Need Lunch ideas that will travel...

[danened]

I am so excited! My husband is coming around to eating more raw! This morning he went out the door to work and then came back in and said, "Can we have something raw tonight for dinner? I have been eating at restaurants a lot lately and just really feel gross." I love that he asked to have a raw dinner!

His main problem is lunch. I make him a fruit smoothie or green juice for breakfast, but he usually eats out for lunch. He would love to eat raw for lunch but I'm not really sure what to send in with him. I usually blend myself a shake or something but that isn't enough for him and he doesn't have a Vitamix at work. A lot of our dinners have been raw, but that is our last hold out. Sometimes I do cook a dinner :(

Any ideas on good lunches that would travel well, could possibly be made the night before and will be filling?

Thanks a bunch!!!

[raven]

Guacomole and chips, nori rolls, rollups with cabbage or collards, cole slaw, salads with dehydrated nuts or pates, zucchini hummus, rubbed salads w/kale, collards, etc., stuffed and dehydrated mushrooms.

Suzy

[Lady Green Jeans]

Great thread. I struggled with the raw lunch myself--eating out is too much of a struggle to get raw.

Selection will depends on what he usually enjoys. I try to shake it up a bit as to not get bored.

SamuelWilson posted a couple fantastic cold soups that I HIGHLY recommend if your DH would enjoy an un-hot soup. I also have made soups and have taken an extra bowl to put hot water in to heat up and then transfer the soup into to warm. Today is cream of tomato with a little added fresh basil.

Yesterday, I brought large scoop of Alissa's Indian Spinich dip center of the plate (I add cashews or macs to the recipe for filling and creaminess), which I surrounded by slices of cucumber and scooper-size chunkcs of celery (also did red pepper but didn't feel the tastes combined well). Ate it all and wanted more!

Any number of salads are a good choice and offer variety with different raw dressings in a small sealed tight container. One of my favorites.

Cravings for sandwiches are taken care of by collard rollups. Some of my favorite fillings as a base include mock salmon pate and sunny pate, but pretty much whatever one you have on hand works. I add whatever veggies I have on hand, also--sprouts, baby greens, tomatoes, shredded carrot, shredded beet, avocados (adore), marinated mushrooms (squeeze some of the excess juice, though), and anything else that sounds appealing. I roll them up and put on a paper plate and wrap. Probably could roll up and wrap well with saran-like product.

Sorry so long.

You're very lucky to have a DH who is on track with you.

[shakti17]

i like to make salads out of dark greens like kale, or cabbage salad. these travel well and last a few days. (not like regular salad that gets soggy and yuck). i keep nori at work, and avocados, dulse flake, bell pepper - whatever - then wrap!
pre-made nori rolls w/nut pate also travel well and last a while.

have fun!

[danened]

Thanks so much for the great ideas. I have collards in the fridge. I am making out my grocery list for today's shopping excursion! I love having 90% from the bulk aisle and fruit and veggie section... I love looking at how healthy my cart looks! I will be sure to look up some of the pates for the wraps!

Posts that have great ideas are never too long... thanks to all of you for taking the time to answer!

One husband willing to go raw... Two children to go! :)

[kisha]

Why don't you try giving him raw hummus w/ veggies to dip it in as an appetizer. Then make him lettuce wraps. I recommend filling a lettuce leaf with a mock salmon pate, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, and avocado. This can all be cut the night before (with the exception of the avocado) and put into one of those to-go containers that has seperaters. He can assemble them while enjoying his appetizer. Maybe a piece of fruit for dessert?
Best of luck!

[Drawn]

I know it's boring and maybe not so easy while still transitioning, but I find that traveling lunch is the best time to do whole foods. I will carry a bunch of bananas or my favorite apples. I always keep a few "disputeably" raw lara bars in my car too, in case the fruit is not enough or if I can't stop a craving. They fill me so fast I often toss half the bar away. I also sometimes use lunchtime for other errand running or just relaxing in a park since I nibble the food throughout the day. The funniest thing is when I'm eating an apple while driving and I get the strangest looks. Yet, people don't look twice at someone slurping a big gulp or balancing a burger in one hand while driving.

[levamssg]

I eat pretty much the same thing for lunch every day: Fresh fruit pieces (usually pineapple and grapes), and Waldorf supreme.

Waldorf Supreme: chop up one apple (I use fuji), one tomato, 1/2-1 red pepper, 1/4 onion, 1 avocado. Drizzle with about 2T of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a shake of cayenne pepper. Stir it up well -- pop it into a container and off ya go.

This doesn't do well made up the night before because the avocado will 'turn' color and it doesn't look that appealing -- still tastes good tho.

Sometimes I'll add a small container of previous dinner 'leftovers', such as chili, or noodles w/marinara sauce, or salad. That's the nice thing about raw - it's easy.

[JinxieKat]

I have to agree the whole foods are easiest, bananas, apples, etc. If your looking for more fat add a handful of soaked nuts to that fruit. I take an avacado to work with me along with some flax crackers or cut up veggies to dip into mashed avacado. I'm bringing left over rawvioli with me tomorrow *yum yum yum yum* I've also done grain mixes, quiona w/ marinated mushrooms and onions or with honey and berries. Greens wrapped around hummus and sprouts is quite good too. The sprouts give a nice crunch to the wraps.

Hope that helps!

Jinx

[Secret Heart]

For those of you that make collard wraps do you soak the collard greens or marinate them first? I have to admit I have never tried collard greens...I will do so if they're not too bitter? I'm looking for a good "wrap-maker"...
Heather

[Lady Green Jeans]

Heather,

First time I tried collards I was really surprised. I try to get medium sized ones. They are all tastey, though. Sturdy, too. Use them first choice for wraps, second would be romaine, with third butter lettuce. I do not cut out the vein, but do chop the bottom stem off so it is flush with the bottom of the leaf.

Let us know how you like them.

[danened]

Thanks for all the great ideas! There are soo many to try.

I made the Mock Salmon Pate last night and it was very good. I would have to get used to the taste of the collard green... I may prefer romaine. I also think it would be great as a dipping sauce for veggies-- cucumber, carrot, bell pepper etc. DH wants me to make some raw crackers for dipping. :D

I also made some hummus for him. It wasn't totally raw, but it was really good!!! I went to the store and got a bunch of ingredients to make crackers and breads for the upcoming week. I'll be trying out some of the ideas! :)

Thank you Thank you!

Also, Samuel I will be making pesto today and going out to find some of those chiles!

[exurb]

heavier "hubby lunches" I like to pack are raw rice salad with rice and veggies, dips with crackers (the mock salmon was a good idea), then veggies on the side, maybe a pudding or raw cookie/bar or leftover sweet dessert if not a banana or fruit. Raw uncheese to eat on crackers, then other stuff to augment. My hubby really likes the healthy raw cookies or bars I make to keep him going through the day when you need a little fuel (he used to get chocolate bars for those moments to keep him going, now he's getting nutrition). Other ideas on the savory part of the lunch are burger type patties, I make faux crab cakes, Alissa's carrot pecan burgers, whatever. To keep it simple I try to make leftovers that can maybe be changed a little - like if we eat raw pizza, next day he could eat the leftover pine nut cheese on some raw crackers, with veg on the side. Sprouted sunflower seed pates are also a fave of mine for something heavier with crackers.

sorry this message is so unfocused/all over the place... I think one thing to keep in mind with hubby lunches is the concept of "sensory specific satiety" which is basically a fancy way of saying that we need a variety of foods to feel really satiated - all veggies, all fruit, all sweets, will lead to less perceived satiety than a meal that balances different components. so try to cover all the bases, a nut/seed pate, crackers, veggies, to really give a sense of satiety, whatever can be made in a reasonable amount of time.

To keep things sane from a time point of view, in addition to the "leftovers" strategy, I also do my dehydrating for the week in a few batches on saturday morning, raw cookies and crackers, and either a burger or pizza crust or neatball or something, then I'm stocked for the week and any other uncooking is optional. Another really easy thing my hubby likes are I just pack a container with dates and walnuts, and he eats a date at the same time as a walnut. I was addicted to these for a while, they're really yummy, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts as they say.

For me I can't make anything with garlic for his lunch so my hummus is out. Maybe also look into stuff that can be made with buckwheat - it is really easy to use, and can help your hubby feel like he's had something substantial. My hubby likes lunches best when there's leftover raw pie! He's on my case to try to mock this sick, heavy chocolate fudge pie we had at a raw restaurant - I think a piece of that would fuel you for a week, never mind the rest of the workday.

[exurb]

oh yeah, LOL, I forgot the raw "bagels", flat but thickis on the dehydrator in a bagel shape, with cheese or something to spread. Two of those are really substantial.

[JinxieKat]

For those of you that make collard wraps do you soak the collard greens or marinate them first? I have to admit I have never tried collard greens...I will do so if they're not too bitter? I'm looking for a good "wrap-maker"...
Heather


Red leaf and green leaf lettuce make a good wrapper. I use them all the time, they are my favorite and not expensive to get organic, at least not here.

JInx

[danened]

Exurb- thanks for the abundance of ideas! I will definately try some of these- my husband will be grateful. One of my biggest problems is organizing soaking, dehydrating & serving times. I finally created a spreadsheet in Excel that has all the items I want to make. I plugged in when I wanted to have an item and then back tracked if it needed soaking or dehydrating. I haven't used it yet, but hopefully it will help. I like the idea of spending a Sat. putting the food together for dehydrating so that it is ready for that weeks lunches! I will have to put together a spreadsheet for that (along with a grocery list!)

Thanks!

[shakti17]

heather,

my favorite wrap is nori. the black nori sheets are raw ( the ones w a slight green hue are toasted)
I love nori! i think nori makes everything taste good!

cabbage leafs are also good wrappers - especially purple because they are so pretty

[exurb]

I appreciate your acknowledgment of my post! I know what it's like to get a lunch together to convert a SAD eating hubby, it's really a different lunch than I would have for my girlie self. Make lots of use of leftovers once you find some recipes you like, but if the dude is picky like mine, he doesn't want the exact same thing he had last night, I sort of switch it around a little. To make things simple, on Saturday mornings I will often have a large batch of soaked/sprouted buckwheat available, then I can run different batches with it, one cracker, one pizza crust, one cookie/sweet bar, maybe even in a pate, that sort of thing all from the same stuff, but adding flax, nuts, veggies, fruits, whatever. Also grinding up raw oats in the coffee grinder has a lot of potential for satisfying hubby lunch items, and there's no advance planning for soaking and sprouting for that.

G'luck, if you come up with any good stuff, please let us know.