Emergency Lunch Ideas

[Firestorm]

I was thinking, when I go somewhere for the day (I.E Shopping in town) I have to either take lunch with me or try and find something Vegan while I am out - not always easy.

If Starbucks don't have their Panini and Boots does'nt have a Houmous sandwich, I cant stand another plain salad sub from Subway and none of the independent shops have anything, what can a Vegan do?

I've started this thread for us to share "Emergency" Lunch ideas.

One of my staples is a roll of bread from somewhere like M&S (making sure no milk), a pack of houmous and some salt and vinegar crisps - not Walkers.
If no bread is available just crisps and houmous.
If no houmous, just a crisp sandwich.

I have also resorted to buying a pack of Cheatin slices from H&B or Morrisons and stuffing that into bread.

A very last resort is a pack of crisps (any flavour but salt n vinegar is best) with a pack of salted peanuts thrown in.

Anyone care to share their emergency lunch ideas??

[harpy]

Hmm, good idea for a thread although embarrasingly I don't have much to post in it apart from my usual standby of nuts with fresh or dried fruit.

You can sometimes get washed and chopped crudités (carrot sticks etc) to go with hummus. Possibly marginally healthier than the crisp and hummus idea (which sounds good to me!). In a similar vein you can buy a bag of washed salad leaves and wrap the Cheatin' slices round small bunches of those - rather good although again not particularly healthy.

[twinkle]

M&S have started doing a couple of salads with quinoa that look vegan. I've only had one, a "shaker" that has a dressing on top, and you pour it over and shake it. It was butternut squash, quinoa, wild rice, lentils, carrots, cucumber and maybe something like baby spinach, and the dressing was garlic and basil flavour. Very tasty. Also, really nice in a bit of baguette with hummus! (had that at work the other day).

ETA: the Indian snack selections of most supermarkets are usually vegan, I used to have samosas or pakoras quite often. You can stick them in a sandwich with some chutney and salad, not a bad lunch at all.

[RubyDuby]

most sit-down type restaurants have salad and fries (chips).
Also Taco Bell, and I quite like Subway!

The main super market here (Wegmans- NE US) always has veggie sushi and fresh spring rolls on hand or made to order... and a salad bar.
Also, fresh fruit, berries, nuts in any grocery store.

[missbettie]

taco bell and subway are my go too. at Subway I eat a whole footlong in one sitting.

[RubyDuby]

me too ^ easily!

[missbettie]

well my thinking is, i'm just putting veggies on it, and i just eat mustered and vinegar, so it can't be that bad right?

[RubyDuby]

yeah, I just put vinegar, salt & pepper and oregano. (and baked lay's)
The only bad thing is that it is a whole loaf of white bread.
I sometimes want 2...

[missbettie]

ya, well....the veggies make it all the better right? i'm always hungry after 2 hours. veggies don't hold me over so well...but its so delicious.

[Blueberries]

I've had a few odd emergency meals in my time! As Firestorm said crisps, houmous, bread and tofu/veg meat are perfect. Also any sort of tinned beans (try and bring a fork or steal a plastic one from a deli counter!) or pasta sauce are great on a bread roll if you're stuck out and have to eat from the supermarket. It sounds weird but trust me, it's good!

[Blueberries]

A very last resort is a pack of crisps (any flavour but salt n vinegar is best) with a pack of salted peanuts thrown in

Been there! That's airport cuisine at its best

[Andy_T]

I'm partial to a bunch of bananas and a bag of pears, if everything else is no longer possible.

In my vegetarian days I sometimes used to go to McDonalds and buy a few of their 'garden' salad (small iceberg and tomato salad available in Germany for 1 € as side order) with balsamic dressing, but have not had that since going vegan and do not know if the balsamic dressing is vegan. It is at least suspicious. Also, I of course no longer support McDonalds.

Other than that, supermarket salad.

Best regards,
Andy

[Firestorm]

I would try and never go to McDonalds, but I have to admit they are my VERY LAST fall back option (If every Chippy, Shop, Garage and service station is closed - and there are no parks where can eat shrubbery) AND I HAD TO EAT, I would go and get some fries and an apple pie or a bagel with strawberry jam (which all seem to be vegan in the uk).

[RubyDuby]

The fries here have "beef extract" and milk somehow in them. why???

eta: I don't eat at McD's anyway, but still. Why???

[Firestorm]

They used to be fried in the same oil as beef burgers here in the UK, but they changed that when Veggies complained.
As I said, I would only eat there if I HAD to, I have been in like 5 years.

[RubyDuby]

To clarify, I meant why would they put beef extract and milk in french fries. It seems so ridiculous!
(I wasn't questioning anyone eating there)


French Fries:
Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), dextrose, sodium acid
pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to
preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.
CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK *(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

[Firestorm]

To clarify, I meant why would they put beef extract and milk in french fries. It seems so ridiculous!
(I wasn't questioning anyone eating there)

Oh I know, I was just trying to reinforce my reluctance to eat there, as to milk and beef in french fries, probably the same reason they put beef in candy.
What I find quite fitting is there is a supermarket in the UK called Marks & Spencer which sells "Percy Pig" candy, which is candy shaped like pigs faces. The fitting part is they actually contain pork gelatin.

[RubyDuby]

gross.

[RubyDuby]

It's funny though (sorry to turn this into a McD's fry thread!) that they put such strong emphasis on using 100% canola oil, but then inject beef into the fries.

[pusskins]

Oh I know, I was just trying to reinforce my reluctance to eat there, as to milk and beef in french fries, probably the same reason they put beef in candy.
What I find quite fitting is there is a supermarket in the UK called Marks & Spencer which sells "Percy Pig" candy, which is candy shaped like pigs faces. The fitting part is they actually contain pork gelatin.

I would love to be there when the parent explains to their child about the pork gelatin aspect. Which would just be a fantasy sequence when I'm asleep, as that would never happen in reality

[Cherry]

^ I've noticed those too - the pork sweets. Mental.

My choices would be:
1. Starbucks Panini
2. M&S salads (like the rice one)/fruit salad/crisps
3. H&B sausage roll or steakless lattice (actually, that's probably the one I do most often when caught out as it's cheaper!)
4. Bread rolls and hummous or a good old crisp sandwich

I can't imagine being desperate enough to eat in McDonald's! There are always other options.

[Vegan-bellydancer]

Tesco do a morrocan cous cous with dates and pine nuts which is nice. I belive it's vegan....I had it the first week I turned vegan so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Olives, salad and mejool dates I will take on the train to a gig for conveniant eating or stop at Camden and co for a lunch box salad if I'm passing Victoria.

Also Ive stopped at Weatherspoons and they made me a butter free salad baguette with chutney which was nice. I told them I was vegan so hopefully the baguette was suitable.

[New York Ann]

I like to keep a packet of walnuts in my purse. Blue Diamond makes them in snack packs. A bag of raw pumpkin seeds is nice. Also sunsweet prunes are good and come individually wrapped. You can get steamed vegies at a Chinese restaurant. I don't eat wheat so my options are limited too, but that usually works for me.

[kikifromscotland]

I found a (I'm pretty sure) vegan sandwich (well, wrap) at M&S the other day! I'm used to them having lots of sandwiches that could easily be vegan (like the falafel one) but aren't so I nearly didn't check. It was part of the count on us range, a chilli tortilla wrap sandwich with butternut squash, low fat humous, red onion, and lettuce I think. Had no egg or dairy on the allergy warning and nothing suspicious that I could see.

[Firestorm]

I found a (I'm pretty sure) vegan sandwich (well, wrap) at M&S the other day! I'm used to them having lots of sandwiches that could easily be vegan (like the falafel one) but aren't so I nearly didn't check. It was part of the count on us range, a chilli tortilla wrap sandwich with butternut squash, low fat humous, red onion, and lettuce I think. Had no egg or dairy on the allergy warning and nothing suspicious that I could see.

That sounds good. It bugs me that you see things in shops (M&S & Boots especially) that you would expect to be vegan, but when you check they have the weirdest ingredients.

Aha..... while I have been writing this post I have been checking the M&S vegan list and your wrap is listed as VEGAN (Cou Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Pepper Houmas Wrap).

Thanks for this, I will be on the lookout for it.

[Firestorm]

This one is also listed as vegan - thats 2 vegan wraps in M&S!!!

Cou Sweet Chilli Veg Sushi Wrap

[kikifromscotland]

That sounds good. It bugs me that you see things in shops (M&S & Boots especially) that you would expect to be vegan, but when you check they have the weirdest ingredients.

Aha..... while I have been writing this post I have been checking the M&S vegan list and your wrap is listed as VEGAN (Cou Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Pepper Houmas Wrap).

Thanks for this, I will be on the lookout for it.

Yeah that's the one, I forgot about the red pepper.

That sushi one sounds amazing! I always get annoyed when the veggie sushi packets in supermarkets contain mostly vegan sushi and then have one with egg or one with cream cheese in .

[GabriAngelle]

Go to the back of the store. Look at the shelves. What yummy vegan sustenance at a good deal goes together? There you are!

[Festered]

Supermarket. 'Fake' meats, samosas/falafel/salad/crisps..dressing...Faff but I would *never* go to mcdonalds. Agree theyre bloody stupid though.

[bexybexy]

Boots are now doing snack packs of Edamame beans I love them! They are very filling too as they are so high in protein. If you can find a Waitrose they do a hummous flatbread to go, a bean wrap to go, and other salads that are vegan. I love Waitrose! Have you ever had the Nkd/Trek bars - they are very filling I always have one in my bag just in case. Holland and Barrett as someone else suggested is fab and has loads of choices I love their porkless pie. I hate going in Subways too but have had to sometimes. It is so boring getting just a salad sandwhich and it annoys me that I have to pay the same. I also have to tell them to change their gloves! Why on earth don't they have some roasted veg or some avacado or something that they can use - it just bugs me that it adds to the stereotype of vegans just eating salad sanwhich and no wonder meat eaters ask questions like "What do you eat?!" If I was to show any of these people my kitchen at home they would see I eat like a queen! I find it annoying too when you see something like a falafel or hummus sandwhich in a chilled section in a supermarket and you thing "yay" but then when scanning it you see skimmed milk, or egg white. It is so unnecessary!!!!

[Firestorm]

Have you ever had the Nkd/Trek bars - they are very filling I always have one in my bag just in case.

I eat my own weight in these, Trek bars/flapjacks after swimming and the nakd bars for snacks. I love the new nakd nudies (pecan pie, ginger bread, choc orange, choc, choc mint etc). At the mo their website has a special offer on - Chocolate lovers box (6 Choc, 6 Choc orange, 6 Choc mint) for £10.49, thats £0.58 pence a bar, and it includes delivery.

[xwitchymagicx]

Due to being gluten free, my choices seem to be even more limited!

I generally buy one or two of those nakd bars...

Plus you can buy little pots of houmous with carrots attached...

Or a bag of apples/grapes...

Or worst of all unnutritious crisps which I have to resort to A LOT in certain places...

[bexybexy]

Firestorm they are lovely aren't they?! In Holland and Barrett the big bars are really expensive but in my local Tesco they are about 80 pence each. I still wish they were a little cheaper but then again they are so much better than the rubbish that goes into normal cereal bars. I make my own sometimes and it is cheaper and even nicer. I just mix porridge oats, dried fruits, flax seeds and some agave to bind in a food processer then press the dough into shapes and put in fridge to chill.

[xwitchymagicx]

^^ I like that idea Bexybexy...I wonder if that would work the same with gluten free alternatives like buckwheat flakes or whatever lol

[bexybexy]

^^ I like that idea Bexybexy...I wonder if that would work the same with gluten free alternatives like buckwheat flakes or whatever lol

I don't see why not xwitchymagicx. Can you get hold of any gluten free porridge flakes where you live? In my local health shops I have seen them. Or as you say buckwheat etc is fine, you don't even have to add the oats I did them once which just fruit and nuts they were lovely, but the oats would make them taste more similar to the nakd bars.