Funny that tupperware has become a generic term even though it's trademarked. Most people use off brands or Rubbermaid. It's rare for me to see a genuine Tupperware container.

So anyway

I bring all kinds of food in all kinds of containers. Really, anything works. But I do not want to warm food up in a plastic container. I'm concerned about plastic getting into food. I bought a real dinner plate at Target and keep it at work. I can heat food up on that. Or I can use a Pyrex or off-brand glass container. Of course, that weighs more to carry back and forth, but it doesn't bother me. Ziploc bags are great for some things.

Sometimes my wife or I will make dinner big enough that we can have leftovers for lunch. That's nice.

I also walk to the supermarket near work once a week or so and stock up on staples. There's a fridge at work, and I keep bread (in the freezer) and cheese and peanut butter and jam. Sometimes I'll have pickles or kimchi, but my cow-orkers have reported that kimchi is kind of stinky, so I may not keep that at work any more. Some fruit is nice, too. I might have some carrots or celery to munch on.

I've made quiche for myself a few times and I want to get back into that. My wife doesn't eat it, so it's just for me. A quiche can last two or three days, so I can bring a slice or two in each day.

Every week, sometimes twice a week, I roast cashews at home. I bring them with me and munch on them at my desk. They have so many calories that I can sometimes skip lunch or have half of a normal lunch. I use a cast iron skillet, cooking oil, and spices. It takes a few minutes. Freshly roasted nuts are so much nicer to eat than roasted nuts I buy at the store. I've had friends and cow-orkers taste my nuts, and they really like the flavor. My wife used to be into almonds, but lately, she's into walnuts. They're all good. Peanuts (not strictly nuts) are good, too, and they cost a lot less. I do not let the nuts cool in a plastic container, but I'm OK with storing them in one after they're cold.

Sometimes on my supermarket runs, I buy stapes for lunches and a few groceries for me to bring home. The added weight isn't bad, and it saves me time at home.

Hard boiled eggs are a good cold lunch, and they're portable. Same with sweet potatoes. They're both decent finger foods, easy to clean up after.

[MENTION=20232]I-Like-To-Bike[/MENTION], the answers seem obvious, to you and to me and probably most others, maybe even the questioners. Still, there is value in talking about it, to compare notes. I just got some ideas for things to bring, as I like variety. Perhaps I've offered some useful ideas.

If ridiculing people makes you feel better, well, I'm sorry you're feeling bad. There are other ways to brighten your day, you know. Some of them might make you happy without being at other people's expense.

That is exactly what I was going for. I already had some ideas as to what I might do. I thought by asking maybe I would get a suggestion that would be, or lead to, a better idea.

Thank you to all who have and may continue to share here. Lots of great ideas.

Pbj in a locking sandwich container, tossed in a soft cooler and either put in my basket or throw it over my shoulder.

I like glass plates cuz I read ceramic absorbs microwaves, meaning the plate gets hot but the food doesn't, whereas glass lets the waves go just to the food. meaning the plate doesn't get as hot but the food does. so pyrex is great

market walking distance to work. that's an enormous plus!

kitchen at work is huge, my last employer had a fridge, cupboard, sink & I bought a blender to make my fruit juice & whey protein post ride shake

I like cashews too. they are lower in purines so safe for gout sufferers like me (just can't have a lot)

+1 on the eggs. starbucks used to be walking distance at old employer. they had a snack with an egg, cheese, apple slices, peanut butter & small bagel. it was a meal really but for bike a commuter it was perfect about an hour before riding home. great energy source for the end of the day

I got curious and Googled this up and it was fascinating to me... but probably too boring to share. Pyrex is great.

Some plastics also have a hard time in the microwave. We have some melamine bowls that I've learned to avoid using, they get hot AF.

And your wife doesn't mind? Most wives would mind a thing like that....

Please forgive me. At times, I am very, very immature

Speaking of my maturity issues, the picture that this conjured in my mind of mtb_addict cooking all this at his desk gave me the best giggle I've had all week. Thank you much for that btw.

Extra, extra points if your desk is in a cubicle farm type set up. It is almost enough to make me want to send you a rice cooker, George Foreman Grill, breadmaker, and toaster oven with miniature cookie sheet and Silpat liner Just for the fun of it.

We have several plastic kids plates that all say NOT microwave safe. And it's because they get SUPER hot after just 30-45 seconds in there.

And here's a funny video about eating MRE's

Either dinner leftovers in tupperware from the night before, or sandwich is plastic bags, or a random selection of things I grab real quick before I run out the door (apples/soup/yogurt/hummus/etc). If I have have more than a single ziplock bag or tupperware container, everything goes in a grocery store plastic bag, and then into my handlebar bag. 12 mile commute each way.

Coolers are for sissies! Of course...my stuff goes into a fridge at work when I get there...if food is sitting out for more than 4-5 hours you might want to think about worrying depending on what food it is.

What I really want to know is what is a "cow-orker." Assuming it is farm related. Someone who orks cows? Probably what you call the person who attaches the milking machine.

OR, it could be a derogatory term for an extra fat orca whale?

We should ask nog-lider.

It's just a fun misspelling I picked up from Dilbert way back in 1992, and I keep using it. See, it works as a conversation starter.

[MENTION=152773]noglider[/MENTION] lol dude you set yourself up for some good jokes now

My goodness, how do you people live on so little food? [MENTION=152773]noglider[/MENTION] seems to be the only one with a substantial diet!

I read the title & was hoping to get some good info on how to get a days worth of food to work, not just a lunch. My commute is 26-30 miles one way. Bike, rack, fenders, and a pair of Ortlieb back roller classics top 50 pounds and I burn 1200-1500 calories every morning. HOW to get enough food to support that and a 8000 step a day job in a factory would be good information.

I bunjy-corded a 5 pound lunch box to the rack, but the first time I got the bus home, the first driver gave me a look I didn't understand until I watched my bike sway uncomfortably on the over taxed bus rack. The next driver asked that the lunch box be removed so he could see the road.

It was then that I realized that the lunch box defeated the easy-on/easy-off of the panniers & just unnecessarily complicated matters.

After commuting 120 miles this week, 4 days, I leave the lunch box at home and spend $15 in the cafeteria. the return bus trip home is $6:50

My set up: Full shower kit (towel, washcloth, shower shoes, deoderant, work shoes, and a days clothes) in 1 pannier, and cycling gear in the other (cycling shoes, coat, rain coat, rain pants, neoprene shoe covers, gloves, computers, lights, keys, lock, & helmet) in the other. Due to work environment, it all has to go both ways.

Frame bag with repair kit, phone, wallet, and security credential for the gate.

HOW to get 3000 reasonably healthy calories back and forth that's both bus & bike friendly...now that would be good information.

Now I'm thinking about the feasibility of bringing a rice cooker to the office and get a 25 pound bag of rice from the asian market. I could be happy eating rice every day.
https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoo-Rice-C.../dp/B0078T462Y

$100 for single serving rice cooker is absolute insanity.

I bought a small rice cooker from Kroger for about $20 and it works just fine.

You know...I eat pretty well, but I have actually been thinking I don't eat enough at the office on days that I ride. I'll usually have some leftovers, or a sandwich or 2 + maybe a bag of chips from the 7-11 next door.

I kind of bonk sometimes on the way home. I need to have a snack or something before I get back on the bike.

[MENTION=413859]base2[/MENTION], 26 to 30 miles one way? That is a big distance! You have to expect that your appetite will be much bigger than most people's. It takes a lot of energy to go that far.

I mused over this a few years ago: fossil fuel is like simultaneously borrowing from our ancestors (because the fuel was formed over millennia without them using it) and borrowing from our descendents because we are depleting the supply and leaving them less. That is why it is grossly underpriced. If we paid the true cost, it would cost a lot more. A gallon of gas has 31,000 calories in it. As of today, it costs is $2.29 here in the US. That's insane. Even at its historic highs a few years ago, it was still under priced. How much does 31,000 calories of food cost? Of course, you can't put gas in your stomach for fuel. And cars consume more calories per mile than cyclists do because the vehicle is so big and heavy and we tend to drive them much faster. Still, this has been fuel for thought for me. When I resumed bike commuting a few years ago, I saw my food costs go up more than my gas costs went down.

I do eat a lot for someone my size. I weigh about 155 pounds (70 kg). I make a lot of body heat. I guess I'm just an inefficient engine.

In endurance events, athletes eat a lot of starch and sugar. I've found that when I take a long bike ride, this helps, and it's probably not as bad for you as it is when you're not doing endurance work. And your commute might be considered such an event. Do you really travel 52 to 60 miles a day, every day?

In the office building I work in, they don't allow you to bring in your own appliances and the appliances in the kitchen have to be rated for commercial use for insurance purposes.

heh we're probably SOL as we have a few residential appliances in my office... ice machine, Keurig, bullet blender, soda stream machine, all of which the boss brought in. The coffee maker is commercial, though, a Bunn with direct water line connection and 2 warmer plates/carafes. But we're a very small office, only about 10 people.

Is that 31,000 cal figure accurate for gas? If so..interesting. I just did some math...30,720 calories in a gallon of human digestible cooking oil. Looks like it wholesales for ~$5/gallon if you buy by the case. So twice as expensive as gasoline per calorie for the cheapest possible human digestible calorie, roughly.

Right, and look at the calorie/dollar ratio of other food. It's much lower. As for accuracy of my assertion, it's been a few years since I read it, and I could certainly be wrong.

Well, we can always google.

How many calories are there in a gallon of gasoline?