Luncheon menu suggestions?

Question

I am in charge of coordinating luncheons for trainings my office provides to our customers. We always have a salad but I'm wondering what main dish I can make or buy that would be more "out of the box". I am on a budget, so menu items without many ingredients would be a plus. I also must have an alternative for any vegetarians. My main goal here is to feed the customers, but to not have them be too stuffed that they feel like sleeping through the remaining afternoon of training.

Answer 1

In moments like these I turn to sams club.... sandwiches and sides that are simple, but tasty and inexpensive but with nice presentation look like a great lunch. Fruit is always pretty and maybe even just a bunch of appetizers they can fill their plates with. Also, use small plates so they don't "stuff" themselves, they can go back for seconds but you can bet they won't eat "too much!"

Answer 2

You can create some delightful luncheon items with a little imagination.  Here are some ideas:

1.  Chinese Chicken Salad, hot rolls, cheese platter, fresh fruit.

2.  Caesar Salad with chicken or steak strips (or portabella mushrooms for vegetarians); hot rolls, butter, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit.

3.  Chicken satay skewers with peanut dipping sauce; chopped salad with pears, candied walnuts, gorgonzola and a light and tangy vinagrette; hot french bread, fresh fruit.

4.  Sub sandwiches made from loaves of french bread, brushed with Italian Dressing, and layered with 1/4 lb mortadella, 1/4 pound ham, 1/4 pound salami, provolone, tomato, lettuce, pepperoncini, and cut into 2 inch slices; fruit salad, cookies.  For vegetarian options, use cucumbers, marinated artichoke hearts etc. on the sandwiches.

5.  Quiche:  carmelized onion and mushroom; green chili and artichoke; chicken and bacon.  Serve with baby lettuces and brownies.

6.  Tortilla soup (with or without chicken); chips and salsa; cheese quesadillas; jicama sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder; lemon bars.

7.  Linguini with pesto and fresh parmesan; green salad, french bread with garlic and cheese; cheesecake bites.

8.  Quesadillas with chicken or beef, cheese, and green chili's; spanish rice; condiments:  sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced olives; black beans; cookies.

9.    Lasagne, green salad, garlic bread, chocolate brownies.

10.  Cold cut platter with artisan rolls, condiments, potato  salad and cole slaw, cookies.

Bon Appetit!

Answer 3

Sam's has a lasgna that is good for frozen foods .. and it's not expensive.  Also - there are really simple lasgna recipes which are simple, easly, & inexpensive to make.  Garlic bread & salad are great with this.   Chicken spaghetti can also go well with the salad & bread.    

There are BBQ sandwich items that come from the box - and are good.  All you have to do is warm them up.  You could add potato salad, baked beans, with this .. and it all can be gotten at Wal-Mart.

For the vegatarian's .. you could buy salad items for all -- but make special salad plates for the vegatarians from the items you buy for all.  You could also have a mixture of fruits & veggies.

Sam's also has a variety of interesting sandwiches which come straight from the box -- they can be good when hungry  You could always add chips with the sandwiches.

Also -- Sam's  again ... has a delicious chicken salad for sandwiches.

In our area - we have places that sell fried chicken very inexpensive  ... and Wal-Mart also does this, too.

Answer 4

You could do a sandwich bar so people can choose whatever toppings they like.

Have a couple different selections of pasta salads, one with meat, one without.

Answer 5

Cucumber sandwiches with cream cheese, goat cheese and dill, this is fancy but not too expensive and goes over well most vegetarians.  Ham and cheese rolls are another good finger food.  Parmesan Romano cheese crackers are another good finger food, little more pricey but with a few herbs goes well with everything.  

For crackers just spoon out your cheese herb mixture on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 6 minutes or until just golden brown.

Answer 6

If these are a regular feature, you should be able to shop around for a caterer to provide X number of lunches, X number of times per week for X number of weeks.  My friend's restaurant/production facility does this for several large construction companies.  Because they know exactly how many,how often, at what time, they can offer a really good price with no waste.  They offer sandwiches, fruit tray, veg and meat samosas, soups, and other small such items.  The main thing here is to nail down your meetings to a regular schedule, so it all can work together.  The more uniform this can all be made, the better for everyone.