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My husband is a space cadet and packs his lunch for work but then sees something shiny and forgets it. We're trying to save money and eat well, so I thought I could make a few "emergency" lunches that he could put in his freezer at work to have on hand in case he forgets and then just defrost it when he gets into work and microwave it for lunch. Any brilliant ideas?

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Lol, for a second there I actually thought you were saying your husband was an astronaut. I was like, cool! Paleo in space. – Renee Feb 21 2012 at 15:56
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LOL, if he were, I'd be worrying more about freeze-drying than just plain old freezing. – Laina Feb 21 2012 at 16:38

6 Answers

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Some of my favorites:

Steak and sour cream or butter


Roast beef and horseradish cream


Beef burgers and pieces of cheese


HB eggs and yoghurt made from cream, or a large piece of brie, or a small glass of cream


Wild salmon cakes, and mayonnaise made from animal fat with mustard added


Quiche lorraine with parsnips rather than a crust


Fresh herbs are nice for digestion and leave a nice clean taste at the end of the meal. Parsley, mint, basil, and lemon thyme are easy to grow, and perennials!

If he can eat fiber, raw celery root or turnip slices are nice. Also, the inside of broccoli stems

A thermos of coffee or tea, or hot water, and a small container of instant coffee, or tea bags.

Cheery notes or tiny presents in the lunch pail!

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Can you make my lunches? This sounds great!!!! – BaconHealsChic Feb 21 2012 at 18:52
BaconHealsChic, I had a hunch we liked some of the same foods. :) – PaleoGran Feb 21 2012 at 18:59
I want to know about how to make quiche with parsnips - that sounds fab! – Laina Feb 21 2012 at 19:27
Hi, Laina. :) I just cut up some parsnips, braise them, and put them on the bottom of the quiche pan, so it's more like a casserole. There might be a way to make the parsnips into a crust. Linda Sue's recipe site has some great ideas for meals without grains: genaw.com/lowcarb Don't know if she has a crust using root vegetables. – PaleoGran Feb 24 2012 at 0:13
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I precook meat, hard boiled eggs and potatoes. Freeze the meat and refrigerate the eggs and potatoes. The meat acts like an ice pack for the rest of my lunch.

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Quiche!!! I freeze a lot and put in our freezer at work. I eat dairy so I make mine with eggs, heavy cream, onion, a little raw cheese and spinach or broccoli. NO crust. They have a lot of non-dairy on the web though too. Functional Foodie Quiche Recipe

I cook mine in casserole dish. Cool. Cut in squares and then double wrap in wax paper and put them all in a big freezer zip-lock. I swear they taste better than when you first make them.

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Any sort of cooked meat, particularly in a sauce or soup, is going to hold up well. I'll take shredded pork, beef, or chicken and throw on some taco seasoning, cover it with a paleo BBQ sauce, toss it with sesame seeds and green onions and throw on some asian flavored sauce (usually a cheat), or cover it in marinara.

You can always send a few small containers of his favorite frozen veggies too. I keep peas and broccoli in the freezer at all times.

If he's a sweets eater or likes snacking, send some frozen berries too. I'll set mine on my desk after lunch and they're perfect for my sweet tooth a few hours later.

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Meatloaf/meatballs freeze well.

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Soups & chilis.

Chicken casseroles.

Neo-Homesteading's Baked Scotch Eggs

And if you eat dairy, cauliflower-crust pizza!

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Oh soup is a good one. Didn't even think of it. Thanks! – Laina Feb 21 2012 at 15:21
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Chili and a 1oz bag of pork rinds... the pork rinds can stay in a desk. – Joshua Feb 21 2012 at 15:38
Soups work nicely for lunch, but packing them can be hard. I use pyrex containers, but I put a layer of plastic wrap before I put the lid on, then another layer on top of the lid, and use several rubber bands to ensure it stays together, and place the container inside a ziplock bag, and that inside a lunchbox. Since I have a notebook computer in the same bag as my lunch, if the soup leaks, I'm out $1K. – raydawg Feb 21 2012 at 17:06
You're welcome, Laina! Agree that soups can be a pain to tote--but, since these are headed for the freezer anyway, they could be frozen at home first. Then they just need to be insulated against thawing. (Old grocery bags or old towels will usually work for that.) – Frugal Jen Feb 22 2012 at 2:43

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