Brown Bag It! 14 Great Ideas for Weekday Lunches

Looking for lunch? Maybe you’re making an effort to pack your lunch more often as you head into the busy autumn season? Here is a roundup of 10 good ideas, recipes, and menus that will help you throw a lunch together.

• 1 Make Your Own Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt Cups – Why buy yogurt cups? Make your own, and you can use homemade yogurt, too, if you’re inclined.

• 2 5 Lunches Under 400 Calories – Five nourishing, well-balanced lunches.

• 3 For Tomorrow’s Lunch: 10 Basics to Cook Tonight – 10 make-ahead staples (mostly starches) that can form the base for a week of lunches.

• 4 How To Poach an Egg in the Microwave – A great addition to your office lunches!

• 5 Make-Ahead Recipe: Thin-Sliced Roasted Pork with Southwestern Spices – A great recipe for make-ahead lunches.

• 6 Egyptian Tomato Soup – Ready for soup? Try this recipe with fresh summer tomatoes.

• 7 Crisp Tuna-Cabbage Salad – A fresh take on tuna.

• 8 10 Vegan Lunch Ideas – Ideas for the vegan brown-bagger.

• 9 Make Your Own Lunch Box Ice Packs – A simple how-to on making your own ice packs.

• 10 Lunch-Packing Inspiration – A lovely gallery of inspiring lunches.

• 11 Back To Work and School: 15 Great Lunchbox Snacks – Homemade granola bars, and more.

• 12 Pack a Lemon in Your Lunch Bag – A lemon! So many uses!

• 13 Sweet and Funny Lunchbox Notes – Write your sweetie a note for the lunchbox.

• 14 Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless Lunch Jar – One of the best lunchbox options out there.

Lunchboxes & Bags
• Can You Recommend a Good Insulated Lunchbox?
• Desperately Seeking: No-Leak Soup Containers for Lunches
• Three Styles Of Bento Lunchboxes
• Kitchen Organization Tour: A Visit With Bento Expert Biggie of Lunch In a Box

Tips & Good Ideas
• How to Re-Heat Leftovers in the Microwave
• Our Readers’ Questions About Lunch
• Perk Up Sandwiches with Seasoned Salt
• Snack On The Go: Veggies Stored In Dip

Lunchbox Recipe Roundups
• Lunches That Don’t Need Reheating
• 5 Dinners That Make Great Lunches
• 5 Lunches With 5 Ingredients Or Less
• Yummy, Homemade, & Filling Snacks for My Lunchbox?
• 10 Small Sweets For Your Lunch Sack

More Lunch & Lunchbox Snack Recipes
• Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Open-Face
• Kalamata Olive and Parsley Potato Salad
• Egg, Arugula, and Herb Tartine
• Chickpea of the Sea
• Big Green Salad with Shallots, Chicken, Smoked Almonds, Goat Cheese, and Dates
• Cuban Sandwich
• Ploughman’s Lunch
• Bacon Fat Popcorn
• The Single Beet Lunch

(Images: See linked posts for full image credits.)