Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: 41magsnub on January 24, 2011, 02:11:53 PM

Title: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: 41magsnub on January 24, 2011, 02:11:53 PM
Left over pot roast, garlic mashed sweet potatoes, and green beans.  Love it.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Fly320s on January 24, 2011, 03:04:03 PM
What?  No bacon?!
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: MillCreek on January 24, 2011, 03:54:20 PM
What?  No bacon?!

Really.  At least with the green beans, for pity's sake!
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: AZRedhawk44 on January 24, 2011, 05:41:27 PM
Canned chili.

No imagination today.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Gowen on January 24, 2011, 05:46:26 PM
Rice and a chicken breast, I'm on a diet. ;/
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Perd Hapley on January 24, 2011, 05:48:06 PM
Chicken salad sandwich. Hot fries. Virgil's Root Beer.

I win.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: cosine on January 24, 2011, 10:07:48 PM
Canned chili.

No imagination today.

Macaroni and cheese. Also no imagination.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: 41magsnub on January 24, 2011, 10:08:53 PM
Chicken salad sandwich. Hot fries. Virgil's Root Beer.

I win.


I'm just not seeing it, maybe the root beer part though.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Pharmacology on January 24, 2011, 10:17:10 PM
Quote
Chicken salad sandwich. Hot fries. Virgil's Root Beer.

I win.

Have you tried the "zero" version of Virgil's yet?
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Physics on January 24, 2011, 10:32:33 PM
pho
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Perd Hapley on January 24, 2011, 11:11:58 PM
Have you tried the "zero" version of Virgil's yet?

Zero? If that is some diet abomination, let us not speak of it again.  =(
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Pharmacology on January 25, 2011, 11:11:05 AM
Zero? If that is some diet abomination, let us not speak of it again.  =(

Yeah, it's horrible, horrible stuff.

Tastes like someone took mint water, and dumped a dozen Nutra sweet packets into it.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: BridgeRunner on January 25, 2011, 11:23:58 AM
Lunch?

So far, mostly snot and secondhand banana.  The drippy-nosed toddler has learned how to give kisses.  <3
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: 230RN on January 25, 2011, 02:34:37 PM
Sea food salad, bean salad.  I get these  from a little bodega down on the plains.  Gotta soak all the sugar off the bean salad first, though.  

+ coffee.

Almost had to do lunch all over  again, though, after reading BridgeWalker's post.  :laugh:
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: 41magsnub on January 25, 2011, 02:35:43 PM
Same thing again today.  That takes care of the pot roast, need to be more creative tomorrow.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on January 25, 2011, 02:45:15 PM
I only just got done with breakfast, half a bag of store bought "butter flavored" popcorn and a couple snacky cakes.
Oh, yeah, and three or four cans of diet pepsi.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: HankB on January 25, 2011, 02:52:46 PM
"Brown bagged" my lunch to the office today . . . as usual.

Salad . . . lettuce, tomato, radishes, red bell pepper, spinach, green onion. Homemade salad dressing - olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dash of pepper, and a bit of parmesan and romano cheese.

It needs bacon.

Or a steak.  =(

Salad isn't food - salad is what food eats.   :'(
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Boomhauer on January 25, 2011, 04:07:58 PM
"Brown bagged" my lunch to the office today . . . as usual.

Salad . . . lettuce, tomato, radishes, red bell pepper, spinach, green onion. Homemade salad dressing - olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dash of pepper, and a bit of parmesan and romano cheese.

It needs bacon.

Or a steak.  =(

Salad isn't food - salad is what food eats.   :'(


I'm still trying to find foods that taste good for brown bagging. Cold cut sandwiches get old very, very quickly. And everytime I try to look up good brownbagging foods on the internet, it's always suggestions for salads and other tasteless crap, never any real food that will actually fill a working man up.



Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Perd Hapley on January 25, 2011, 04:10:31 PM
Also, salad causes belching. 'Course, real men love to belch all the time. Or so I've heard.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on January 25, 2011, 04:27:56 PM
You people don't know how good a salad can be... *shakes head*
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: cambeul41 on January 25, 2011, 04:57:33 PM
Quote
Macaroni and cheese. Also no imagination.

Best served with kimchi or at least hot sauce!
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: RevDisk on January 25, 2011, 05:00:38 PM
You people don't know how good a salad can be... *shakes head*


Place bowl on flat surface.

Toss in lettuce plus any of the following: black olives, diced red onion, tomatoes, croutons, shredded cheese


Recipe One - Mexican salad

ground beef
Mix in garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, pepper, chili powder, cumin
Toss nacho chips into bowl with lettuce and accessories
Pour ground beef over llettuce and accessories
Pour taco sauce or salsa over ground beef

Recipe Two - Asian salad

Cook chicken 80%
Cube
Pour lower salt soy sauce over chicken in pan
Add garlic, onion (preferably powdered)
Stir until cooked to taste
Dump over lettuce and accessories

Recipe Three - Old Bay salad

Toss chicken in container with olive oil, Old Bay, pepper and bit of lemon juice
Wait 10, 15 minutes
Cook chicken, cut into slabs
Dump over lettuce and accessories



A salad ain't a proper salad unless it has meat.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Boomhauer on January 25, 2011, 05:01:05 PM
You people don't know how good a salad can be... *shakes head*

There are three food groups: Beef. Pork. Scotch. Nowhere do I see "green stuff" in there.



Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: RevDisk on January 25, 2011, 05:04:03 PM
There are three food groups: Beef. Pork. Scotch. Nowhere do I see "green stuff" in there.

You forgot bison, chicken, elk, snake, deer and Good Beer.     =|

And "green stuff" is what you put UNDER the food.  It's kinda assumed.  Like BBQ sauce. 
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Boomhauer on January 25, 2011, 05:07:07 PM
You forgot bison, chicken, elk, snake, deer and Good Beer.     =|

And "green stuff" is what you put UNDER the food.  It's kinda assumed.  Like BBQ sauce. 


Okay, okay, I relent. meat, alcohol, and taters.

Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Declaration Day on January 25, 2011, 05:08:59 PM
I'm still trying to find foods that taste good for brown bagging.

Leftover homemade spaghetti in a tupperware container.  Even at room temperature it's really good.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on January 25, 2011, 05:29:02 PM

Okay, okay, I relent. meat, alcohol, and taters.



What about cheese? And butter? And OMG! Corn!
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: BridgeRunner on January 25, 2011, 05:58:43 PM
I'm still trying to find foods that taste good for brown bagging. Cold cut sandwiches get old very, very quickly. And everytime I try to look up good brownbagging foods on the internet, it's always suggestions for salads and other tasteless crap, never any real food that will actually fill a working man up.

Is there a microwave available? 

If so, soup/stew, and I have a ridiculously healthy, meaty, man-friendly recipe for ya, if you don't mind colorful food.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: Boomhauer on January 25, 2011, 06:09:28 PM
Is there a microwave available? 

If so, soup/stew, and I have a ridiculously healthy, meaty, man-friendly recipe for ya, if you don't mind colorful food.

Yeah, we've got a microwave available. I'll take that recipe. I don't mind a few veggies in my soup/stew...


In the spring/summer/fall, I take my portable grill to work and cook lunch. But who wants to do that when it's 20-38 degrees outside, it's blowing wind, and you've been working outside all day? Winter sucks.

Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: BridgeRunner on January 25, 2011, 06:45:58 PM
Ingredients:

Slab of meat.  I use chuck roast.
Beets.  Bigger ones are easier to peel, not so big they're cracked.  In winter, make sure the stump isn't too rotted.  This is much less of issue in high summer-fall.
Carrots.
Salt, pepper, fresh or granulated garlic or whatever else if you want, a little oil.
Maybe some kind of flavorful liquid if you want.

If your container is not reliably leak-proof, then some pearled barley (sometimes, this is hard to find for some reason.  Around here, it's in the kosher section or the "international" section with Irish stuff; also bulk food/health food stores)

Get dutch oven or similar pot/pan pretty hot.  Salt and brown the slab o' meat.  There will be some liquid in the pan.  If there's just a little, you're cool. If there's not enough to cover the bottom of the pan, then add some.  Water, broth, wine, beer, whatever.  Cover tightly (foil is your friend if you don't have high quality cookware) and stick in a warm oven for a while.  I tend to do about three hours at 225 or so with just the meat.  Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but it's tasty, so I don't care.  This is braising, which is just the bee's knees for cooking beef.  When it's getting on towards done, pull it out and toss in a whole bunch of quartered/chunked carrots and beets.  I used to use other veggies and have realized that they are superfluous and just dilute the flavors.  If it's kinda' dry, add a little more liquid it probably won't be. You don't need a lot of liquid.  You are kinda' roasting, kinda' steaming the veggies.  If they are completely submerged, they lose some of their awesome texture, which isn't mushy like a potato, but has the same stick-to-the ribs quality.

If you don't want the liquidy version, so add some water or broth and some pearled barley.  

Reseal and stick it back in the over.  When the veggies are done pull it out of the oven and leave it the hell alone.  When it's cooled off a little stick it in the fridge.  When it's cool enough to handle or when you get around to it, take the hunk of meat apart and either throw out the big chunks or fat and connective tissues that are now pretty easy to remove, or make your dog very happy.  If you want, and it's cold, pull any solidified fat off the top.  If you're working outdoors and don't have a weight problem, I'd leave it alone.  Tear the meat up into chunk small enough that they will warm through in the microwave.  Portion out to lunch containers.  

If you used barley, it will not be soupy or stewy, it will be more like a casserole.  I think it's better without, personally, but more potential more mess and therefore less portable.  If you keep a bowl at work, you can seal soup or stew or braise into a wide-mouth quart mason jar way more effectively that a dinky, leaky plastic lunch container, and more durable.  Never seen a mason jar warp yet...

This is a little light on straight up carbs for some people's preference.  If you want 'em, bread, butter optional, makes a great side, especially if you go to the bakery section of a decent store and get something crusty with a good texture.  

It's a pretty long process that involves very little work.  I've sung the praises of beets before, but I'm always happy to do it again.  Great complement to beef, stands up to cooking better than most vegetables, and obnoxiously healthy.  Carrots are good for ya too.  Simplicity is good.  It's nice only having to buy three things, all of which are main ingredients.  nothing piddly and stupid and essential to have to remember.  And anyone who says beef isn't healthy hasn't been paying attention to food safety issues.  Salads and chicken and lightly cooked or raw stuff, all that pale, rabbit food crap are more prone to becoming seriously toxic if you do the whole cook-on-the-weekends thing or aren't scrupulously careful about keeping the stuff at optimal temperatures and such.  

And yeah, this recipe works great with any red meat.  I done it with venison and it was great, might try it with bison if I'm ever in a position to obtain an affordable bison roast.  Beets stand up well to flavor.  For some reason a lot of people find them kind of funky and don't like them.  I think it's partly because kids tend not to like strong, earthily flavored vegetables and they are uncommon enough that many people just keep their preconception for life.  And I dunno about you, but I was tormented with cold canned pickled beets as a kid.   [barf]  This is not like that.  

ETA: Varies seasonally, of course, but both carrots and beets are often cheaper than potatoes, keep longer than potatoes without getting funky (I refrigerate 'em both), and are less finicky than potatoes to grow your own.  And they've got all those vitamins and stuff.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: go_bang on January 25, 2011, 10:11:41 PM
Yesterday was a spicy noodle bowl with a small can of chicken mixed in.  Today was Boston Market frozen salisbury steak with mac & cheese.  Tomorrow might be Chef Boy-R-Dee beefaroni and baby carrots.
Title: Re: Ah.. Lunch
Post by: MillCreek on January 25, 2011, 10:17:56 PM
This all makes my granola bar as I work through lunch at my desk seem really pathetic.