Help with lunchbox type food please

I'm a photographer and next week have a wedding on Friday, and one the next day, on the Saturday.

Normally the couple just provide me with a small meal - either what they're having, or a sandwich or something. I really don't want to undo my work for the sake of a couple of meals.... please can you help me with some food I could take with me in case the meals they provide aren't SW friendly?

I know that on the Friday they are having a Hog Roast for lunch and a buffet for dinner..... no idea yet for Saturday.

Anyway - I will need to sort food for both days, and will only be able to make it on Thurs, so will need to last. It will be in my car for the entire day so needs to be ok - will probably be hot - so Im wondering if getting a food flask and putting hot food in will be best? I will need a lunch and a dinner for both days. Please help - at the moment I cook from scratch and eat at home and I don't really have many ideas.

I usually do Extra Easy but wondering if it might be beneficial to try one of the other plans for these 2 days.

Thanks in advance

I'd say stick with EE, make pasta or something like that? Maybe a baguette or sandwich or panini, and try using all your healthy extras in it, unless you want to use them for breakfast? I think it's nice that you want to stay on track over the weekend I wouldn't have even thought about planning my meals ahead until it was too late, then I probably would have picked at whatever they gave me until I couldn't hack it anymore and then I'd scoff the lot!

I would suggest taking some fruit too, but if it's going to be hot, warm grapes are the last thing you'll want to be eating. Maybe ask around if anyone you know has one of those little cooler thingys, so you can load it up with diet drinks and water? You could even put the fruit in there.

I'll let you know if anything else comes to mind xxx

how about making a slimming world quiche!

they NEVER go wrong with me!

you can do it one of two ways - with or without pasta! if you are doing pasta boil that first drain, then lay on the bottom of a big oven proof dish. Cut lots of different veg you would like in and mix with a tub of fat free cottage cheese (tesco value do one thats cheap and about the only fat free one i can find) and 3 or 4 eggs if its a big dish. mix a few herbs in and some cheese from you Healthy Extra A and then any meat if you do extra easy. boil some little pots or take with salad

hope that helps!
Becca

I think it would be a good idea to get a coolbox and some of those blue plastic things you pop into the freezer.

Even if you are taking food which would not normally be perishable, anything left in a car in this heat would probably not be nice to eat - and maybe not safe to eat.

I agree, if it's going to be a hot one you'll deffo need a coolbox to keep your meals edible.

I'd probably go for pasta in a tomato sauce, or ratatouille, something like that. If it's going to be warm anything with eggs in is a big no no! A lot of meat doesn't take too kindly to being kept in the heat either. Wouldn't want you to get ill hun for the sake of trying to stay on plan.

You could always take some alpen bars for your HexB, or Ryvitas, and maybe some mini babybels for a HexA? I don't know how well they'd keep in the heat though.

As missemma said, cous cous is a good option. You could take things like carrot sticks and pepper sticks (not technically sticks I suppose but you know what I mean! ) How about some snack a jacks or something like that?

You could do soup maybe for lunch and keep it in a food flask. A tomato and pepper gazpacho soup is supposed to be cold, so it might be a possibility.

Ummm...things like apples and oranges would be ok, and bananas too if they're not too ripe (unless you like them brown! ) Baby button mushrooms are nice eaten raw, and things like cherry tomatoes would be ok.

I'd defniitely try to get a cool bag/box and put some ice packs in with it. It will gve you peace of mind

Sian xxx

What about taking some tinned food. You could make some pasta up & then add tinned tuna & tinned sweetcorn.

I can't think what other tinned food you could take.

If I'm going out for the day & I'm unsure of the food I usually boil a few eggs & take those with me, but you can't live on eggs for two days

Thanks so much for all the ideas - there are some great ones there!

I think I will take a couple of Alpen Lights on each day, and a couple of Babybels as well as fruit and sticks of veg for picking on if I get hungry - as well as loads of water.

I think I might make the chicken and bacon pasta bake from the Slimming Eats blog, as I made that before and it was gorgeous.

I like the idea of the quiche too - I haven't tried that yet.

Tinned and assembling there is another good one - thanks!

Judging by todays heat, I definitely need to get a cool bag don't I?!

Do you have the recipe for the gazpacho? I actually really fancy that and Im sure I'll be boiling so something like that sounds perfect.

I think a cous cous salad will be good too

Thank you all so much for all your suggestions

Oh, and 10st10lbs - Its because its the beginning of the diet - Im always good for a while, then I get bored and ruin it... Im hoping this time, to actually DO IT! Maybe if it were a friends birthday or something and we were having a meal out I might just do it for one night - but for the sake of just eating.... its not worth it!

Fresh Gazpacho
2 cups tomato juice, preferably freshly juiced
1/2 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. onion, minced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, minced
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. Bragg's seasoning, or sea salt to taste
dash of Tabasco sauce (optional)
----------------------------

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth ~ work in batches, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Alternatively:

creamy gazpacho

free all plans


1lb 2oz ripe plum or vine tomatoes
1 small cucumber
1 green pepper, halved and deseeded
3 spring onions, chopped
1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3 tbsp red wine viniger
3.5oz fat free natural yogurt
7fl oz cold water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

for garnish
finely diced tomato, cucumber,
yellow pepper and red onion
finely chopped coriander or parsley
fat free natural yogurt

peel skin from tomatoes roughly chop the tomatoes, cucumber and green pepper and place in a food processor with the spring onions, chillie, garlic, wine viniger,yogurt and water. blend till smooth

pour the blended soup into a large bowl and season to taste cover and chill in frige for a few hours

to make garnish mix the diced veg with herbs
serve the gazpacho ladled into chilled bowls and accompany with garnishes

YUM! Thank you

No problems! i found those recipes doing a search, so I'm not sure who to credit them to. Hope you enjoy it if you make it! xxx

AlicePalice said:

I'm a photographer and next week have a wedding on Friday, and one the next day, on the Saturday.

Normally the couple just provide me with a small meal - either what they're having, or a sandwich or something. I really don't want to undo my work for the sake of a couple of meals.... please can you help me with some food I could take with me in case the meals they provide aren't SW friendly?

I know that on the Friday they are having a Hog Roast for lunch and a buffet for dinner..... no idea yet for Saturday.

Anyway - I will need to sort food for both days, and will only be able to make it on Thurs, so will need to last. It will be in my car for the entire day so needs to be ok - will probably be hot - so Im wondering if getting a food flask and putting hot food in will be best? I will need a lunch and a dinner for both days. Please help - at the moment I cook from scratch and eat at home and I don't really have many ideas.

I usually do Extra Easy but wondering if it might be beneficial to try one of the other plans for these 2 days.

Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

Hiya,

How about a cold pasta salad? Boil some pasta bows, drain and let cool, add 2tbsp Extra Light mayo, small cooked peeled prawns and chopped crab sticks (simple but GORGEOUS) you could make a lovely big salad to go with this too this in total is 1 syn

xxxxxx

Hi have you tried the John West salmon light lunch? Its with the canned tuna and comes in a foil box with a card cover over it. I THINK its 1.5 syns or so, and is very filling and yummy!!!

Also a flask of boiling water and a sachet of that ainsley cous cous would be good.

Is it at a hotel? I would think they would surely let you use a fridge in there? Or am I naive lol???

Thanks for the extra ideas - I have a few to pick from now

Friday is in a barn, don't think they'll have a spare fridge for me - Saturday is a hotel so might be lucky there, but I can't chance it!