Workers Share The Weirdest Cheap Lunches They Eat At Work

Leftovers. On purpose.

Or rather: when I cook almost anything, I cook at least 5-6 portions of it. One to eat right away, the remainder gets split into tupperwares and thrown into the freezer. Every day, I take one out and put in the fridge to thaw so I can eat it tomorrow at lunch.

In case it wasn't obvious, I don't eat the same leftover day after day. I stagger my cooking sessions so my freezer's got at least 3-4 different meals to choose from.

I'll explain a bit further here instead of attempting to reply to everything in my RIP mailbox.

During the weekend, I'll cook one or two "big" meals. The sort that takes a lot of prep/attention/cooktime. I wanna do a huge batch for two reasons: one being lunches at work, two being that if I'm going to spend a lot of time cooking a meal, I might as well make it worth my while!

During the week, at lunch, I'll zap the tupperware I brought. At dinner time, I'll usually prepare an easy/quick meal or toss a ready-made thing in the oven - whatever's fire-and-forget. I'll have either something I can do on the pan in a few minutes, or one of them High-Liner fish fillets, or something I cooked previously but which I can't really toss in the microwave at work (either a fish-based meal or a pizza or something like that...) Now and then I might cook a "big" meal during the week but it'll be something that's prepared quickly, like pasta.

I keep an eye on the grocery store sales and grab whatever's on discount when I can. I also try to get family/club packs as much as possible since they're often cheaper by the pound; I can grab some immediately for whatever I'm making, split the remainder into freezer bags and store them away until I have some other recipe to do with them.

I don't eat the same leftovers all the time. I always have a few different things in the freezer. So one day, I'll have chicken. The next day, it's pork. The next, it's chili. And so on and so forth.

Granted, if you live paycheck to paycheck and every last penny counts, this might not the the cheapest method in the entire world, but I feel it fulfills a base of what we say in French as "beau, bon, pas cher": "looks nice, is nice, is affordable". Your mileage may vary depending on whether you prepare cheap meals or fancy meals. However, it is arguably less expensive than eating cantina/restaurant lunches at work. What I spend to make four portions of chicken brochettes, I spend in one go at the local shawarma!

Shurikane

Ok so I used to make these black bean burgers that are really dope, I would make up a big batch of them and eat them all week in different ways.

You smash up a can of black beans and a can of garbanzo beans (or two cans of whatever bean you want) with an egg, and a couple table spoons of flour, til it's approximately the consistency of hamburger meat.

Then, you mix in whatever spices- usually I'll do cumin, chili powder, crushed garlic, salt, pepper.

Then you can do whatever you want with this mixture! Pan fry it or bake it to make it into patties, fry up crumbles and put it over salad, rice, or in a tortilla. Good, cheap, all purpose protein if you're vegetarian or sick of chicken.

mmlsv

Breakfast Burritos. Though, I eat mine in the middle of the day and they can be filled with whatever you want. Every week, I make enough for my boyfriend and myself to take 10 (2 per day) to work. I put spicy turkey sausage, a jalapeno, onion, half a red pepper, some squash in a pot and brown everything. I add 3-4 eggs and scramble them into the mixture. Roll them into whatever tortilla you want and with either foil or cling wrap, roll them up and put into a freezer bag. Pull them out, put them in the microwave for 4 minutes, pour cholula on them, bam.

For my boyfriend, I caramelize two onions, set them aside. I take a few slices of cheap bacon (the fattier, the better) and cook the pieces until they are crispy and all the bacon fat (well, most of it) is in the pan. I take two cans of pinto beans, dash of cumin, garlic powder, pepper and mash away until they are creamy and delicious. I also scramble a few eggs for him as well. I schmear the beans after they've cooled onto a tortilla, add the caramelized onions, eggs and then grate some cheese on there.

I realize it's a lot of work but they are pretty damn good imo and they aren't just a can of black beans, diced tomatoes and white rice (I'm sorry but gross). A little container of garlic powder or cumin can go a long way. Buy in bulk, freeze whatever you can and try to incorporate produce instead of having your meals consist of nothing but pizza or meat :)

sos1722

Every sunday I make a big pot of soup. I love soup. It's stupid easy to make, and it can be kept frozen in the freezer for months with no problem.

I try to mix it up with different soups: chicken noodle, lentil soup, & pasta fagioli are my favorites. I take a tupperware container of it to work & I usually throw in either a piece of fruit or granola bar of some sort too.

Edit: do not add fruit and/or granola bar into soup. The result will be unpleasant. Simply eat as a dessert to your lunch.

cheap

I go to Kroger's and get 3 frozen pizzas for 10 dollars. I bake one in the evening and bring 2-3 slices in to work and microwave them for lunch.

I'll do the math real fast. That's (about) $3.33 per pizza. Each pizza contains eight slices. So that's about .42 cents per slice. So that makes my lunch cost around .84 cents to $1.26.

If I do this 5 days a week that means I would be spending $4.20 to $6.30 per work week on lunches. I'm down for pizza lunch every day in a week because pizza is the shit and that's some cheep meals right there.

CmosNeverlast

This week I made something that's kind of like chili, but with a few substitutions. Into a giant pot I mixed about three pounds of ground turkey, a dozen eggs, a can of tomato sauce, and few bags of assorted frozen vegetables (I got an Asian stir fry mix that's green beans, peppers, onions, water chestnuts, and broccoli). Add cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and chili powder to taste. Pretty minimal work, just stir the pot occasionally to make sure nothing burns

Makes quite a few very filling, fairly cheap lunches.

porkbacon

Pork carnitas in the slow cooker:

add a little bit of oregano salt, pepper, and cumin to olive oil. Lightly coat the pork chops. Take a meat tenderizer and pound the oil/seasonings into the meat to help infuse the awesome. Cut up an onion and pepper of your choosing--you can go with a bell pepper or a hotter one, your choice. you can add about a half cup of water as well.

Put that on low, and let that bad boy cook for 8 hours. You now have shredded delicousness. You can make them into a burrito, carnitas bowl with some greens, taco filling, serve with rice and beans....your choice. I like mine as a bowl with some chipolte salsa and some guac for healthy fat and a bit of heat.

Lina1611

Last semester I wanted to avoid losing money/gaining weight from the cafeteria food by going to a grocery store and purchasing the following items: -refillable water bottle -peanut butter and jelly -strawberries -tangerines -grapes -fruit snacks -granola bars -popcorn from work -pack of Coke zero bottles (I know not very healthy but I like to treat myself) -variety pack of baked chips -trail mix -lunch box with containers to pack food in -ice pack I still live at home at the moment so if there were leftovers, I would bring that to school.

Otherwise, I would make some form of sandwich, either using the peanut butter and jelly or some form of meat in the fridge. I'd also set certain guidelines for myself, such as I had to have fruit at least once a day or only a few bottles of soda a week. I only had to buy fruit more often since I didn't want them to spoil (and I quickly at them all haha). I liked this method and I will probably do it again in the fall.

americaneejit

I usually pack my husband and I lunches with dinner leftovers (even though I work at home). If dinner's a little thin, I'll add a rice/other grain/veggie to the entree. I buy the giant cans of fruit at Sams then put it in the freezer in portions, but you could buy the large cans for just yourself and use them up and still save over single serve containers.

Don't overlook the cheap veggies at the store, they can usually be made into something pretty good if you give if a think and a google. Also, while beans get a bad rap for being "poor", they can be used a thousand different ways. Embrace the bean! Also, if you have time, give /r/Frugal a look. There's almost always a post going about cheap food.

midnightauro

I challenged myself to go vegan this month, and these are my favourite lunch box recipes so far (i.e. ones that I will continue to cook once I go back to eating meat);

Coconut curry lentil soup - Added 5-6 mushrooms at the simmering point.

Squash & barley salad with balsamic vinaigrette - Omitted the capers, used ordinary broccoli and only 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Good warm, even better cold.

Mixed bean chilli - Sling a can of mixed beans, an onion, garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, some frozen corn and 2 chopped up bell peppers into a slow cooker with some chilli powder, dried oregano, pepper, and a crumbled up veggie stock cube. Top up with a little water and cook on low overnight for delicious chilli in the morning. This recipe is also good for using up any vegetables that are on the brink of spoiling (particularly courgette/zucchini). You can also cook it in a pan on the stove if you have less time, and/or no slow cooker.

Smoked tofu & veg stir fry in a peanut sauce - Stir-fry smoked tofu and any veg you like. Add a spoonful of peanut butter, a dash of soy sauce, a teaspoon of ginger, and about half a cup of water and mix together to create a sauce. Add more water if the sauce is too thick. Serve over rice or noodles.

Milburn_Pennybags

Here's a cheap lunch: Pizza Roll-ups (under $1 per)!

-Flour tortilla

2 tbsp pizza sauce

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

10-12 pepperoni slices.

Make it like a pizza (spread the sauce around, and put on the toppings), and then roll it up like a taco/burrito. I usually eat them in twos.

You can make them at home and zap them when you get to work. Me, I keep a bag of flour tortillas, shredded cheese, pizza sauce, and pepperoni in the fridge at work.

happinessiseasy

Cold noodles in peanut sauce with vegetables/meat.

Make some cappelini pasta (extra thin) rinse and let cool. Saute a chopped onion and some celery and shredded carrot in unflavored oil with some sliced garlic. remove from pan.

Deglaze the pan with water/broth, scraping up the flavory bits on the bottom, add some ground ginger, hot sauce, soy sauce for flavor. add a tablespoon or two of peanut butter and whisk until its not so watery, add the pasta and let it absorb the sauce.

Remove from heat, add the vegetables (and some shredded cooked chicken if you have) mix, add some chopped scallions and serve cold or at room temp.

HCAalum

I bought an Oster blender for $20. You fill up your cup with fruits and veggies, add some 1oz coconut water and 2oz oj, then twist the bladed cap on and it blends in 10 seconds (I wouldn't recommend adding ice with this blender) twist off the bladed cap and put on the drinking cap and take your nutritious smoothie to go! (Another reason not to add ice is because the cold slows your digestion, so if you're trying to maintain a weight or lose weight warm water is the way to go.

I also grab spinach, tomato, kale, and half a handful of feta cheese and put it all into a container. Bring half a lime with you and you'll have a delicious meal. (Adding coconut oil is great to this dish and it helps your body absorb the nutrients.

newusername

Here's what I do for lunch every day at work...

I purchase a head of lettuce ($0.99). I buy a nice sized red tomato ($0.49). I buy a bag of shredded cheese ($2.49). I buy a medium jar of salsa ($1.99) and a tub of sour creme ($1.99).

I chop 1/4 of the lettuce and tomato (this lasts 4 days - a quarter per day). I sprinkle with cheese and drop a dollop of sour creme and pour over some salsa. Instant Taco salad (sans meat). I'll sometimes spring for a bag of tortilla chips ($1.49).

The lettuce and tomato = $1.50 for the 4 days (this works out to $0.38 a day). The chips, salsa, sour creme and cheese last for more than a week so their costs per meal are lessened. Those ingredients cost $6.50 divided by say two weeks works out to $0.65 per day.

Grand total $1.03 per lunch. And to top it off you are eating a salad every day (take that health freaks) and you are not using salad dressing (you can try low fat sour creme also or greek yogurt).

I've also done this but with crumbled bacon, crumbled blue cheese and blue cheese dressing.

gcodori

I've been low-carbing for about half a year, now. I'm not following any specific diet (like Atkins or Keto) but I've eliminated bread, rice, potatoes, tortillas, corn, etc.

Not to get off topic, but you might assume that eliminating all these "cheap" foods would cause the food bill to skyrocket, but it turns out that when you cut carbs you actually eat a lot less which helps offset the higher cost of higher quality food.

Anyway, to answer your question: Peanuts. I buy the peanuts at Costco in a giant bag and break that bag down into quart sized Ziplocs (reusable over and over and over) and I store them in the freezer so they stay fresh. I toss one of these into my lunch box and depending on variables it takes me 1-4 days to eat my way through the peanuts. Sometimes I switch it up by bringing almonds or walnuts (also from Costco) but a much smaller baggie of those (because no shell.)

I also eat lots of pinto beans. They are $.70/pound (Costco) and I cook 4-5 cups (dry) in the pressure cooker using tomatoes as the liquid they cook in. (I take a #10 can of whole tomatoes and blend them with a handheld blender or a #10 can of pureed tomato. Also these are from Costco.) I dump in about a quarter cup each of: italian seasoning, garlic powder, and "organic no salt seasoning," and a tablespoon or two of cumin and at least a cup of olive oil or coconut oil or a blend of the two. After cooking we add in a healthy portion of cheese, either parmesan or "shredded white" cheese. The cheese is delicious and also helps to cut the acid a bit from the tomatoes.

The result is about 12 servings of a healthy, vegetarian, low carb bean "stew" that costs less than a dollar a serving, including even the gas it takes to cook it. Depending on your seasonings and cheese it can actually taste like pizza!

My last tip: if you have cactus growing in your yard find out if it is edible! Nopales are delicious and they are FREE and if you don't eat them you will just end up throwing them away, anyway, when you trim back your cactuses. If you don't have them in your yard keep an eye out for neighbors who might have edible cactuses they might like to share. Vegetables are expensive but cactus can be FREE and not even require any active gardening or watering! Nopales are so healthy!

lunch

I buy a box of cereal, 5 bananas, and milk of some sort. I take the cereal and milk to work on Monday, then I only have to rip off a banana and bring it with me to work each day. No extensive preparation! Cut the banana in slices, add milk and cereal and badaboom. Lunch. Costs around $1 per day.

Some people may not like the idea of eating the same thing every day, but I've been doing it for months with different cereals and I still look forward to it every day.

skywayhighway

Oh boy.. A subject I love because I make my own lunch every week. I'm sad because there are over 3000 comments so mine probably won't be seen.

This does require a lot of prep, but worth it.

Potatoes

Frozen pepper blend (Yellow, Green, Red, Onion) found in the frozen section at the grocery store

Frozen mixed veggies

Canned tomatoes (I go with the habanero pepper one)

Mushrooms

Burrito shells (soft)

Hot Sauce (I go, once again, with habanero pepper sauce)

Beans (dry, or canned) (whole beans, not re-fried!)

Olive Oil

Seasoning Salt.

I cook the beans if I buy them dry

-- Cover in water, boil ~15 minutes, drain water, add water again and then drain again (this is called the soak water) -- Then finally add a lot of water, add some seasoning salt, then bring to a boil - cover - then boil ~2 hours stirring randomly.

If you buy canned beans, set off to the side or drain and pour in a large bowl.

If you have a food processor, chop potatoes into wedges, toss in, and blend till you get hash brown consistency. If you do not have one, chop up into small bits.

Put this into a casserole dish.

After adding potatoes, pour frozen peppers, frozen mixed veggies, chopped mushrooms, canned tomatoes and hot sauce into the casserole dish till it is full.

Pour olive oil on top, and some seasoning salt - Cover.

In a preheated oven (425 F) place the casserole dish in the oven and cook for 20 - 25 minutes. STIR, then cook another 25 minutes.

Once done, take it out of the oven and let it cool down, this can also be a meal while you wait for it to cool if you wanted! This is basically the same thing I eat for dinner.

Pour cooled contents into the large bowl that has the beans in it, then MIX GOOD.

One by one you can fill the burrito shells with this content and even start storing them in the freezer if you want to. This may seem like a large amount of stuff and a long time frame, but if you want a delicious, cheap lunch, this is it.

I basically live off potatoes, but my metabolism is insanely high. I love red potatoes the most and always use them.

The best part about this lunch is you'll have left over potatoes, olive oil, and seasoning salt, which are the most expensive part of this meal. The rest is dirt cheap, so you can go 2-3 weeks on this without buying more potatoes if you do not normally eat them outside of this lunch. Just remember to freeze if you make a lot of them.

I do not recommend adding meat to this lunch, like hamburger because if you're freezing or refrigerating for a week, you risk getting sick.

work

It's all about the tomato + avocado.

If you can go to Costco, do that (bring a friend with a membership). Tomatoes on the vine and bulk avocados will run you upwards of $9 - $13 (I'm in Canada so I dunno what your rates will be).

I always buy bread (whole wheat or whole grain) from local grocery store - you can also buy bag of avocados and tomatoes on the vine for about the same price, albeit you will get less of each if it isn't from Costco.

Anyways. Make toast, slice tomato, slice avocado. Add salt + pepper from work and BOOM! Nutritious veggie protein with some grains.

And fucking delicious!

Razdonovich

My favorite is Hamburger Stew.

Brown a pound of hamburger meat. Throw it in a pot with two cans of corn, two cans of sliced carrots, two cans of black beans (include all the juices from the canned veggies, that's the base of the stew), a packet of taco seasoning, and a packet of ranch seasoning. Simmer until it's hot. Then I just portion it out in little tupperware containers and bring it to work for lunch every day for a week. The whole meal usually costs about $8 and makes about six or eight bowls.

NinjaShira

Fellow poor college student here:

I buy a bag of individually frozen tilapia (there are cheaper fish options available.. like swai) $8.50

I buy the shoprite brand 4/$5 bags of microwavable broccoli (about 2.5 servings in each bag) $5.00

I buy one bottle of teriyaki sauce (lasts about a month) 2.50

I buy Mrs. Dash seasoning (lasts about 3 months) $4.00

I also buy aluminum foil $1.00

Total: $21.00

Sounds like a lot, but you only have to buy some of these things every few months or every other week. I eat this for breakfast almost every weekday. If you know someone with a BJ's or Sam's Club card, they sell 10lbs bags of individually frozen chicken breast for $20. It lasted me over a month. You can bake the chicken, cut it up, and serve it over brown rice and broccoli with teriyaki sauce.

I have quite a few quick-to-make, cheap-to-buy meals that I do. I can share more if needed.

MissLexxxi