Can someon who works "Out in the Field" help me plan lunch?

**Alam** · 10-07-2008, 02:55 AM

sorry if this is a repeat... I'm new

and couldn't figure out what to search for...

I work out in the field and am only in the office (for the entire day) once a week (if that)... I am usually there in the mornings (for about an hour) then go out to my visits... Here's the question...

WTF Can I pack for lunch that will be okay in 100+ degrees since it will be sitting in my car all day??? Please keep in mind that I don't cook... I did however visit the grocery store for the 9th time in my lifetime last week... but that was on a binge... Soooooooooooo, no access to microwave or refrigerator... I can only think of melted sandwiches and sunburned fruit...

TIA

**elphie** · 10-07-2008, 08:11 AM

I pack my dh's lunch every day- he works construction and doesn't have access to a microwave or fridge. The first thing you need to do is invest in a good sized lunchbox/cooler. In the lunch everyday I pack: some kind of sandwich, two kinds of fruit OR one fruit and one pudding, fresh veggies w/dip OR salsa and tortilla chips, three bottles of water, two sodas, and usually some peanutbutter or cheese crackers.

We use ziploc/glad plasticware to store everything so we don't waste money on baggies, they even make small ones that we can put canned fruit and pudding in so we don't have to buy those little individual cups. We have two reusable ice packs and also two old water bottles that we freeze to keep everything cool. He even takes ranch dressing on the hottest days and with the cooler and ice packs everything stays fresh. We get whatever lunchmeat is on sale so he gets a variety and the lunch isn't exactly the same every day.

**ahmom** · 10-07-2008, 08:20 AM

Get yourself a nice sized cooler. Save some soda bottles and 1/2 fill them w/ water and freeze. In the AM, fill w/ water the rest of the way. Use these for your drink and keep your lunch cold.

**gardenstategirl** · 10-07-2008, 08:23 AM

My DH always takes a cooler with at least drinks and some fruit when he'll be out in the field for the day. I don't pack him a lunch unless he's sure he's actually going to eat it. Quite often, he ends up eating lunch with clients so a packed lunch would end up in the trash at the end of the day. When he knows he'll be on his own, I usually make him a salad with leftovers on top.

**Ceashels** · 10-07-2008, 08:28 AM

I agree that a good thermal pack and some freezer packs are the key. I pack Greebo's lunch at 7am and though he is in an office it all stays cold. Everything gets packed in small plasticware cups so it gets washed and reused and not added to a landfill.

He gets the following for his am snack, lunch and afternoon snack:
cottage cheese
dried apricots
1 oz of nuts
3oz of sliced meat or tuna salad
celery and pb
carrot or pepper sticks
1 fresh fruit.
4 cans of chilled soda

As we continue to lose weight and I cook more for left overs he will get an occasional hot entree for his lunch. hehehe.

**Momto2Boyz** · 10-07-2008, 08:37 AM

I pack DH's lunch every day, he is a recycler and drives a garbage truck, so he carries his cooler with him in the truck all day until lunch time.

I agree with elphie, invest in a good cooler and a decent sized hard ice pack (igloo is a reliable brand and is pretty inexpensive at Target).

For DH I pack any of the variety of things:

Main dish: sandwiches, salad, or tortilla wraps with sand meat, cream cheese, lettuce & tomato. When it is really cold, I pack a thermos full of soup for him.

Sides: fruit and/or chips

Dessert: whatever we have on hand left-over, cookies, pie, etc.

If you get a cooler and an ice pack, you can pretty much take anything that doesn't need to be microwaved!

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 10-07-2008, 08:42 AM

Found my truck cooler on a trash pile 3 years ago and it still keeps things cold today. We do the frozen bottles of water thing. Plus have a stash of frozen cooler thingys. We do tons of fruit, granola bars and sandwiches from home.
Also I invest in canned mixed nuts. We live in South Florida and don't have a problem with spoilage even on the hottest days. A whole lot healthier and cheaper than stopping.

Laurie in Bradenton

**Lady_V** · 10-07-2008, 09:18 AM

I pack for the Old Man. He is gone from 6am until at least 8pm that night. Food has to last a long time because he is always on the road and never close to home.

I agree -- GOOD cooler. We actually have a few of them. One solid one for the 'meals' and a soft sided for drinks. Ice packs for the meal box and we freeze one (of the 3) gaterade for the drink bag. He drinks that one last and it keeps the others cold all day.

Thermoses can keep things cool as well as warm. What 'goes in' is the way it stays.

**janis362529** · 10-07-2008, 09:58 AM

I pack for Ray sometimes he has acess to a microwave sometimes not. We have 2 coolers 1 for cold stuff and the other we plug into the cig lighter and it keeps food hot. Best thing sinced sliced bread. He has packed ziti in the heated cooler plugged it in and went to work defrosting frozen pipes. On his break he went into his truck and had nice warm ziti 4 hours after packing it

**JerryG** · 10-07-2008, 02:50 PM

I agree with the cooler and frozen bottles. That's what I do. In regard's to hot food, the plug in would be a great idea, but I don't have one. What I DO do is pack a bean and cheese burrito wrapped in foil and put it in the dashboard when i get out to the field. It's melted and hot by lunch time.

My biggest problem was when I was running around between jobsites and would forget my lunch and on or the other, when I had time to eat.

Good luck!

**Russ** · 10-07-2008, 03:15 PM

I just go to my mistresses house for lunch.

I'm kidding of course.

Water bottle half frozen will keep a cooler cold all day even when it is 90+ out. As an added insulator put a dish towel on top and tuck it in along the sides.

**Alam** · 10-08-2008, 04:30 AM

LOL... thanks for the great tips everyone...

lmfao, rcannon... I've actually done that and started having lunch dates vs. dinner dates with the fellas.... just so that I wouldn't eat alone (or have to pay, horrible, I know, but it's desperate times)...

Janis- Thanks for the reminder about the plug ins!! One time I bought a spiderman plug in fridge and it kept a 6pack of soda cold... I never stopped to think that they'd make one for hot food... awesome!! Do you know where I can get one?

**Marie78** · 10-08-2008, 07:33 AM

Are you close enough to your house to run hom and have lunch when you are out in the field? If you were, you could do that a few times a week and only have to worry about bringing your lunch to work on the other days. Just a suggestion, I work in an agency with a lot of case managers and they do that quite a bit during the week. I am thankful to have a desk job and access to a microwave and fridge

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