Packed lunches?

[doublehelix]

I'm so used to having a fridge at the hospital at work, It completely slipped my mind that I will not have one once I go back to school. Thankfully my school does have a microwave in the cafe!

How do you keep your lunches from spoiling? Do you wrap your items in foil, use those place ice boxes? Any tips will gladly help me out!

I know different foods will have different time spans they can be left out unrefrigerated, but whats the general rule? If i'm taking frozen foods, is it okay to have it thaw out in my bag since I will be re-heating it and eating the same day? How long can sandwiches keep? I have a spare in the morning, so I will only have to keep my lunch cool from 9-11:30.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

That should work fine. I usually bring my lunch to work and I work in multiple locations so I pack it in the am 0600 in a lunchbag with the little freezer thingie (what the heck are those things called?) I rarely get lunch prior to 1200 and by then its mostly defrosted but still very cold - I reheat it and have never had any problem. I have done yoghurt too but am careful to eat that in the am as a snack. For drinks I have reusable bottles which I fill with water and freeze and they get put in the lunch bag as well.

Good luck in school.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

Use ice packs in an insulted lunch pack.

[brokenroads27]

i bring mostly sandwiches, like turkey, bologna, ham, even tuna. and they sit in my bag without being in the fridge or even without an icepack until we get a break for lunch for about 3 or 4 hours. i think you're fine with whatever you bring as long as its not going to sit out for 8+ hours, thats a long time unrefrigerated. or you could always bring something thats easy to heat up, but i know in our school we only have 2 or 3 microwaves and they get SUPER crowded once lunch time hits. fruit is also a good idea.