Tuesday, February 22, 2011

What to Make for Lunch Besides a Sandwich

Recently, I decided to make homemade bread so I would not have to run out and buy more sliced bread.  While it is a noble and thrifty goal, getting myself to carve out three plus hours to make bread is an uncommon feat.  Especially since I lost the paddle to my bread machine more than a year ago.

So for the past week, my daily lunch dilemma has had the added difficulty of no sliced bread option.  This makes packing my husband's lunch quite challenging, since he usually takes an almond butter and jelly or some other kind of sandwich.

Nevertheless, I came up with a collection of lunch alternatives.

10 Lunches That Don't Require a Typical Loaf of Bread

1. Tortilla pizzas - We had these pizzas for lunch today.  Yes, I used homemade tortillas, but store-bought tortillas are fine too.

2. Fish tacos - We ate these tacos yesterday, using a leftover fish fillet.



3. Pasta salad - Another great way to combine whatever veggies and protein we happen to have.


4. Stuffed avocados - These are gluten free and delicious!



5. English muffin or pita sandwiches -
I like to keep English muffins in the freezer as a backup.

6. Crepes (also known as Swedish Pancakes) - Fill these with ham and cheese for a savory option.

7. Taco Salad - My cousin used to eat this almost every day--in peace, after her kids had their lunch.

8. DIY "Lunch-ables" - I make ours with cheese, meat, and crackers.  Avocado is a nice addition too.

9. Lettuce or cabbage wraps - I use a large leaf to wrap up whatever protein I have in the fridge.

10. Baked sloppy joes - This went into my husband's lunch bag today while it was still warm.



Though not as effortless as a sandwich, sometimes I would rather avoid the hassle of going out to buy bread ( I use mayonnaise when we're out of milk for the same reason).  And these lunches are not too messy to pack up for my husband or for me and my kid(s) if we're on the go.


If you were out of bread for the week
what would you make for lunch?


5 comments:

Unknown said...

Hah, I'd make bread in the bread machine I got for free! You should look on craigslist and at garage sales for another one. I got my first one for $10 on craigslist a couple of years ago, and I've been making my own bread ever since. I don't bake in the machine--I just do the mixing and kneading. Then I punch down the dough, let it rise, and bake it.

With that said, we actually eat leftovers for lunch at least half the time. That's kind of my automatic lunch, and then if there are no leftovers, we eat sandwiches.

Jen said...

I love the baked sloppy joe idea!
My youngest likes his peanut butter & jelly on taco shells rolled up. My oldest, just rolls turkey slices up and sticks a pretzel stick in it.
Thanks for sharing your ideas! Have a great week!

Aiming4Simple said...

@ Jaimie - I like leftovers too, but we can't always count on having any available. The five of us often finish whatever I make for dinner. However, if there happens to be any, I do enjoy eating leftovers as an easy lunch the next day. =)

Erika said...

Great ideas! I need all the help I can get when it comes to meal ideas! :)

Stopping in from TopTenTuesday!

Anonymous said...

We do a ton of bean and cheese tacos. Typically our issues isn't "what to make without bread" it's "what to make without beans". Haha. Last week we made pancakes for lunch, because I had no beans on hand. But I love your idea of sloppy joes. I love joes and I think doing them over lunch is a super idea.