They make portable mini crock pots that work great! My bf loves his and many if his coworkershave bought one since seeing his. Saves him money from having to buy take out and he gets to eat a healthy home cooked meal. They come in two sizes but all you do is plug it in an hour or two before your lunch break and enjoy a hot meal!
Yes, it sucks.
When I was in a similar situation I bought a lunch crock and have never gone back. If I put my food in in the morning, I don't have to go to the fridge or microwave during lunch. I've put literally everything in there and as long as you don't need something to stay crisp or crunchy it turns out great. I've also put frozen leftovers in and everything is heated up by lunch time. It's the best.
I used to make myself random soups in my mini crockpot (it’s a single serving, designed for lunch away from home, ~~maybe $20~~ $25 new (product link!).
On weekends I would prep a little; chop seasonal veggies, make sure I had pasta, spices, and broth paste handy.
On work mornings I open up the little crockpot, place a handful of dry pasta, a vegetable, maybe some beans or meat, spices and a dollop of broth paste. Then as soon as I clocked in at work I would fill with water and plug in. By the time lunch came, my soup was hot and ready.
I liked it because it’s flexible, and always fresh. It’s good to keep a notepad of ideas and attempts because some are very good (like tomato basil w/ meatballs), and some are not. Good luck!
Yes, 3 hrs without recooking. I should also note that I don't cook it, I use one of these and it steeps it at 165 - 175 deg F. That is what got me interested in the LEVO infuser being discussed in another thread.
I'm sure a bunch of changes went on during that lengthy of a heating process, this batch definitely isn't as potent as far as getting me high goes, and it doesn't make me tired, but when I do go to sleep, it's like the sleep of the dead.
I bought myself a mini crockpot, it doesn't cook it only heats but if you plug it in an hour or so before lunch you'll have a nice hot meal. It was this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H5V8QW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1It doesn't get hot on the outside and uses no more electricity at your desk than a small personal fan would, also smells don't escape it as it's heating the food.
Leftovers, soup, stew, even just the noodles with chicken and some veggies added to fill them out; will all make a good lunch either in a thermos (not super hot but at least warm) or using the crockpot to fully heat.
Here’s the one I have. They have other colors that apparently are more readily available and ready to ship.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006H5V8QW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_T-6bGbGBQ0P6P?psc=1
So, my background is in chronic disease prevention and I have overseen, taught and trained others in an accredited evidence based lifestyle change program. I think a lot of people make this harder on themselves than they have to.
Do you want hot lunches, are you ok with a cold lunch? I pack basically the same 2 to 3 options everyday. I switched jobs and now commute a total of over two hours a day. I don't want to think about my lunch everyday. So that's why I have the same 3 lunches to take the thinking out of it.
These options aren't expensive or fussy.
Salad with protein (ie leftover chicken, I buy a rotisserie chicken, shred it, put it into small baggies in the freezer and just pull out what I need a day or two in advance and throw it into my lunch bag). A bagged salad is perfectly ok. Watch what kind and how much dressing you are using. The vacuum sealed tuna packets are great too. Sometimes we have leftover steak and I'll put that on my salad.
Or leftovers. We don't have a microwave at work (unless I want to walk down to the cafeteria and honestly I don't want to deal with walking around with a hot container back to my office), so I use Crock-Pot Lunch Crock Food Warmer, Black Medium https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006H5V8QW/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_T8953DNM7TQNDKR3QJAJ there are other similar brands. I keep the warmer at work and just use the inner container back and forth from home. It says it takes 30 minutes to warm up the food, I just throw it in and turn it on when I get to work and it's always ready for lunch. Once again, so I don't have to think about it.
If I am really lazy or short on time, I bring a healthy canned soup and dump it in the crock pot warmer.
Along with one of the three options above I also pack: two servings of fresh fruit (apple, clementines, banana, berries if I have other precut fruit, I'll bring that. Precut veggies. A babybel or string cheese. This is plenty of food, if I'm too full I'll have one of these as a snack in the afternoon.
I keep some single serve Greek yogurt, nuts and granola bars at work if I need a snack, so I'm not tempted to eat something I shouldn't.
We have a cafeteria, but it is expensive (and I drive 120 miles a day, so I pack lunch too to save $ due to gas lol) and the lines are long, plus I'll be tempted to get whatever, because there are also plenty of unhealthy options. Plus I have coworkers who don't always choose healthy options and this way I don't feel swayed by them. The cafeteria does have healthy options, but since I can do that for a fraction of the cost, I just pack. So my shopping list is some of these basic things every week. Yes it's boring, but if I have a health breakfast and lunch, I don't feel like I have to be as strict for dinner either.
Get an electric food warmer and heat up leftovers or pre-prepped meals. I used a Crock-Pot Lunch Crock Food Warmer for 5 years or so and it worked great.
BTDT-
Get a crockpot lunch warmer:
https://smile.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Lunch-Crock-Warmer-Black/dp/B006H5V8QW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=crockpot+lunch&qid=1628473904&sr=8-1
It's great for leftovers and soups.
You need this, provided you have access to an outlet: https://www.amazon.ca/Crock-Pot-SCCPLC200-G-20-Ounce-Lunch-Warmer/dp/B006H5V8QW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=personal+crock+pot&qid=1599496836&sprefix=personal+crock&sr=8-2
does your big boy job have access to an electric outlet for a few hours? try one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Lunch-Crock-Warmer-Black/dp/B006H5V8QW/
Do you have access to electric?