What do you pack for lunch?

heatherlynn1621

What do you bring to work for lunch to keep you full until dinner?

Need2Exerc1se

Leftovers from last night's dinner.

cwolfman13

Most days I bring a massive garden salad that weighs in around 9 ounces. I usually have 1/2 an avocado with that and some kind of protein (usually leftover from the grill the previous evening). About once per week I have a sandwich and in the colder months of the year I make a lot of homemade soups and stews and whatnot that make for easy leftovers.

I don't eat dinner until around 8:30 or 9:00 in the evening so this generally doesn't last me until then and I work snacks into my afternoon/evening.

prettyleelee

I have found these great stuffed grilled chicken patties (Jacks Special Grilled) in meijers they are in front of the meat counter they are full of protein and flavor (180 cals for cheese and bacon one) they take all of 2 mins to heat up in the nuker as well. I add them with some broccoli or put it on a salad.

JamesKeuning

Can of albacore in water, six triscuts.

dargytaylor

This week it is 3-4 oz of grilled chicken breast with guacamole in a pita pocket

Whiskeytub

I've been getting really into casseroles lately. You can make some very filling ones for surprisingly few calories. I'll usually try to have two going at once in the fridge - a lunch one and a dinner one. It's nice to be able to put in all the effort cooking one day to eat for the next week.

Right now I have the shrimp/quinoa casserole that was on the mfp blog post about a week ago (though I used polenta instead of quinoa because it's way cheaper) and this one which is really good:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/02/baked-wheat-bulgur-with-sweet-potatoes-almonds-recipe.html
though I cut down on the cheese and almonds to lower the calorie count.

I'll usually cut a small portion of casserole over a large handful of salad mix and it's filling and lunchy and great.

Or I'll just bring a tuna salad pita pocket.

doktorglass

Today: an open-faced sandwich made of ~70g rye bread, 120g smoked whitefish, 60g cottage cheese, red onion, radishes, sprouts, rocket salad, plum tomatoes and slices of raw courgette. 382kcal, C/F/P: 38/7/37. (Need more fat though.)

(Nothing keeps me full till dinner. I always include a small meal in the late afternoon.)

Wiseandcurious

doktorglass wrote: »

Today: an open-faced sandwich made of ...

@doktorglass - if you don't mind, how do you pack the open-faced sandwich for work to keep it from spilling all over when carrying or unwrapping?

doktorglass

@Wiseandcurious: I have a lunch box with two compartments, like this. I keep a slice of bread in the upper compartment, and all the toppings in the lower (I ate it all already). At lunch time, I just assemble the sandwich on a plate in my office.

Wiseandcurious

Thank you, that's clever!

Apud85

Healthy Turkey Chili, I'll make a big batch on Sunday and eat it throughout the week. Also salads with leftover chicken, smoked sardines with wasa crackers, or just leftovers.

Gska17

Mediterranean chic pea patty (Morning Star) on a 100 calorie sandwich thin. Sometimes I'll add a slice of low-cal cheese and some yellow mustard. I have a serving of Snack Factory pretzel thins with it & carrot sticks with low-cal dressing.

Canuckgirl77

I eat my breakfast at work - usually oatmeal or English muffin with egg. I have a morning and afternoon snack - either fruit or veggies and my lunch is leftovers from dinner. Along with tons of water, I am full until dinner.

shrinkingletters

I work at a hospital so we have a cafeteria, and I don't pack lunch. We have a pretty basic salad bar and I just add on whatever protein they have going on that day, so long as it isn't fried or covered in oil or something.

Clarewho

A ton of salad and usually some sort of seafood. Tinned tuna, poached salmon or king prawn etc. I find it helps with protein so I feel fuller but not too many calories. Although I'm fairly new to this do maybe I'll be corrected...

gilliebee63

Seed crackers with tzadziki (treat: add crumbled bacon pieces or sun dried tomatoes).

Homemade bean dip with corn chips and veggies.

Haven't done this for a while but I love smoked oysters (bring a can and spread them on whole grain/seed crackers.)

ONUnicorn

This week it's been yogurt and cottage cheese and applesauce (I'm having dental work done). Normally I prefer leftovers from the night before, or a lean cuisine and fruit, or I go out (usually to Panera Bread because it's just downstairs).

arditarose

greek yogurt with pb2, sometimes also with an oreo cookie. A can of some kind of fish (tuna, smoked trout, sardines), with spinach. I like shrimp with black beans, hot sauce, and broccoli slaw. I usually need a snack around 4 though, a coffee and a quest bar or dark chocolate.

_shannon92

doktorglass wrote: »

Today: an open-faced sandwich made of ~70g rye bread, 120g smoked whitefish, 60g cottage cheese, red onion, radishes, sprouts, rocket salad, plum tomatoes and slices of raw courgette. 382kcal, C/F/P: 38/7/37. (Need more fat though.)

(Nothing keeps me full till dinner. I always include a small meal in the late afternoon.)

That sandwich sounds absolutely amazing. I'm not usually one for sandwiches, but I will have to try that!

jhamptonsleboda

The key for me is to bring a snack to work that I can eat between 3-5pm. No matter what I eat during lunchtime, I'm on the go for most of the work day so I need a pick me up to tide me over to dinner (I have a 40min commute home so I don't eat dinner until 6/7pm once I walk the dog, heat up dinner, etc.). Little containers of granola, a serving of pistachios, pretzels/crackers with 1oz cheese, strawberries/bananas, etc....anything that is portable and keeps me from becoming hangry works. I just need to bring something or I find myself walking down to the vending machine and making not-so-perfect choices.

kimw91

A big salad (tuna, salmon, lentil and goat cheese, asian chicken), a piece of fruit and a protein bar.

Queenmunchy

I like to freeze soups, stews, chili, stuffed peppers, meatballs, etc in single servings. Pull one and go in the morning. I also label each serving with calorie counts, but I really don't have to anymore since it's easy to just log one serving from mfp

abetterluke

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Leftovers from last night's dinner.

This.

On the days when there are no leftovers (like if I eat out or if we make something that would be too much of a pain to put together at work) then I usually just bring a PB&J sandwich and some snacks (almonds, etc.)

Sometimes I go out too but it's kind of difficult to find healthy food around my work. I mean it's there but it's not cheap....

mathandcats

I like to make big batches of something and eat it as lunches for a week or more (or, freeze some and alternate with another batch of something). I have a convenient lunch sized thermos. I've been taking this lazy enchilada casserole a lot lately: iowagirleats.com/2013/03/25/lazy-girls-chicken-enchilada-casserole/, although I reduce the cheese on top and add in some black beans.

I also take some other things for afternoon snacks, such as half of a Quest bar, a banana chocolate chip muffin (runningwithspoons.com/2014/06/24/banana-oat-greek-yogurt-muffins/), some fruit, etc.

I'm looking into ways to bring wraps or burritos and such too, but my work doesn't have a microwave or a fridge, so I'm still thinking about what to do with those.

zdyb23456

For awhile I did big salads (lettuce, plus whatever veg I had that week) topped with an ounce or 2 of ham or turkey (sometimes a tuna pouch). But after several months I burnt out on them and couldn't even look at a salad without feeling an aversion to it. I'm still not too crazy about them... lol

Now, I take pre-portioned leftovers. This week it's been split pea soup. Sometimes it's cajun meatloaf with rice and green beans. I've made a Ceasar pasta salad that's pretty yummy - it's got grilled chicken, pasta, tomatoes, green onions, parm cheese and romaine lettuce tossed in a ceasar dressing.

opalquartz

I usually bring an arugala salad with feta, a mini cucumber, and a dressing of olive oil/basalmic/spices. That plus a peach or banana, and some nuts or a protein bar, usually does the trick.

ShortMrsN

Salad of baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, avocado, red or green onion, sunflower seeds,
Miso soup with green onion, fried shallots, baby spinach and rice that has been squished in an Onigiri mould (pour soup over the top..... yum)
Sushi
Raw veges with a dipping sauce (today with homemade mayo and sweet chilli sauce mixed together)
Leftovers.

I only work part time (full day on Sunday) so don't have to pack lunch often, but these are my current favourites

bioklutz

My work lunch is usually a peanut butter and honey sandwich (100 calorie sandwich flat, 1 serving of peanut butter, half a serving of honey), some pretzels and greek yogurt with honey.