Delicious warm portable lunch ideas for winter that are perfect for working parents, busy mums, or any adult who wants a yummy hot home-cooked meal on the go!
As mums and parents we spend a lot of time focusing on what to feed our kids for lunch, however we sometimes forget to nourish ourselves. We make sure the kid’s lunch boxes offer a good variety of food, that they’re jam packed with nutrients, and that they’re not too time consuming to prepare. Well it’s about time we turn a little of that love onto our selves, and with the cold months now upon us I think delicious warm winter meals that nourish our bodies, put a skip in our step, and leave a smile our face is exactly what we deserve!
First things first! If we’re to enjoy warm winter meals on the run – and let’s be honest, very few of us have the luxury of eating our meals undisturbed from our own dinner tables each day – we need a good quality, insulated lunch box.
What Lunch Box To Use?
You want a good insulated lunch box that doesn’t leak, keeps food warm for at least 5 hours (see you through from leaving home in the morning to lunch time) and isn’t too bulky.
The Vaya Tyffyn has an insulated stainless steel outer shell (that comes in heaps of pretty designs!) which keeps your food nice and warm. What I like most about the Vaya Tyffyn though, is the individual stainless steel copper-coated containers inside which make compartmentalising my lunch super easy! I can keep soup and croutons separate right up until I’m ready to eat (the lids are leak-proof too, so soup for lunch is a synch!). I can also take pasta and pasta sauce separately, or I can even have a very fancy feed like potato bake, roast meat, and gravy!
The Vaya Tyffyn comes in three different sizes:
- 600ml with 2 inner containers
- 1000ml 3 inner containers
- 1300ml 4 inner containers
I find the 1000ml is the perfect size for lunch just for me.
The Vaya also comes with a smart mat which has many uses. Firstly you can use it as a bag to carry your lunchbox, then unzip it into a table-mat. It’s specially coated to repel liquid and resist staining, and it can also hold your cutlery. The Vaya mat also doubles as a convenient picnic bag.
VIEW: The full range of colours and sizes here.
Hot Lunch Ideas For You (When You’re On The Run!)
PASTA – Spaghetti Bolognese, Lasagna, Ravioli serve with steamed vegetables, salad or bread.
CURRIES OR STIRFRIES – Stir-fry or curry with rice, chow mein
ROAST LUNCH – Roast Meat, Potato, Pumpkin, Steamed Corn, Carrots and Broccoli.
SOUP – Pumpkin Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup or Lamb Barley and Vegetable Soup.
SAUSAGE ROLLS OR PIES – these are great winter warmers!
LEFT OVERS – simply pack whatever is left over from dinner the night before.
I’m using the Vaya Preserve below, it is a stackable stainless steel food jar that keeps food hot or cold for up to 6 hours. My tips:
- To keep food cold longer store the preserve in the fridge until needed.
- To keep food warm longer, pour boiling water into the preserve and stand for 3 minutes (without lid), pour out water and immediately add your hot food and screw on the lid.
