Portable food?

Hey all!

I'm a grad student looking to avoid buying food on campus - both for financial *and* calorie-counting reasons!  :c) 

The reason I've always ended up reverting back to the cafes, though, is the thorny problem of portable food.  There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot out there that
I can pack up and take with me easily (or if there is, I haven't found it).  So, I'm wondering, do any of y'all have ideas for food that is:

- non-squishy
- non-stinky
- non-drippy
- non-noisy (if it's an in-class snack for back-to-back class days)
- not immediately perishable
- not super-time-consuming to prepare in the morning
- not another Lara bar!

... or are my standards just unrealistic?  ;c)

Jerky, bananas, apples, grapes, raw veggie sticks, pb&js, salads, pudding or yogurt cups, raisins, nuts, rice... Just some ideas. Is that the type of thing you're looking for?

Yeah, those are generally the sort of thing - thanks!  I'm trying to stop myself from jumping to the downside of every item - they WILL work, they WILL!  ;c)

One thing, though, in terms of some of the softer things, like bananas, grapes, pudding, etc. - and this has plagued me since kindergarten - is: how do you keep them from smushing?  I've tried hard-sided lunchboxes, wrapping them in napkins, everything I can think of short of bubble wrap, and often as not I end up with banana goo all over everything by lunchtime.  (I guess this goes for salad dressing in cups with lids that have even the faintest chance of coming off, too!) 

I'm a klutz, I'll admit to that, but surely other people have figured out how to deal with this ... right?  (If I get this issue solved, I suspect a lot more food will enter the "portable" category for me.  *grin*)

This may look silly, but it's great for bananas!

http://www.bananasaver.com/

Also, get a thermos and fill it with soup.  You can make a big pot Sunday night and have a little each day.  Chop lots of fresh veggies pretty small and they'll pour out easily - no spoon required.

cut up vegetables, a piece or two of fruit, whole grain bread with a tablespoon of peanut butter, pretzels, dried fruit, nuts, cereal, string cheese, jerky, crackers and probably tons more.

*giggle*  The banana saver does look silly (reminds me of this: http://fashionista.com/2008/04/an_apple_a_day .php) - but I just might have to ask a friend in DC to bring me one from Hudson Trails...

I know it sounds like something your mother would say but invest in som decent lunchboxes!

I have one thats 100% watertight and i put some frozen fruit in it in the morning. By lunchtime its just defrosted and nice and chilled. It will also help keep your ither food chilled.

A box of brown rice with some salad and beans is a really filling meal, and a boiled egg is good too. Take it in a freezer bag and youve got a place for the shell!

xXx

Try carrying around Kellogg's Grab N go Cereal packs (only 70 Calories per pack) they are cheap and tasty! Instead of chips or candy bars that what I substitute!  HELPS tremendously.

instead of flimsy (disposable) baggies, use a small plastic box dedicated as a sandwich keeper.  they are usually for sale in a kiddie section of the grocery store (there are cool SpongeBob ones....) or you can find them from Ziploc/Glad/Rubbermaid too.  These fit into the small pocket of my backpack or dance bag and the insides don't get squished!  I can usually fit in a sandwich in a napkin (for my messy mouf :P ), a carrot broken into pieces and some grapes.  also,with no sandwich, enough grapes or strawberries fit in one of these containers to fill your belly for a decent period of time. 

if you insist on baggies, try cheese cubes.  you'll hafta rely on harder cheeses like cheddar or edam or gouda in a baggy.  Or in a tupperware, you could have a laughing cow wedge.  cheese and grapes for lunch--YUM!