Were all familiar with the idea of taking your tea or coffee to work in a thermos, but did you know that you can keep food warm in that handy container, as well? Its nice to have a hot meal ready to go, even if you`ve been hard at work all morning and your thermos can help you do just that.

1. Soup. This one is pretty obvious, since its liquid. However, its worth mentioning because you can literally have a different soup every day for a month and never repeat! From minestrone to chicken noodle and cheddar chowder, you can enjoy delicious hot meals poured right out of your thermos.

2. Pasta. If youve ever had a hankering for ravioli at your noon break, this is a great way to satisfy it. Youll find that this works best with a wide mouth thermos, as do most foods. When you cook your pasta, make sure you cook it to just over half done. That means, if you bite a piece of spaghetti in half, it should still have a white center. Other pastas should still be chewy. Pour the drained pasta into your thermos, add your favorite topping or sauce and seal it up.

3. Veggies. Cold, boiled vegetables are just nasty in most cases, but it doesnt have to be that way. Pour them into your thermos, add a dab of butter and some salt and let them stay there until youre ready to eat your steaming hot, delicious vegetables.

4. Pudding. If you dont relish the thought of having lukewarm pudding in your Tupperware at noon, then try putting the cold pudding into your thermos in the morning. It will stay nice and cool until youre ready to treat yourself.

5. Chili. Not technically a soup, this dish tends to taste best when hot, so put it in your thermos and pack a few slices of cornbread to enjoy with it. Your chili will still be piping hot when you`re ready to sit down to lunch at the office.

You can make it easier on yourself by purchasing a wide mouth thermos that will let you easily put food in and dump it back out. A long handled spoon is also very useful for getting the last bits of food out of the bottom of the thermos. And with that, you`re ready to start eating great, healthy meals at work.