Work Lunch Ideas, help!

danaeenglund2015

Hi friends!! Things have been working so well with this ap and having a healthier lifestyle!! I am still a bit new to this and wanted to ask my MFP friends what you do for work lunches during the week that are quick, easy, and healthy? Also, I'm always looking for more friends to encourage and keep each other accountable so please feel free to add me! thanks for your help!

Psychgrrl

I toss frozen veggies, lean protein and some beans or quinoa in a pyrex and heat it up. Today's lunch was grilled chicken, riced cauliflower, quinoa and spinach. Right now, tuna, riced cauliflower, sweet potatoes and broccoli.

tara_means_star

I like to get creative with buddha bowls! If you don't know what they are, google them. So many ways to be creative with them! I'm planning on one for lunch tomorrow...mmmmmm.

JennieMaeK

I love making soups and chili in my slow cooker, so I take that quite a bit. I have a big slow cooker so we have it for supper and then I have a few days worth of lunch as well.

Another favorite of mine is smoked salmon on a bagel. Pair it with a piece of fruit and some veggies on the side and it's very filling. It's actually what I'm having for lunch tomorrow while potato bacon soup cooks in the slower cooker. Guess what's for lunch on Wednesday

scolaris

I like wraps. Today it was kind of just a big, messy fold over... Eggplant hummus from TJoes, avocado slices, tomato slices, slivered cucumber, power greens mix & micro greens. Sooooo delicious!

palmer2356

I pack breakfast and lunch everyday for both myself and my husband and I calorie count for both of us! Plus we both go to school 3 nights a week so that means 3 dinners for each of us a week! That adds up to a lot of work! That being said. ..... when I cook dinner I cook enough for left overs for lunch. But the important thing is the prep I do on the weekend! I bought a lot of individual food containers so I could stock up meals and snacks for the week.

Boiled eggs and snack cheese is our "go to" breakfast. Eggs can be Boiled, peeled and packaged ahead of time. And its very portable!

I usually bake a large amount of chicken breast at one time. Cubed and into a container it goes. It is so versatile! toss on a salad, quick quesadillas, low calorie chicken salad or just with a side of steamed veggies.

You can't ever go wrong with soups! Especially since they freeze well. Individually portioned. Easy to grab out of the freezer when you don't have something prepped ahead for lunch.

We also eat a lot of cottage cheese, fruit, fresh veggies, yogurt. ..... all of which can be prepped a couple days in advance.

For our sweet tooth and snacks I make sugar free Jello with fresh fruit topped with lite cool whip. ( So yummy feels like I am splurging but is actually less than 100 calories! )
Peanut butter filled pretzels, nuts and beef jerky make great snacks.

The main thing is to prep ahead of time. And portion control. So you always have something quick! Because it is so easy to grab something unhealthy. Especially when you are tired! Or overslept! Or I just don't feel like weighing out food at 530am!

Sorry I was so long winded! Best of luck!

mrsloganlife

I would check out the Yummly app/website. There are all kinds of healthy lunches on there. You can filter to foods within nutritional goals, by foods you like and foods you don't like. Yummly has been great helping me find creative and yummy lunches!

thunder1982

Generally leftovers. I am cooking/preparing recipes designed for 2 serves but will throw in a extra pasta or veggies etc. When I dish up I dish up me, my DH and my takeaway container. Some recipes serve 6 so I put the extra in the freezer. ATM I am trying to build up a bit of a stash using takeaway containers for nights where I cant be bothered or when there is no leftovers for lunch.

toe1226

I try to rotate around so I don't get bored. Sometimes I'll get nori-sheets and do a wrap/sandwich inside the nori, I wet it first and then add turkey, thinly sliced apples, cheese and pickles. It's like a sushi sandwich! Right now I'm cutting while lifting (ugh) so I've been trying to just jam in protein with low cals, so I've had a lot of fage 0 percent yogurt. Othertimes I'll tupperware up leftover dinner from the night before, or do a salad with cold cuts or canned wild salmon, garbanzos, nuts...If I'm in need of carbs, I do sweet potatoes with nut butter. I just added you, feel free to look at my diary.

tara_means_star

My half eaten take on a buddha bowl for lunch today. Brown rice, black beans, broccoli, zucchini, pico de gallo, cilantro, salsa hummus, and guacamole. Delicious and SUPER filling! Mine weighed in at 408 calories, 16 grams of protein, and 15 grams of fiber.

echmain

What do you mean by healthy?

AskTracyAnnK28

I usually eat an Amy's Organic frozen entrée. Quick, tasty and filling

debrakgoogins

If you have a freezer at your workplace, buy some meals and frozen vegetables to have on hand when you forget your lunch. I make some chicken black bean burritos ahead and keep those, individually frozen in my freezer at work as well. My quickest and easiest meal is avocado and tuna on a whole grain English Muffin. I smash the avocado, mix in one Bumblebee light tuna pouch and a little salsa then put half of it on my English Muffin. I keep the second half for the following day. I also will do Laughing Cow cheese on an English Muffin with some ham or turkey.

clevelandkat40

I usually make extra of whatever we have for dinner, and then bring that to work with me for lunch. Sometimes my husband makes a big batch of hummus (for some reason he's the designated hummus-maker in our family, even though I'm the main cook!) and I cut up enough vegetables for the week, and we pack that for lunches along with some fruit and rice cakes. Quick and easy!

Need2Exerc1se

Leftovers from dinner.

TaraTall

All of the above. And if you have a desk drawer, I usually have an emergency stash of healthy things like an additional tuna can or protein bar or fruit cup in water. It helps me if I get a super hungry day - 'am i hungry enough to eat tuna? Yes, I must be hungry."

BarbieAS

If I'm not having leftovers from the previous night's dinner (my husband and I just pack up whatever is left into however many lunch-sized portions make sense), which is 0-3 days per week usually, I have salad. I know it sounds SUPER boring, but there are just SO many darn things you can do with salad. I usually pick one set of ingredients for the week and then change things up the next week, though I have a few favorite combos that I frequently go back to. Most weeks I cook a large chicken breast on Sunday night, and that gets me 3-4 ounce portions for 3-4 days. And I cut/spin my lettuce at the beginning of the week so that I just need to portion out a huge handful each night. After that...the possibilities are endless. Fruit, nuts/seeds, cheese, creamy dressings, oil and vinegar dressings, bacon, fresh herbs, quinoa, beans, avocado, croutons or tortilla strips...you can achieve nearly any macro balance and calorie count you want. Plus, it's easy to make the salad high in protein, fiber, and/or healthy fats, so it will keep you full for most of the day.

I particularly like chicken/goat cheese/green apple/balsamic and olive oil (with candied pecans and/or dried cherries if I've got room in the day), or shrimp/cucumber/avocado/thinly sliced fresh jalapeno or poblano/red onion/cilantro/ranch, but chicken/bacon/cheddar/ranch, chicken/goat cheese/corn/avocado/cucumber/honey mustard vinaigrette, steak/blue cheese/balsamic plus random veggies, and cabbage/green onions/sliced pea pods/red pepper/sliced almonds/sesame dressing with any protein are all wonderful.

I also usually pack a snack, some combo of: fruit, veggies with homemade ranch dip (8 oz each light sour cream and plain nonfat greek yogurt and then a ranch packet), string cheese, yogurt and granola, granola bar and peanut butter, pretzels, etc. Whatever fits into my macro gaps after I pre-log my lunch and dinner (breakfast is pretty consistent).

ElizabethOakes2

I work from home now, so lunches are easier, but when I was in an office, I would make enough dinner the night before to take to leftovers, and for days I forgot/ran out/etc, I kept those single serving tuna and salmon packets in my desk along with a box of whole grain crackers. My work always had a fruit bowl going so it was easy to round that out with an apple or banana..

Danimri84

Whole grain sandwich thin with some chicken breast on it, topped with melted pepperjack. Side of frozen mixed veggies. Soooo tasty and very filling!

deckster59

Not sure your calorie limit, but a cup of quinoa with a tbsp of soy sauce. Hot diggity, its perfect. Great source of protein and really helps ebb the late afternoon hunger.

You can also sautee up some veggies and throw them in there with it.