I am on campus at least 4 days a week now and I’m trying to make lunches but realistically, it’s just not going to happen. So I’m eating take out almost every day. I’m trying to not do that…
Has anyone tried box services like Graze or anything else?
Alternatively, has anyone found frozen meals that you really like?
Telling me to just make my lunches isn’t going to be helpful. It’s just realistically not going to happen.
Do you like Indian food? There are many frozen and shelf-stable main courses available at the stores in my area with Indian food.
Trader Joe’s has some frozen stuff that is decent but I don’t really buy it.
Even though you told us not to tell you 
I’m telling you anyway. Set aside an hour or so on Sunday night and portion out snacks and such for meals for the week. It’s easy to cut up veggies, cheese, whatever, and portion things out with nuts, crackers, grapes, etc., boil some eggs, etc. into meals to grab and go for the next five days. Heck, you can do it while watching a favorite show so it’s not as boring. Healthy and more cost-effective, and pretty simple. You can also do the mason jar salad trick and have them ready to go.
I basically lived off of frozen dinners this summer – Lean Cuisine / Smart Ones type stuff. It ended up being a lot of pasta (lasagna, fettucine alfredo, ravioli, etc.), but I tried to mix it up with Asian-inspired beef or chicken with rice, or fish, or those Thanksgiving dinner themed meals.
I really want to find the one that included risotto again, because it was dang good…
I like Lean Cuisine frozen dinners. Many varieties and I like their spice profiles better than other brands. You can catch sales at stores, eg Target (and get 5% off with their credit card). Stouffer’s is the company-that brand will have more calories but similar flavors. Instead of poking holes in the plastic covering I just lift two corners. Look at the nutrition info to know how much protein, carbs, fats and other details. I go for the ones with highest proteins. Everyone’s tastes are different so I won’t give specific dinners- quality has been fine with all I’ve tried but there is a difference in the protein/carb ratios.
Luvo, Amy’s, and Evol have some healthier frozen meals (not fabulous, but better than Lean Cuisine). Target carries them if your grocery store doesn’t. Like most frozen meals, the portion size is so small you need to add a salad or fruit.
D had a Graze subscription for a while - liked their boxes but decided it was just too expensive. Look for a Groupon or other discount trial offer if you want to check it out.
Maybe instead of making lunch you could assemble from a stash of individually packaged items? Eg, small tub hummus, bag baby carrots, Greek yogurt, & an orange?
Graze is $$$$ for not much nutritional value, IMO. There is a reason we have Costco membership - those large weekly “hauls” can be easily portioned into lunch grab bags. Costco also sells pre-portioned packaged stuff like bags of nuts and salad bowls and hummus cups…
Or you could use Amazon Prime Pantry to send you snacky stuff to your office or home similar to Graze for less $$. (says the person without a Costco anywhere nearby)
My S is in law school and told me he eats a lot of frozen dinners from Trader Joe’s. He is a good cook (worked as a cook all 4 years undergrad), but just doesn’t have time.
I like some of the Lean Cuisine meals, as well as Amy’s. I usually have a few on hand, to prevent me from resorting to take-out.
One of my throw it in a bag lunches is a granny smith apple with an individual size cup of natural peanut butter (you can also get it in small foil packets) and a little bit of cheese (I usually taked smoked gouda, but you could take on of those mini Babibel cheeses). I eat about 3/4 of the apple with peanut butter spread on the slices and the remainder with a bit of cheese. My daughter likes to take English muffins to work and spread those with peanut butter. Not really any serious prep for either idea.
Amy’s and Cedar Lane both have frozen foods that aren’t too bad.
If you like salads, grocery stores now sell salads in a bag that you can easily take for lunch.
I transport the unopened bag in a big ole Rubbermaid container. At lunch I empty the various packets into the Rubbermaid container and shake it up so it mixes together well, and eat it. Very simple. kale, southwest, and Asian are my favorites.
This is taking me back to the days when I made my then-husband’s lunches. Sunday night: put out 10 slices of bread, butter one side of each, put a few slices of meat (turkey, corned beef, pastrami, etc.) and one or two slices of cheese on five slices, cover, stick each in a plastic bag, put into the freezer. Divvy up something salty (pretzels, chips) among five bags, something sweet among five bags, make sure there’s fruit on hand. In the morning, put one sandwich, one salty bag, one sweet bag, and one piece of fruit into a paper sack. Boring but easy and very inexpensive.
Do you have a refrigerator where you can leave things during the week on campus/work?? If so I vote for the membership to Costco and going once a week and buying 3 things: 1. One two pack of one of their variety of refrigerated soups (tomato bisque, vegetable, broccoli cheddar, lobster bisque, chicken tortilla - they have several). 2. One container of fruit - grapes or strawberries or a 12 pack of apples 3. One main prepared dish - chicken salad wraps or another prepared item their that can be warmed up.
These 3 things would last you all week (and maybe more) and would probably cost $25 or less. Honestly, it might be enough for two weeks or to share with a friend. It would be hearty and you could change out your soup/fruit/main dish item each Costco trip.
@doschicos I knew someone would try 
I really have tried for years to get into some sort of routine and I just can’t do it. It’s too hit or miss because I’m often in too much pain or too tired by Sundays to do anything and then I’m stuck. Or I’ll just forget to do it.
To answer other questions: yes to the fridge and kitchen. We have a full kitchen in our department.
I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a Costco membership for quite some time so maybe I should just go ahead and do it.
You just need to convince the hubby or roommate that they need to do it for themselves so while they’re busy prepping, they can prep two sets. 
I like abasket’s idea but since mobility and pain are challenges, a once-a-week Costco trip might be something you won’t want to do. Costco is huge, and even if you have a handicapped placard it might be hard to find close-in parking. If Mr. R would do the shopping, that’s another story.
Tasty Bite Indian food is pretty tasty for being packaged food! I can buy some varieties at Target and others at Costco. My favorites are chana masala and madras lentils. I introduced my coworker to it and now he has a stash of emergency rations (which I sometimes dip into with his permission). He also buys pre-packed microwaveable rice to mix with the Indian food–I enjoy it without adding rice. http://tastybite.com
@doschicos Lol for that to work, Mr R and I would have to eat at least like three things in common :))
Kidding aside, Mr R does all the grocery shopping. I just have to get him a list.
I can probably convince my roommate to go in on this with me. I know he’s really penny-pinching
ETA: On a related note, how do Costco memberships work? Is it same-household? Some sort of defined family? I obnoxiously had to prove to a local fitness club that Mr R and I were indeed married despite the differing last names. 8-|
There you go, the roommate.
But, yeah, Costco type stores are more of an expedition than grocery shopping IMO.
Compare nutrition info for various brands. What you choose depends on your taste preferences and carb/fat/protein needs. The types of calories matter- proteins and fats will keep you satiated longer than carbs. I’m into comfort foods- retired and have 2 or 3 varieties I like for late breakfasts (no law says your protein has to be eggs). Your budget counts as well. On sale Lean Cuisine can be $2.50 while Amy’s (vegetarian, look at nutrition) can be around $3.50. Trader Joes has some good tasting Indian- H bought those.
Consider Progresso soups. This is lunch so all of your fruit/veggie needs do not need to be met if you get them at other times. You also need to figure out 5 minutes for making sandwiches- bread/pita, throwing together stuff. A change in habits- discipline.
Supper leftovers are also good.