Easy lunches for work

fsuguy92
fsuguy92 Posts: 20 Member
in Recipes
Hey guys, starting tomorrow on this journey to get in shape! Wondering what easy lunch ideas you guys have that I can easily take to work. Usually I'll bring a yogurt and a granola bar to eat as a snack early and late, so I really just need an easy "main course". Thanks :)
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Replies

  • mrsyarnal
    mrsyarnal Posts: 1 Member
    I've been doing turkey or ham roll ups. Essentially you just take low fat/low sodium turkey or ham lunch meat, squeeze a bit of mustard in the middle, and roll them up. I usually do 5 roll ups...they're pretty satisfying!
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
    I prep mine the night before and generally take chopped up carrot, cucumber and celery to nibble on, plus crackers and Philadelphia. Tomorrow I have some mini chicken satay as well, plus a banana and some Greek yoghurt. I'm a grazer so I like to have lots of bits.
  • tiffanytalbert85
    tiffanytalbert85 Posts: 2 Member
    edited February 2015
    They are higher sodium than I like but I buy Michelina Lean Gourmet frozen lunches. 100% whole wheat bread and mustard with lean turkey for good, old fashioned sandwiches is always great. Remember that portion control and serving sizes are important.
  • tamdesgal
    tamdesgal Posts: 43 Member
    Some things I've done are:
    Large Romain lettuce leaves (washed & patted dry)
    2 Turkey slices
    Make a sauce using: light mayo, low sodium soy sauce, fresh garlic, lime juice mix all together spread on the lettuce and roll up. They are delicious

    Or low fat tortillas with perdue southwest chicken strips, low fat or fat free shredded cheese, you can add black beans which are high in fiber and protein, or make like a fajita style with peppers and onions.


    I'm hungry now! :-)
  • sapphire641
    sapphire641 Posts: 20 Member
    Lots of times I will take leftovers from the night before. I don't have any carbs after lunch so this is the time I would eat rice or pasta. I like wraps as well with tuna or leftover chicken then load it up with veggies and Dijon mustard :smile: For snacks I usually have berries of some sort, grapes, almonds or veggies and hummus, apple, orange. Good luck!!
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    I have been eating tuna salad plates with tons of veggies, Tuscun Veggie soup or 1/2 Thin & Trim Turkey sandwich with 1/2 portion pretzels or hummus and crackers.
  • Pol3cat
    Pol3cat Posts: 12 Member
    I do wraps and smoothies at the moment, make up 3 or 4 of one then 3 or 4 of the other to break it up a bit.
    The smoothies are usually based on museli with almond milk, banana and a few berries or soft fruits.
    The wraps are brilliant, just throw in a little chicken and dress it up with salad, chillies or whatever else you fancy. Smooth a bit of flavoured humus over the wrap before you fill it for even more interest.
    I never feel hungry after lunch now.
  • lissa686
    lissa686 Posts: 6
    edited February 2015
    I bring a greek yogurt with granola and fresh fruit for my early snack and lunch is usually baby spinach with shredded carrots, cucumber hard boiled egg or sunflower kernels for some protein
  • ms_milo
    ms_milo Posts: 4 Member
    I alternate between frozen Lean Cuisine meals and canned soup. Progresso Light is my fave - filling and tasty.
  • DvrDawg
    DvrDawg Posts: 88 Member
    I like to grill chicken (thighs or chicken breast) on the weekends. Then, during the week, I take 4-6 oz and cut up in small pieces -then, each day I'll toss it with something different - like various McCormick spices (cajun, garlic and herb, etc), bbq sauce, teryaki sauce, etc. Also, I steam a vegetable to go with it -brussell sprouts, asparagus or a small mixed green salad, or tomatoes and cucumbers in italian dressing. On some occassions, I'll mix some chicken, steamed carrots and steamed/sliced brussell sprouts together with a little soy sauce. And, finally, I also like to take about 3 oz of chicken and 3 oz of smoked sausage and mix with brown rice.
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    For the past week or two I have been doing a salad with around five cups of iceberg lettuce, two tablespoons of salad dressing, & one or two packets of Tuna.
  • rak173
    rak173 Posts: 105 Member
    Tomorrow I'm having a salad in a mason jar. I wouldn't call it quick or super easy but I make a few at a time. Mine has lettuce, chicken breast grilled in spices, hard boiled egg, cucumber, grape tomatoes, a bit of dressing and shredded cheese. Comes out to about 400 calories and tasty. I usually take leftovers from dinner. I try to keep the calories around 400-500, so I portion accordingly.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    Leftovers. It's just me and my husband, and most dinner recipes make four servings, so I take leftovers for lunch.
  • FreakinFlabuless
    FreakinFlabuless Posts: 29 Member
    I've been making a chicken salad "sandwich" quickly and easily by mixing a whole drained can (can use fresh-cooked though) of no-salt-added chicken breast mixed with 0.5 oz of baby arugula, 2 Tbs. low-fat mayo, 1 oz chopped onion all mixed together and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, then stuffed inside of half of a wheat pita bread half. It's very satisfying and filling for me. It comes to 178 calories, 3 g of fat, 30 mg of cholesterol, 484 (canned,undrained) mg of sodium, 24.5 g of carbohydrates, 1.2 g of dietary fiber, less than 3.3 g of sugar, 12 g of protein. Only 4 Weight Watcher Winning Points for me.
  • auntlisashouse
    auntlisashouse Posts: 7 Member
    And avocado a day keeps the doctor away! Google that and eat more avocados! Rethink your yogurt and granola bars – they contain a lot of sugar – measure, input in myfitnesspal, and make sure you are not exceeding your sugar limit.
  • lovinlife17
    lovinlife17 Posts: 4 Member
    chgodvr wrote: »
    I like to grill chicken (thighs or chicken breast) on the weekends. Then, during the week, I take 4-6 oz and cut up in small pieces -then, each day I'll toss it with something different - like various McCormick spices (cajun, garlic and herb, etc), bbq sauce, teryaki sauce, etc. Also, I steam a vegetable to go with it -brussell sprouts, asparagus or a small mixed green salad, or tomatoes and cucumbers in italian dressing. On some occassions, I'll mix some chicken, steamed carrots and steamed/sliced brussell sprouts together with a little soy sauce. And, finally, I also like to take about 3 oz of chicken and 3 oz of smoked sausage and mix with brown rice.

  • lovinlife17
    lovinlife17 Posts: 4 Member
    Spot on! I will also sometimes get a couple of roteserrie chickens and pull the meat off and use for quick lunches as well.
  • sushiandtea
    sushiandtea Posts: 24 Member
    I like taking salads for lunch. I just start with a leafy base and add a handful of chopped cucumber and plum tomatoes. Then, I just bulk it out with one or two other things; grilled turkey, chickpeas, vegetable koftas and pakoras, grated carrot, grilled steak, tinned or fresh fish (usually tuna, salmon or mackeral), 1/4 cup of rice (uncooked weight), 1/2 packet of ready-flavoured cous-cous, etc.

    Soups are also good if you have access to a microwave (or a kettle for instant/mug soups). I usually eat them with some bread, or rice or cous-cous... or a chicken sandwich if I'm being indulgent.
  • FreakinFlabuless
    FreakinFlabuless Posts: 29 Member
    Oh, I came back to point out that while the can of chicken may say 5 ounces, it's about 2.75 to 3 ounces of meat after draining, so that's why I use the whole can -- despite the can saying there is "approximately 2-1/2 servings" (it's a lie! lol ;)
  • soidade
    soidade Posts: 116 Member
    auntlisashouse wrote: »
    And avocado a day keeps the doctor away! Google that and eat more avocados! Rethink your yogurt and granola bars – they contain a lot of sugar – measure, input in myfitnesspal, and make sure you are not exceeding your sugar limit.

    That's cool if she's watching sugar, but people use this site for different things. :)
  • tekkiechikk
    tekkiechikk Posts: 375 Member
    edited February 2015
    Plan your meals for the week and make what you're taking for lunch the day before. If I fail to plan, I end up with bad choices for lunch the next day. Healthy cereal or oatmeal with skim milk or milk alternative (love unsweetened almond milk- only 30 cals a cup) and a piece of fruit makes an easy, nutritious lunch.
  • JWat2020
    JWat2020 Posts: 80 Member
    Weight watchers Taco soup. It is delicious, makes a TON stays good all week and freezes well:

    http://www.food.com/recipe/weight-watchers-low-fat-taco-soup-157732
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    Im a fan of the good old fashioned sandwich myself. I eat alot of safeway brand microwave meals as well.
  • mearsy88
    mearsy88 Posts: 87 Member
    bump!

    am also looking for easy lunch ideas. I do like to eat salads for lunch, but at the moment where its still cold I just want to eat warm stuff!
  • Linandra
    Linandra Posts: 10 Member
    I like to take a yoghurt pot, and fruit. If its really cold I love Cup a soups.
  • Nessa489
    Nessa489 Posts: 4 Member
    I love tuna salad microwaved with slice american cheese and then dip apple slices in it. Sometimes I'll even make a tuna salad/apple/cheese burrito and melt in microwave. I've done the same with canned chicken, but I like the tuna better. Or even just lettuce on a tortilla shell with a tiny bit of ranch, seems boring but tastes good to me, and a switch from a regular salad. Poor man's quesadilla - tortilla shell, taco sauce, slice of cheese....warm in microwave and roll up/fold.

    Lately I've been into triscuit pizzas - 7-8 triscuits, dab pizza sauce, break up string cheese pieces and microwave. Works on rice cakes or English muffins too.

    If I want a side (or just not very hungry), microwave steamed veggies with slice of cheese on top. Quite filling.

    I also second the soup ideas.
  • FitOldMomma
    FitOldMomma Posts: 790 Member
    fsuguy92 wrote: »
    Hey guys, starting tomorrow on this journey to get in shape! Wondering what easy lunch ideas you guys have that I can easily take to work. Usually I'll bring a yogurt and a granola bar to eat as a snack early and late, so I really just need an easy "main course". Thanks :)

    My niece has been making (and posting pictures) of her weekly Mason Jar Salads.
    They look amazing and she swears they don't get soggy or wilted even by the last day.


    http://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/mason-jar-salads
  • Riffraft1960
    Riffraft1960 Posts: 1,984 Member
    Lunch is simple for me. Either leftovers from the night before or Smart Ones frozen meals. Between that and my protein bar for breakfast, I don't have to think about either meal, Also leaves me a fair number of calories for dinner
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    bump
  • chesves
    chesves Posts: 224 Member
    I cook chicken in a crock pot on the weekends, and eat on it all week (sometimes plain, sometimes added in a can of Progresso soup, etc.) .... I try to keep a couple of Lean Cuisine, etc. frozen meals to grab as a last minute if I don't have time to plan and prepare something (better than a school lunch- I'm a teacher) .... I eat a lot of soups, I made a white chicken chili and froze individual size portions which were perfect for lunch .... sometimes I'll get small packages of deli meat, and roll that up with Sargento's ultra thin cheese along with yogurt and fruit ....

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