams
• Braised Red Cabbage with Apples with roasted squash or yams
• Swiss Chard Stem Gratin
• Cauliflower Kofta in Creamy Tomato Gravy
• Savoury Indian Dumping Cake in Tangy Tomato Sauce