Food of the Seventies, Mug-A-Lunch

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Description
I just need to know that someone else out there remembers this instant noodles mix, not sure who made it, possibly Lipton, it came with a few envelope packets per box. You would pour the contents of one envelope into a mug and mix it with hot or just-boiled water. Voila! Mug-A-Lunch! And hence the name, though it could be "Mug-O'Lunch," but I think it is "Mug-A-Lunch." It made a great quick meal for a kid- though at thirty I long for it! I most remember a chicken flavored pasta variety. It was very similar to the Lipton pasta and sauce mix side dishes found today.
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User Stories and Comments

The following are comments left about Mug-A-Lunch from site visitors such as yourself. They are not spell checked or reviewed for accuracy.

Karen - August 24, 2007 - Report this comment
I too remember Mug-A-Lunch. I remember mac and cheese and it was delicious. I wish they sold it now.
Mark - September 14, 2007 - Report this comment
I believe Lipton's was called Cup-O-Soup. They also made Giggle Soup, which featured a curly-nosed character and soup noodles that resembled shapes of the solar system.
Lori - November 17, 2007 - Report this comment
I was trying to tell someone about these the other day, and they just didn't remember them. I told her they came along with the invent of microwaves, and the commericals showed kids making their own lunch. It was Mug-A-Lunch. My brother liked mac-n-cheese, I liked the spaghetti. The new Hamburger Helper Singles remind me of them.
carol - March 03, 2008 - Report this comment
I LOVED Mug-O-Lunch! The macaroni & cheese variety! Besides eating it any time during the week, it was my MUST HAVE at 11 a.m. Saturdays when the Jetsons came on TV! I've tried other new instant mac & cheese products, but nothing comes close!
Susan - April 29, 2008 - Report this comment
i loved mug a lunch, i wish it would come back!
Chris - May 05, 2008 - Report this comment
I totally forgot about these! Used to love 'em!
todd - June 16, 2008 - Report this comment
people it says "betty crocker" right on it!
Tammy - June 18, 2008 - Report this comment
I almost forgot about these...I wish you could find them now.
Beckie - July 27, 2008 - Report this comment
I used to love these, especially the beefy noodles and mac and cheese, not the spaghetti so much. We didnt have a microwave so we used hot boiling water.
randy - July 31, 2008 - Report this comment
loved the beef noodle.wish they would start making this again
Ellen - August 26, 2008 - Report this comment
I weep for the Mac and Cheese Mug O' Lunch. I used to eat it during "Days of Our Lives." Nothing comes close
Matt - August 28, 2008 - Report this comment
That stuff was great! I figured that they had to discontinue it because something that good had to be bad for you!
CHANCEY - September 18, 2008 - Report this comment
I'm w/Ya! Mac & Cheese Mug O Lunch! YES!! That stuff was Great!! I have asked so many people about that stuff threw out the yrs. Noone ever knows what I'm talkin about,I'm from Seattle,so I don't klnow if it's a West Coast thing. OK,Here's 1 for ya, Does anyone remember that desert that had to set up in the fridge,That was like a pudding w/a hard top? That was awsome also,BUT there again noone has ever heard of it.
michele - September 19, 2008 - Report this comment
Yes-I remember this. The mac and cheese was so awesome. Wish it was still made. I sure crave it to this day.
Karen - September 23, 2008 - Report this comment
I'm glad I'm not crazy, 'cause I remember them. I loved the mac and cheese and the chicken noodles. I think there was some kind of beef variety also. I ate them like everyday after school. I'm in PA and we had them here.
Styx - November 11, 2008 - Report this comment
Do I remember it? I even lost weight on it! It was unbelievable. It was Betty Crocker who made it. Now at 56 and long gone from the States for over 30 years I still long for that addictive taste. Does anyone know why they don't make it any more?
Michael - November 12, 2008 - Report this comment
I only had the Mac and Cheese Mug O' Lunch a couple of times, but I loved it and still remember it to this day.
Marcus - November 27, 2008 - Report this comment
I especially remember the Beef Noodle flavor. I loved it so much, I would buy it with my allowance.
D - December 31, 2008 - Report this comment
I'm so glad I'm not alone in remembering how awesome the Mac & Cheese Mug O'Lunch was! I was thinking about this product the other day, remembering how often my brother and I would fix it for ourselves and chow down. Thank you for letting me know that I am not alone in missing this!
Greg - January 07, 2009 - Report this comment
Oh Thank God there are more people out there that remember this!! Those were the days.
KAM - January 23, 2009 - Report this comment
Beef Noodle was the best - would be great to have it again.
Lisa - January 24, 2009 - Report this comment
I have never recovered from that loss! Mac and Cheese and Beef and Noodles were awesome. I used to come home for lunch and have it. Please help find it now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul M - February 13, 2009 - Report this comment
Yes I also remember this. It was pretty tasty. Why do they tease us and take away something that people love. Must have been a managemet corporate change in the offices or something like that.
Hannah - February 26, 2009 - Report this comment
Oh, I loved loved loved these things. The Lipton Noodles and Sauce taste close to them but I loved the small size and that you could just pour in water. Wish they still made them!
Susan - March 03, 2009 - Report this comment
I loved mug o lunch, escipally the spaghetti product! that was great, i wish it was still made it! some of the old products should make a comeback.
jimmy - May 05, 2009 - Report this comment
I remember mug o lunch it was very good I wish they sold it now
Melissa - May 11, 2009 - Report this comment
I LOVED the mac and cheese. We all need to write Betty Crocker and ask them to bring it back!!
Leora - June 20, 2009 - Report this comment
chicken and noodles was my fave!!! With the mac and cheese, when you poured in the water and didn't stir too much you'd get this great cheesy crust on top.
Brett - August 25, 2009 - Report this comment
Had I known back then that this stuff wouldn't be available I would have gotten a life supply. I mixed it up, one day chicken, next day beef and then mac and cheese.I still crave them all.
Randy B - September 02, 2009 - Report this comment
I never liked it. Since my mother bought it and wasted good money on something my brother and I did not eat, it was never purchased again. In fact the box sat up in the cabinet turning into a fossil.
andi - September 03, 2009 - Report this comment
Loved the spaghetti-and siblings loved the mac-n-cheese! wish they would make it again!!
Erik - September 18, 2009 - Report this comment
I remember begging my mom to buy mug-o-lunches even though I really didn't like them too much.
Lisa - October 11, 2009 - Report this comment
I remember eating this when I was a kid! Mac and Cheese was my favorite. I don't remember the chicken and noodles, but I do remember the beef and noodles!
Chancey - October 29, 2009 - Report this comment
Hey Michele from Sea, I to am from Sea. YES I remember the Desert Pudding like w/hard top! I Rocked!!! How about "Fizzies" Oh The Good Ol Days! ;0} Memories Never Fade!!!!!! Blessings.....
Neal - November 02, 2009 - Report this comment
Man, I loved the beef-n-noodles and the chicken-n-noodles ones. I think about 'em often and wish they still made them. I found my way here by googling "mug-a-lunch" to see if they could still be had somewhere.
Graecie - November 02, 2009 - Report this comment
God yes! The mac n cheese was IT! The sure didn't skimp on the cheese, just the perfect amount. Why do all the good things go away? Mug-a-lunch, Anne Klein perfume...they should make these products again...
Lynn - November 17, 2009 - Report this comment
OMG.....I was trying to tell a friend of mine about these and she looked at me like I was crazy, but that spaghetti was so good but my favorite was the mac & cheese!!! wish Betty Crocker would dig back into there vault and get the recipe back out and make this stuff again, ohhhhh the good old day~
vicki - November 18, 2009 - Report this comment
I used to eat mine in a milk glass flamingo print irish coffee mug. Mac and Cheese was my fave! Much better and less heartburny than the convience foods now.
Shay - November 22, 2009 - Report this comment
WOW! I can rember eating mug-o-lunch for lunch that's when schools didn't provide lunches back then. I wish betty crocker come back with an old school favortie.
footballmom104 - December 21, 2009 - Report this comment
My brother and I ate these like they were going out of style!
MugO - December 30, 2009 - Report this comment
I started employment with General Mills in 1978, and my first new item sales presentation to a wholesaler distributor was 'Mug O Lunch'. I remember being so fired up about the product, and put on a real dog and pony show. I recall the item came packed 24 per case and in 3 flavors: Mac/Cheese, Spaghetti, and Beef Noodles. The Mac & Cheese flavor sold the best at stores, and survived a bit longer than the other two. Great memories and a cool product for the time
Jenna - January 24, 2010 - Report this comment
I loved Mug O'Lunch and for some reason the spaghetti was my favorite. I'm sure if I had it today I'd think it tasted like over processed food but in the 3rd grade (1978!)it was great!
Gail - April 09, 2010 - Report this comment
This stuff was amazing......I remember that I liked the one with elbow macaroni and what was suppose to be hamburger in a spaghetti sauce. I don't remember what they called it. I use to eat that stuff every day!!!!!!!!!! I wish it was still around...although in this day & age I might not be so crazy about it anymore.
Cindy - May 21, 2010 - Report this comment
I LOVED the Mac and Cheese Mug-o-Lunches! I remember eating them in college in my dorm room! They were easy and awesome!
doug - June 28, 2010 - Report this comment
Wow!! I TOTALLY forgot about Mug o'Lunch until I saw the picture here! I haven't thought about this stuff for 35+ years! my Mom bought it a few times. it tasted kind of funky, but I liked it as a kid!
Tracie - August 02, 2010 - Report this comment
Mug-A-Lunch is what I remember most about Elem. School...I was having a cup of soup tonight and Mud-A-Lunch pop up again as it often dose...I looked it up and it's very nice to see I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE - lol xoxox to Mug a Lunch!
Shannon - September 22, 2010 - Report this comment
I loved Mug-o-lunches. Thats all I ate while visiting my grandparents in the 70's. Great memories. I wish this was still around for kids today.
Paige - October 14, 2010 - Report this comment
I was reading the comments about the Ice Cream Gum and I saw the picture for Mug O Lunch. I startled my dog when I yelled " I remember that." I try to talk about foods from the 70's and no one I know remembers them. I remember I loved the mac and cheese and Spaghetti. They were sooooo gooood and easy to make. I do wonder why cup of soup is still around and this isn't. I grew up in Kansas so if we had the whole country had too. It's nice to connect with so many people who can say that I'm not crazy Mug O Lunch was real as was so many more long gone foods of my childhood.
frank - October 30, 2010 - Report this comment
if i still remember mug o lunch as a kid and how much iloved it . betty crocker needs to do some thinking about a flash back pepsi did and their makeing millions gonna write them
Starla - January 20, 2011 - Report this comment
I have dreamed about mug-a-lunch FOREVER! I continuously buy every mac and cheese variety on the market trying to replicate the taste and smell from 30 years ago. I typed mug-a-lunch into google tonight for the first time and was astonished to see I'm not the only one. I have talked about ti and nobody ever seemed to know what I was talking about. You guys rock!!
Laura - February 03, 2011 - Report this comment
Yes!!! I loved this stuff, the mac n cheese one. I remember it was so hard to wait for the 5(?)minutes you had to let it sit. So wish they would make it again. BTW I am 42, so glad others have same good memories.
Scott - March 29, 2011 - Report this comment
Oh YES, I remember and lament the disappearance of Mug-A-Lunch. And Franco American Roller Coasters. And PDQ eggnog crystals. And Buc Wheats, and Crispy Wheats and Raisins, and the ORIGINAL Chili Mac, and Tid Bits. And all the other awesome foods that have vanished for no good reason.
John L. - April 02, 2011 - Report this comment
I grew up near Seattle, WA. I can't believe I'm sharing this; maybe I'm so old now I know I'm not going to get in trouble. Just don't tell my kids ok? When Mug-a-Lunch was in the stores, it was about the same time I was.. Uh... Experimenting with "magic" mushrooms.. No, I'm not proud that I did it. They tasted horrible but you had to eat them otherwise, no trip for you, man! So me and my friends would stir them into a cup of Mug-a-Lunch and never tasted them! And of course you can guess how the rest of the day went.
kelsi belle - May 02, 2011 - Report this comment
NOOOOBODYYY cares!!!!!
The Truth - May 06, 2011 - Report this comment
We all Hate You Kelsi Belle.
Sara - June 11, 2011 - Report this comment
I have great memories of the Mac and cheese and beef and noodle flavored mug o' lunch. I remember those hot summers after a nice swim, we would eat them out on the deck, the beatiful redwood trees surrounding us.
Tsktsk - June 15, 2011 - Report this comment
I loved mug o lunches! Bring them back!
Michelle - June 29, 2011 - Report this comment
My son and I were just talking about backpacking food and I remembered Mug-o-Lunch. It would be perfect for backpacking!
Rann - September 24, 2011 - Report this comment
I found a way to duplicate one of these Mug-O-Lunch items that I used to take backpacking all the time. I remember exactly how it tasted and have been able to make something like the beef noodle by using the Knorr beef noodle meal mixed with some soy burger crumbles. YUM!
Susan Kittell - October 11, 2011 - Report this comment
Betty Crocker should bring back Mug a Lunch, its great
Nancy - October 12, 2011 - Report this comment
OMG... I was just thinking about Mug-o-Lunches today, I ate them every day during grade 7 and 8. Sure wished they made them today.
Larry Liverstein - November 05, 2011 - Report this comment
Mug o lunch = Lunchy to the nines. Long live Mug O Lunch. Lunchy.
pam berry - December 17, 2011 - Report this comment
I remember mug-o-lunch! I had forgotten about it i used to love the spaghetti and the chicken pasta one!!
teresa - March 07, 2012 - Report this comment
I loved the Mug-o-lunch. Took them quite frequently to school when I was in 2nd and 3rd grade. The Mac & cheese was my favorite!
Carolyn - May 05, 2012 - Report this comment
I loved them. I would mix only half the water you were supposed to put in there. It was nice and thick then. Someone please make a company sell this again.
Carolyn - May 05, 2012 - Report this comment
On youtube they have the commercial for Mugalunch. Search for: "Mug o Lunch 1979 TV commercial"
Greg - October 03, 2012 - Report this comment
Bring it back Betty Crocker!!! It got me through many work-at-home sessions.
Jackie - December 26, 2012 - Report this comment
OMG, I loved this stuff! I wish they still had it!
nick mcknight - February 09, 2013 - Report this comment
Im selling this stuff... lol it's probably expired... But it's starting at 10 bucks a box... gr33nzilla@gmail.com
Musicfan - April 08, 2013 - Report this comment
OMG! The chicken noodle one was my favourite. Why is it when a company makes a great product they discontinue it? I loved these and obviously so did a lot of other people. I miss this, mini VH eggrolls and Pepridge Farm's broccoli pastries with cheese.
Kim - November 18, 2014 - Report this comment
YES I remember the mug o lunch. mac N cheese was my favorite. Cup o soup had a credm of chicken that was my favorite. I wish they would bring it back.
Kimba - August 10, 2015 - Report this comment
Dear Betty Crocker, Mug O Lunch would replace easy mac and Raman noodles in EVERY college dorm room. Multiple that buy the number of college students and then their parents and siblings then add in the fact that people have lost weight while eating these delicious mugs of joy and you have a multi million dollar come back with Mug O Lunch! Please bring it back if only for a short time. Please please please!!
jaime - January 29, 2016 - Report this comment
I LOVED the mac and cheese ate it about everyday in the first grade(1978)wish they would bring them back! YUMMY!
Jason - March 14, 2016 - Report this comment
I loved Mug O Lunch as a kid in the 70's. My favorite was the spaghetti flavor. The others were good too.
Jeff - August 03, 2016 - Report this comment
I loved the spaghetti ate it during the summer while mom worked I love finding this site wish I still had a box of this stuff!!
Vicki - August 22, 2016 - Report this comment
We always took it on our backpacking trips on the Applichian Trail, wish I could find it now for my next trip in April
Anna - October 22, 2022 - Report this comment
2022 and thinking of Mug O’ Lunch after having soup out of a mug at work. I remember the first time I tried one at a friend’s house. I must have been 4 or 5 and I would beg my mom to buy them from the store. I was fascinated that you could “cook” something in a mug with hot water and I thought the beef noodle tasted delicious!

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