Asklemmy

I have one of those insulated food containers, and I reheat curry, chili, gumbo, dirty rice, hummus bake, etc. before I leave for work. By lunch, it's usually lukewarm, but passable. It beats the shitty food I'd get for free at the cafeteria.

When I was working I would take a square plastic clip box with a selection of prepped veg in it, plus one of those square ramen blocks and seasoning. Add boiling water and five minutes later you have a tasty hot meal.

When I was young working almost any food job came with free food and over time they became more restrictive on it. In college it was the main perk of working the dorm cafeteria. Buying food is expensive but if you can afford it and enough options are close to your work, its kinda nice to get something you feel like at the moment. My go to for bringing to work was rice or pasta dishes in a glass container that had a plastic seal lid. Only works if you have a fridge though. Is there no fridge given you can't bring stew? Or no microwave?

I have access to a microwave, but there's usually a line, so I take things that don't need to be heated. Pasta salads, regular salads, and yogurt parfaits are easy go-tos for me.

I just cook normal meals and put them in tupperware and take them to work. Doesn't work if you don't have a microwave, but if you don't have a microwave, I'm not sure what you could do other than sandwiches. So whatever you like to eat.

I have access to a fridge a microwave and a kitchenette at my work place. So pretty much anything. I will intentionally make a bit extra dinner typically, just to have the left overs for lunch.

I like cooking stews, but it's gonna be a hassle to bring that to the workplace.

Stews are one of the easiest things to bring to the workplace. Their quality doesn't degrade when eaten as leftovers, and they reheat very well in the microwave. What makes you think this would be a hassle?

What’s wrong with a sandwich?

Fold top sandwich bags are my go to. Today I brought fresh raspberries, roasted peanuts, fruit snacks, can of Shasta, fresh husky cherry tomatoes, some turkey jerky sticks, and a mini chocolate bar. Yesterday was similar snacks and a container of leftover spaghetti and meatballs. Aldi's frozen meals are great, like chipotle chicken or birria - the actual healthy food ones, not the cheap mass market ones like Stouffer's. I don't even keep em frozen at work - doesn't take so long to warm up. Absolutely avoid baked beans.

If you've got access to a microwave, I've found rice dishes quite convenient, like for example a lentil curry. They generally re-heat without tasting worse and the rice traps the moisture, so even if your container isn't 100% sealed, you're unlikely to get mess everywhere.

(Though I'd still recommend getting a properly sealed container. Personally, I also transport my food in a separate cloth bag, so that if it should ever leak, I can just wash that bag.)

For work lunches I'd usually have either chicken cutlets with a salad, pizza, pasta, a sandwich, cabbage rolls, a wrap with meat and vegetables, or I'd order/get lunch elsewhere

Only things I bring to eat at work is a small frozen thing (usually a Michelina's meal or an Uncrustable), a fruit bar, and a bottle of water. Good enough to get me through the day.

What items did you like to eat? You could probably start with bringing the ones that require less time to prepare.

I'll take half a day on the weekend to meal prep for the week, after which I just heat up refrigerated meals. Changes every week, but usually lunch will be some form of chicken with brown rice as the base, whatever vegetables are in season or at least easy to cook, maybe beans or an egg, a piece of fruit, and a couple snacks (cookie, yogurt, slice of pie, etc.)

I seldom take food to my workplace. I just go to a restaurant nearby. Around $18 for a three course meal (starter, main course and dessert) with 1,5 l of water and a coffee is actually a good deal after a 3-6 h working day