Hi Annie, My guy is a train mechanic and sometimes walks 6-8 miles a day lugging around tools and such (as he walks the trains back and forth to inspect/fix stuff), so he also needs lots of energy packed in his lunch box. We are both vegan and have been for years, but he was a meat lover before we started dating and is still a fan of hearty meals.
Now, his situation is a bit different because he does usually have access to a microwave, so what I do for his lunches won't exactly translate to your guy's situation, but I hope it will at least help a bit. Since he has cold packs for his lunch box, sandwiches made with Tofurky deli slices or Yves deli slices might be one easy solution. You can use Veganaise or Nasoya vegan mayo instead of real mayo (which also means you don't have to worry so much about spoiling). My guy loves the Tofurky deli slices and the salami slices made by Yves.
How is he about eating leftovers that aren't super hot? What I almost always do is just make extra of whatever I make for dinner so that I will have plenty left over for his lunches. Some of the dishes I make that work well for this are vegan mac and cheese, pastas, veg pot pie and lentil and rice dishes. I also make some meals that pretty much mimic a typical Southern or Midwestern diet, such as Gardein vegan chicken breasts with mashed potatoes, corn, gravy and biscuits, which I also send to work with him. But if your fiance doesn't like eating lukewarm leftovers, these might not work out as well for him. (Unless, of course, there is a way he could set them out in that 100 degree heat to warm up for a few minutes before eating them.)
Another thought -- does he have a Stanley thermos? Those things rock. In the colder months, I make some pretty hearty soups and stews with potatoes, carrots, barley and such, and then send them in his lunch in his Stanley thermos. Here's what I do -- I fill up his thermos with super hot water and set the lid on top to keep the heat in. Then I heat up the soup or stew hotter than I normally would for serving it. I empty the water out of his now-heated thermos and pour in the soup. Then I close the lid really quick to trap the heat in and send it off with him. It's still hot enough to enjoy when he eats lunch hours later (and we live where it snows). There might be other thermoses that work this well, but the old-style looking Stanleys are the only ones I have found that really work well for this for us. So it might work out for your to send some hot foods (that would stay hot) if you go the thermos route. Gardein makes a vegan meat alternative called beef tips that are perfect for making vegan versions of beef stew -- that might be one more thing you can try to show your fiancé that eating vegan can still include some of his favorite flavors and textures.
Aside from the main dish, I always send him a bunch of side or snack stuff as well -- for that sustained energy they need. Some of it won't work for your situation (popcorn, oatmeal), but some of it probably would. I always send applesauce and a soy yogurt in his lunch every day, so if you think your guy will eat those things, they will keep well with the cold packs. I also send either store-bought or homemade fruit leathers (like fruit roll-ups). Another one that I think might be good for your guy is the fake jerky snack-size packs made by Jerquee.
There are a bunch of vegan fake jerky options out there, but the ones by Jerquee are the only ones that my Dad will eat -- and he is a complete hunting/fishing/meat-and-potatoes-at-every-meal kind of guy -- so your guy might like them.
Eating a bunch of gluten in sandwiches and fake meats is not necessarily ideal if the whole point is doing a cleanse, but even if you do need to include these things to make him feel full and have the energy he needs, it is still going to make a huge different just that he's cutting out meat and dairy for those two months. I'm sure I'm forgetting other stuff that might be helpful, but hopefully at least some of what I mentioned might make the transition a little easier.
Good luck on your cleanse!
AJ
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