Idea's for Husbands Lunch????

Seriously? Tell him to stop complaining and eat what you give him or he can make his own food. I don't know one other woman who makes her husband's lunches for him unless she's already putting something together for herself, and then he gets whatever she wants to make for her own lunch.

Lots of good suggestions on here already. You actually can freeze most fruits and then pack them...peaches, strawberries, grapes. I would invest in a regular small cooler instead of just the lunch box. If it's insulated, it will keep things much better...whether cold or hot.

Also try the breakfast stuff for lunches....Bacon, egg and cheese biscut...sausage links wrapped in pancakes.

Hope this helps!

Something that I did is I created a menu for a month in our home. That way on sundays, I always know what to take out for thawing, marinated and what I was missing in case I need to go to the store. We now eat well prepared, nurtrious meals every night vs the instant hamburger helper, PLUS we never eat the same thing twice in one month. I love what you are doing for your hubby. Something the help could be zucchini bread, banana bread. Also get him a really good lunch box, one that is really insulated. They also have those gel packs you can heat up in the microwave or chill in the freezer. That way you can give him some hot foods. Like a roast beef sandwhich. Have the meat wrapped with the hot jel pack and the bun in a sep zip lock so it doesnt get messy. You will broaden your menu if you can add some warm things to it.
For breakfast, you can precook sausage patties. Then in the morning just put it with cheese on a bagel. It should stay warm enough until he eats in a couple hours.
Good luck!!!

you can try freezing other parts of the lunch...like one of the water bottles, or the grapes...they are actuall good if still frozen. You can buy pbj's that are frozen too, or freeze gogurts. Trail mix is an easy food to eat and much healthier too with nuts and dried fruit. Or just any kind of dried fruit. I like to make any kind of wraps in tortillas...they are very easy to eat and multitask..just put some form of creamcheese and meats and cheese in it. GOod luck.

If he likes the grapes - but not warm. Try freezing them. They make a great snack frozen, and then if he doesn't get to them earier - they are nice and cold. Plus, they will help keep the rest cold.

Buy a good insulated lunch box that will stay cold for many hours. You can also buy a good thermos for hot foods. We bought a fat/squat/short one from Thermos brand that my son takes to school for his lunches. I reheat stuff like mac 'n cheese or soup in the morning (6:30am) and it's still steaming hot by lunch (12:30).

For keeping stuff cold... beside the normal ice packs, you can freeze juice boxes/pouches. We have small Rubbermaid drink containers that I fill 3/4 full with juice and freeze (take the lid off) and they stay cold for hours. In fact, they are usually still slushy by lunchtime. You can freeze grapes and I even pop the sandwiches in the freezer for awhile so they stay cold, too.

As for creative ideas, just something simple like changing the bread often works. Use pita bread or a bagel. Or put the sandwich stuff on a tortilla and roll it up.

D.,

I've made ham salad in the food processor, but you have to make sure not to overprocess it or it's too smoooth. Cut a thick slice of ham into cubes and add a few sweet pickles. Go easy until you know how much he likes. Sweet pickles have an odd spice in them that goes a long way. I'm not keen on onions in it, but you can add anything you like. I suppose you could even substitute green olives for the sweet pickles for a different taste. Give the blender a few "pulses" then stir. Repeat as needed.

By the way, sandwich spread is made with bologna instead of ham. I prefer it to ham salad myself. If you're husband likes bologna, he may like it. If he likes olive loaf, try the sandwich spread with bologna and olives.

You can also use pocket pitas for these spreads or toasted English muffins.

The ideas about using banana or zucchini bread sound good with cream cheese on them.

If you have a meat grinder it is easy to make ham salad, it is basicly just ground ham (or believe it or not bologna), pickle relish and a form of Miracle Whip.
Now, the lunch box problem. My husband worked a lot of 12 hour shifts when we were first married and I finally got smart and just bought a good Rubber Main cooler case and did away with the lunch box. I also figured out that the flat cool/freeze items worked better. I made up the sandwiches the day before and refrigerated them so they were all ready cold when they got packed. Sometimes he carried a small lunch box as well with things he did not want cold like crackers and cheese, homemade cookies, etc.
It opened up a whole new world of lunch/breakfast options like chef salads, etc.

Don't forget things like almonds, walnuts, etc for snacks. They will give him some omegas and protein. String cheese, apples - don't need to be cold, peaches....what about peanut butter or almond or cashew butter (YYYYUUUMMM!!!)? Add a banana (is great on a pb sandwich) Celery & peanut butter. There are also a couple of spreads that I have that I use on celery. My favorite has peanut butter, pineapple, nuts, etc in it. You don't have to use nuts. I used this recipe when I taught preschool. We had it for one of our snacks and the kids LOVED it. Me too!~

Make ham salad - and you can use ground ham or bologna. Add the same things (unless you use fruit and I'm thinking crushed pineapple might be good w/ ground ham) you would for tuna salad - eggs, relish, red pepper, etc. I like using a little VIDALIA ONION salad dressing, too. I love the flavor it gives my sandwich salads.

What about some homemade "breakfast cookies?" These are cookies that have bananas, oatmeal, raisins, etc. in them...all kinds of things you'd have for breakfast.

Muffins - homemade, of course and they can be healthy, too! Make trails mixes. These can be made in TONS of ways with a variety of ingredients. Don't forget to add your personal note or card!!

you've gotten a lot of great ideas i'm gonna steal. also wanted to mention pimento cheese spread - i love the stuff but rarely remember to get it. tastes good on a sandwich, would probably be good on a wrap, could be used as a veggie dip or spread for celery stix, and makes a fantastic grilled cheese for the rest of the fam when you're home for lunch.

one person mentioned breakfast burritos - you can make a bunch in advance and freeze them on a cookie sheet; once frozen, wrap them individually and store in freezer, then when you're ready for one, wrap it in a paper towel and nuke, then wrap in foil to keep it warm longer.

a great and tasty way to get in some fruit is to make fruit salsa. i love annie's fruit salsa on allrecipes.com. you can really just wing it - dice up all your favorite fruit, add a little sugar and/or jam/jelly/preserves, mix and chill. take tortillas, spray some 'i can't believe it's not butter' or the equivalent on them, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, cut into wedges with a pizza cutter and bake on a cookie sheet. the chips stay fresh and crisp for awhile in ziplock baggies and taste great even without the salsa.

i think it's sweet you make lunch, etc., for your man who works hard and has to get up so early and hope he appreciates you as much as you appreciate him. :)

Pam R must be from Youngstown, OH because that's the ONLY place they've ever heard of bologna salad! My dad used to make both ham and bologna salad (yuk - not together!) - just like she described: we had an old cast iron hand-crank meat grinder that you'd attach to a cutting board. Ask your deli manager at the grocery store what they do with "end pieces" - Walmart throws them out! Some places sell them for like a $1/lb. Grind them coarsely, add a couple tablespoons of pickle relish (depending on how big your batch of salad is) and some Miracle Whip - regular mayo tastes a little gross... Spread on bread - eat! Or dress it up with lettuce and tomato. Quite easy :)
You got some really great ideas on wraps, different breads - how about individual fruit cups? Applesauce, diced peaches or pears? Can be frozen, tossed in... In the pruduce area they have fresh fruit cups - pineapple, grapefruit - YUM!
PS: Your husband sounds like an awesome man - ignore the jerks on here - they're jealous :) My sister hates that I never take the trash out or carry groceries in because my husband comes out to the car and brings them in after I pull in the driveway!

How about hard boiled eggs. cheese cubes. cottage cheese,
yogurt, Trail Mix and also you can by those sugar free drink packages to put in his water.

I'm in a similar boat as you, mine works 3-11 but has an hour commute and works alot of overtime, so I often find myself packing breakfast lunch and dinner!!
One thing my hubby loves is wraps- I do breakfast burritos with egg, cheese, bacon or sausage, peppers/ onions, all wrapped in a tortilla (you can use whole wheat- a great way to sneak in some whole grains) You can cook a bunch up one day and have enough for a week- just wrap them as you need them. I also do grilled chicken breast, lettuce, and some cesar dressing wrapped in a tortilla and its a great Chicken cesar wrap. YOu can put almost any combination in them and they are super portable.
Something else you might try for the winter months is a thermos of soup, get a good thermos and it will stay nice and hot.
Those are just a few easy suggestions I have, I'll be checking your other answers to get some new ideas too!!

Hi D.,

It's great that you guys are doing the packing thing because you'll save money and eat better!

To make ham salad: grind chunks of ham, onion, and dill pickles together (I've never tried it in food processor, so you'll have to experiment a little). Add mayo until a good spreading consistency. You can add a little pickle juice too if it seems too thick. Omit pickles and onions or substitute sweet pickles if you prefer. You can also squirt a little bit of mustard in if you like.

Other fruit/veggie possibilities: apples, oranges or grapefruit(peel and break into quarters--can be eaten one-handed while driving), banana, green pepper strips, radishes, carrot/celery sticks, melon slices or chunks, kiwi slices (peel first, I hate the skin), peaches, plums, nectarines, tomatoes (cherry or grape tomatoes are real easy to eat but you could cut larger tomatoes into smaller pieces), green onions, dill pickles, raw green/yellow beans.

He might enjoy cheese sticks or chunks as something different. We get the mozzarella sticks at Aldi's.

If he likes ham salad, try a ham or ham & cheese sandwich.

How about hard-boiled eggs? peel first, they are a pain to peel while driving.

How about banana bread or zucchini bread instead of granola bar?

Put the PB on celery sticks. Top with raisins if desired.

Use two ice packs. I think they are pretty cheap, well worth getting another one. Or freeze one of the water bottles, it will act as an ice pack. He can drink a non-frozen one first, by the time he is done the other one may be thawed. Or, fill a water bottle halfway, place in freezer day before. When packing the lunch, remove from freezer, fill the rest of the way. Makes the water really cold! Add a little juice for a different flavor.

Good luck! Hope that helps!

K. Z.

You can freeze a bottle of water and put that in his lunch box, along with an ice pack or two. Freeze the grapes too. They should be thawed, but still cold, by the time he wants them. When I was in elementary school, my aunt used to wrap cold things for my lunch in aluminum foil. You can buy the ham salad at the deli in the grocery store. I know they make the insulated lunch bags too. We have one that doesn't work particularly well, but I bet you could spend a little money and get a good one.

We've been in a "banana wrap" kick lately! =) Take a whole grain wrap/soft taco shell. Spread peanut butter down the middle. Slice a banana on top of the peanut butter, and drizzle a tiny bit of honey on top. Wrap it, and put in a sandwich bag or whatever. It's yummy & can be eaten chilled or not!

Clementines will be coming out in stores pretty soon. Those are easy to peel & very yummy! Raisins are another fruity option. Strawberries, blueberries...those are pretty easy to eat one-handed.

Carrot sticks, sliced green/red peppers...that's about all of the veggies I can think of. (We struggle with packing veggies...but love them at dinner!) =)

Hopefully you get some good ideas from these posts. You're being a GREAT wife!! Good for you!!

Have you asked him how he feels about his lunches? Because I'm telling you, guys are very easy when it comes to certain things, and I have always been amazed at how food is one of those things. For instance, I pack my husband's lunch everyday and it's always a sandwich, orange, banana, and chips. The only variation is whether it's ham or turkey. He totally doesn't care! Another example is how sometimes I feel like I've fallen into a rut of making more simple meals. The last time I felt this way I told him I'm sorry that I haven't made very many different meals, but the kids' activities were keeping me busy. He said to me that he doesn't care if we only eat 4 or 5 different types of meals. He named a few meals (which were easy ones) and said that he wouldn't care if that's all we ever ate! I was surprised, but then realized that guys really are usually creatures of habit. As long as they're getting fed, they usually don't care too much what they're eating. I'd ask him and see if it bothers him before you worry too much over it, and then I'd ask him for ideas of what he wants you to pack.