Think Outside the Lunchbox

There's more to life than cheese and pickle sandwiches. Illustration Jerry Yin/The Ubyssey

Packing a lunch is great — it saves money, can be healthier than eating out every day and provides a plethora of lunch options… until you run out of ideas, that is. I’ve compiled a list of lunch ideas from my own habits and internet research to prevent you from getting stuck in a rut. Here’s how to revamp your lunchbox and get excited about brown-bagging it.

Plant Nachos

a.k.a., a salad. Build from the following ideas:

Leafy green – e.g. kale, spinach, baby chard, arugula, shredded romaine, Brussels sprouts (shredded or individual leaves peeled off), leafy green lettuce, cabbage. Shred or cut to manageable bites.
Grain/carb/starch – e.g. rice, bulgur, barley, farro, quinoa, rice vermicelli, orzo or other small pasta shapes; anything that tastes good cold. Depending on how you like your salad, the amount could vary from half a container-full to a small sprinkling of grain to give your salad a bit of texture and substance.
Crunchy vegetables – e.g. carrots, snap peas, cucumber, radishes, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, florets of broccoli or cauliflower, celery, green or red onion. Pick your favourites and cut them small.
Protein – e.g. legumes such as beans or lentils, chopped roasted nuts or seeds (keep these separate and add in at the last minute so they retain their crunch), leftover meat, tofu, canned tuna, shredded or cubed hard cheese, hard boiled eggs, small chunks of goat cheese or feta. Combos are nice — for example, legumes go great with sunflower, pumpkin seeds and/or feta cheese.
Savoury or sweet addition – depending on what else you’ve chosen, this could be something like bacon bits or fresh/dried fruit. I really like dried currants in salad — they’re inexpensive and not too cloying — and use them the way some people use dried cranberries.
Salad dressing

Souper Easy

If you have access to a microwave, make a big batch of soup and pack it in a tightly sealing container — you don’t want to be that soupy-backpacked kid frantically mopping up butternut squash on the bus. Soup is also a great vehicle for leftover pasta or dip-worthy bread. Here are some quick, easy recipes:

Do It In Your Sleep

I’m talking about overnight oats, of course:

Wrap Master

Tortilla wraps are great, but they’re just as easy to get bored of as sandwiches. Try making salad rolls with rice paper wraps instead and fill with the usual rice vermicelli or try one of the grains from the salad list (quinoa works well). Crunchy vegetables cut into strips, a protein and a dipping sauce are all you need.