Don't know what to eat at work

localgrr

Hi there, I'm on a low calorie diet and it's going well.

Sometimes I don't have time to make myself lunch for work and I'm just paralyzed by not knowing whats a good choice to go and eat. There's lots of turkish/lebanese/vietnamese restaurants nearby but without knowing how many calories are in their meals, now I'm just stuck here hungry, not sure what to do... I don't have time to go and make something unless anyone can think of a quick supermarket meal I could get.

I know this might seem silly but it happens to me a lot !

Thanks

Abbie918

I'd recommend preparing your lunch the night before (or in the morning before work) so you know exactly what you're eating. You can make a healthy wrap in less than 5 minutes!

localgrr

Thanks Abbie - that's what I mean I do that most of the time but on the odd occasion I forget I have no idea what to eat !! I suppose I'll get something from the supermarket :-/

Any ideas for a quick filling thing I could get to fill me up and then I'll have a decent dinner ?

leahcollett1

when i forget to plan, i go to subway and have a subway salad.. i bloody love those and for real low cals too

localgrr

Subway it is, thanks !

leahcollett1

no worries enjoy!

ispymo

I always have a mugshot! Just fill it with hot water and it's so filling, so many different flavours - I like chicken and mushroom!

localgrr

ispymo wrote: »

I always have a mugshot! Just fill it with hot water and it's so filling, so many different flavours - I like chicken and mushroom!

I don't find them very filling ! [edit] ah (I'm british) I thought you meant soup-in-a-cup, these look more filling...

runsonrabbitfood

I'd recommend buying some foods to keep in the house or at work for days you can't make a lunch the next day. Like canned foods or frozen foods (my work has a microwave - hope yours does too?). I regularly have cans of beans and frozen rice and veggies in my home. That way, on days I don't make lunch, I can just quickly grab those - plus an avocado. Also, I have a giant tub of quick oatmeal sitting in my cube at work. It's super easy to add hot water to.
Things like that work for me rather than going out.

amgreenwell

subway is a great suggestion. any salad without lots of dressing/cheese/croutons is also do-able. I love getting a couple crunchy tacos as well. what about a slice of pizza??

Bella0531

Subway is usually my go-to as well. I love their double chicken chopped salad (no dressing). I also like the local sandwich shop for salads - their Greek and Cobb salads are delicious!

localgrr

This is all gold thanks! I really enjoyed my Subway salad but I dislike the amount of trash it produced (especially asking for separate dressing)
We actually have a stove at work so the other day I tried to make prawns and brown rice, it was so bland though without any spices ! I had to laugh

StaciMarie1974

If you have any storage space at work: PB&J with raw veggies works well. I use light bread, weigh my PB for about 24-26 grams and use the no added sugar jelly. About 250 cals for the sandwich.

Lounmoun

When I pack lunch for my dh I often give him dinner leftovers. I pack it as I am putting the food away after dinner. It is pretty easy and fast to do it then as opposed to the morning.
If you made a big batch of something one day a week then you could package it up into individual portions that you can pull out of your refrigerator or freezer. It doesn't take much more time to double a recipe and put it in containers.
What you could get at your supermarket- fruit, cheese, yogurt, instant oatmeal, bread, cooked meat, tuna, pre-cut vegetables or salad, canned soup, frozen meals
Figure out in advance what you can order from each of the restaurants you would go to in the area and keep a list of choices with you in case you need it.

cwolfman13

I prep my lunch most evenings and brown bag it most days...usually lunch is leftovers from the night before, so it's not like I'm doing anything extra. In the event that I don't, I keep peanut butter and apples at the office and just throw a couple of slices of whole grain bread in my bag and eat a peanut butter sandwich for lunch with an apple.

farmgirl1677

I keep Progresso brand soup at work in the cupboard so if I forget my lunch I have something on hand. They are pretty good. I buy the light varieties, most are 100 calories or less per serving. I then have a granola bar or cottage cheese around 4:00 and that keeps me full till supper time.

MarziDeThrall

I just discovered that Taco Bell's Fresco tacos range from 140 to 160 calories each. We don't eat out much, but we get take out at least twice a month. They're yummy.

chunky_pinup

Do you have a refrigerator or anywhere at work where you can store food? I always have 1-2 of those Steamer bags of veggies in the freezer at work for those days I have no lunch. Pop them in the microwave for a few minutes and I have some veggies/grains, etc. I also keep a few cans of soup at my desk in one of my drawers to always have on hand. So soup and veggies and that can hold me over until I get home if I don't have a pre-packed lunch (it's my lunch today actually!).

ren3liz

I didn't read through all the comments so apologies if this has already been said: can you stash food at work? Cans of sardines or tuna, packets of microwaveable rice, almonds, these are the types of non perishable foods I stash in the cabinet at work that save me from take out if I forget my lunch (nothing wrong with occasional take out, but I would prefer to plan going out to lunch than get stuck). -- but typically I try to make it a priority to prep things to make lunch available and easy during the week, or even plan leftovers into dinner. A lot of people at my work bring in sandwich fixings for the whole week, that kind of thing. But I know we are lucky to be able to do that and a) have the space and b) trust it won't get stolen.

ren3liz

Haha @chunky_pinup - great minds (:

AlisonH729

farmgirl1677 wrote: »

I keep Progresso brand soup at work in the cupboard so if I forget my lunch I have something on hand. They are pretty good. I buy the light varieties, most are 100 calories or less per serving. I then have a granola bar or cottage cheese around 4:00 and that keeps me full till supper time.

I feel like anytime I'm in the supermarket I swing through the soup aisle to see if Progresso is on sale, and grab a few cans if it is. It's my go to on rushed mornings. I used to get the light varieties too, but it seems like they are mostly broth so they never filled me up. After reading the labels I discovered plenty of other regular varieties that aren't that bad, ~300 calories for the can. Just keep an eye on the sodium.

TeaBea

AlisonH729 wrote: »

farmgirl1677 wrote: »

I keep Progresso brand soup at work in the cupboard so if I forget my lunch I have something on hand. They are pretty good. I buy the light varieties, most are 100 calories or less per serving. I then have a granola bar or cottage cheese around 4:00 and that keeps me full till supper time.

I feel like anytime I'm in the supermarket I swing through the soup aisle to see if Progresso is on sale, and grab a few cans if it is. It's my go to on rushed mornings. I used to get the light varieties too, but it seems like they are mostly broth so they never filled me up. After reading the labels I discovered plenty of other regular varieties that aren't that bad, ~300 calories for the can. Just keep an eye on the sodium.

This^

The light varieties don't fill me up. I like Campbell's Homestyle Healthy Request. Healthy Choice makes some decent soups as well. I typically look for protein content. Sad protein numbers....I won't bother.

SonyaCele

you can stash those tuna salad and cracker kits and fruit cups in your desk for emergency lunches. I always have those bagged salads in my office refrigerator. I also have peanut butter and pretzels for snacks.

localgrr

I just bought a bunch of these flavored Uncle Ben's rice packs (200 a serving) + some tinned tuna and veggies. Mmm looking forwards to lunch for a change

Helloidentitycrisis

localgrr wrote: »

I just bought a bunch of these flavored Uncle Ben's rice packs (200 a serving) + some tinned tuna and veggies. Mmm looking forwards to lunch for a change

Tinned tuna has been a lifesaver to me at times! I used to barely eat it in a meal and now I could eat it straight from the tin!

I also love itsu instant meals -their soup is about 160-170kcal and really filling due to the angel hair noodles! Not sure if you will find it locally, but I'm sure Amazon sells them too!