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Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Desperately Seeking Lunch Ideas??

We started language (insert applause)!!! So far our schedule goes something like this, my 2 hour language lesson, short lunch break, then Marvin's 2 hour language lesson. All of this happens in our kitchen because our living room doesn't have a door we can close.

So we have a short time frame to prepare lunch, eat it and clean it up, it's less than an hour, and Calvin usually takes a minimum of 20 minutes to eat lunch. (Our teacher will eat with us too.) I've come up with a short list of easy lunches that we can throw together:

-Lavash Pizzas
-grilled cheese
-scrambled eggs
-Stir Fry
-Rice & Beans
-Ramen Noodles
-Leftover meals, if we have enough for all of us
-Regular sandwiches (but the sliced meat is pretty pricey and so is PB, so this won't be a regular meal, maybe a once a month thing.)

Do you have any other ideas that are quick and easy and call for basic ingredients? Think raw ingredients, we can't get many prepackaged things here, so for example any recipes that call for cream of "whatever" soup I have to make a white sauce and turn it into the cream of "whatever" soup the recipe calls for, it's not hard just takes added time. At the moment we also do not have a microwave, so everything must be heated up on the stove top or in the oven.

Oh and our freezer is about the size of a microwave and it's usually full, so i can't really freeze a bunch of stuff and store it. I'm hoping to have stuff made ready throw together for lunches each day.

Thanks for the help WFMW and friends!
Erica

14 comments:

Lacey said...

Do you have a crockpot?

Erica said...

I do have a crockpot.

Lynnette said...

We did a "snack" lunch on New Year's Day and I loved it! Throw some fresh veggies/fruits on a tray with some dip. Add crackers, chips, cheese, salsa- whatever you have on hand. The kids had a great time eating their "snacks" and it was a nice and easy way to use up some leftover bits and pieces.

Elizabeth said...

Some of our favorite lunches...

+ Wraps
+ Tuna Melts
+ cheesy cauliflower soup
+ tuna salad
+ chicken pot pie biscuits
+ turkey burgers and baked fries

groovie mom said...

Egg salad. All you need are eggs, mayo, salt and pepper, and crackers or bread. We're having it today. So easy and the kids love it, but I always seem to forget about it.

Brandi said...

Have you all ever tried couscous? I am a home schooling mom, so I like quick lunches, too.

All you need for couscous is boiling water. I like to add some salt, butter and pepper and sometimes finely diced carrots, onion and or broccoli etc. I have actually done a WFMW post on couscous. If you want to read more please visit my blog and just do a search for Couscous. :)

Anonymous said...

Crockpots open you up to a wide range of meals, ready when you get to them. Most meals cooked on high are ready in 3-4 hours, so if you put them in after breakfast, they're ready by lunch time. Check out the book "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" for lots of yummy, easy recipes.

Otherwise, I'd suggest making enough dinner to reheat as leftovers. Soups, chilis, and pasta dishes reheat nicely.

Lacey said...

I would have to say a veggie soup or something of the like. Perhaps you could put it in the crockpot in the morning and let it simmer. I second the egg or tuna salad too!

Kim said...

On the weekend make a big pot of soup and a batch of dinner rolls - soup & rolls for lunches - simple reheat the amount needed. Pretty frugal and healthy too.

Anonymous said...

Hi Erica! You mentioned scrambled eggs. The boys and I are big breakfast-food-for-other-meals people and I'm always looking for something quick for the noon meal too. Sometimes we do pancakes or even oatmeal. I don't know if spaghetti is a possibility or not, but making the sauce and storing it in the frig would give you lots of options. You could brown meat the night before (or go meatless) and throw it all together with freshly prepared pasta. Love to you all! Becky

Anonymous said...

Quesadillas....They are quick and easy to make. :-)

Laura said...

Pelmini - Daniel loved it plain and you can buy it in the market or grocery store. Just have to boil it and it is cheap. We liked to add sour cream with ranch powder in it to give it a strogonoff flavor or tomato sauce to make it more like raviolis.

Em said...

Hi Erika--my name is Emily--I am a year or two younger than you and went to the same college and was involved in the same campus group. Here's my blog, in case you don't remember me: http://m-and-emsconnection.blogspot.com/
I have to second Kim's idea, soup! I think soup and bread is a great re-heated lunch. I'd make a big pot at the beginning of the week eat off of for several days. I'd be glad to share recipes, if you're interested or in a rut: Minestrone, Chicken tortilla, Baked Potato, White Chicken Chili, Spinach tortellini, etc....

'Becca said...

This pasta dish and this bean sandwich are quick and easy.

Honey Baked Lentils take an hour or so to bake, but you can be doing something else (like language lesson) during that time. Prep before putting it in the oven is really simple, and it actually comes out better if you let it soak a while before baking!