I bring my lunch to work most days; often, this is because I plan dinners with leftovers to last me a day or two. I try to always have apples and plain yogurt (that I either mix with honey or preserves) on hand to round out a meal.

If I'm feeling particularly organized, I might make a big batch of a grain or bean salad over the weekend and portion it out for lunches during the week. I have several recipes I use, but I've made so many that I often just think of a combination that sounds good, like black beans and cilantro or barley and feta, and add veggies and other ingredients based on that combination until I have a tasty salad.

Packing lunch for work should be both fun and creative. It just takes getting use to for the first few weeks. I have an addition to the list of recipes here at : http://blog.gogobags.ca/2011/04/13/eggplant-and-apple-sandwich/

I bring leftovers to work for lunch usually 3-4 times a week. Today I had mango greek yogurt (which is like dessert) and Indian-inspired three-lentil soup.

Wow. We are so on the same page. I just wrote a post about packed lunches yesterday.
http://www.merrygourmet.com/2011/04/on-the-packed-lunch-and-a-recipe-for-chickpea-salad/

I wish I could say I were more creative with my packed lunches. Most days it's a PB sandwich on whole wheat, string cheese and some fruit. We don't have a microwave at the office, so everything has to be able to be eaten cold or at room temperature. I should probably explore some of the recipes above for a change of pace.

ranyart, post some of your grain salad recipes! I'm interested!

I bring my lunch to work 4 days a week. I have crunchy toasted homemade wholemeal bread (from a recipe by Stephanie Alexander, a well-known Australian chef, restaurateur & cookbook author) topped with three-olive dip, 50g tinned red salmon, and a mound of roquette. Delicious, textured, healthy, cheap, and the protein keeps me going until dinner time. Well ... 'til late afternoon, anyway.

Jenjones How many people are in your office? Could you split the cost of a small microwave?

Get a Mr. Bento or Ms. Bento if you don't have a microwave at work. It will keep your foods warm so you don't have to keep bringing sandwiches.

The problem is when you are on the go... I do not work in an office during the morning and the first hours of the afternoon, so taking lunch along when you can´t heat it is not useful nor tasty (especially during winter). Anyway, these are great recipes, in my case to make at home at least!

I brought a grilled cheese with bacon jam and apples and some leftover blood orange and olive salad! Can't wait for lunchtime!