Lunches?

jenniferkaye22

I’m starting Monday so I’m creating my shopping list. I was wondering if it would be recommended to buy for lunches like the frozen meals like the smart ones or lean cuisines or other meals like that?

cmriverside

Buy what you like that will fit your plan.

Most of the lower calorie ones are 300-400 calories. I don't buy them, but I used to. Good luck.

Running2Fit

I find that frozen meals aren’t especially filling so I never feel like they are worth the calories.

I typically do salads, protein bars, Greek yogurt, and/or various fruits/veggies for lunch. Any combo of those is a lot more filling for me and around the same calories (or less!) as a frozen meal.

kbmnurse1

They are high in sodium. Skip them and make your own.

JBanx256

I don't buy frozen meals; I typically do meal prep on my own 1x per week. None of the ridiculous sodium etc of the store-bought pre-made meals and you can season/flavor exactly to your liking.

Above meal were just made in 2 batches and portioned out into individual meal containers. The one on the left is a spicy venison stir-fry with mushrooms, broccoli, and red bell pepper with a side of raw spinach; the one on the right was made in a crock pot and is salsa verde chicken, mushrooms, zucchini, and red bell pepper with a side of brown rice.

kimny72

I have one of them for lunch a couple of times per week. I add some frozen veggies to bulk them up, and sometimes have a hard boiled egg or a tuna pouch with it. As long as you have no health issues and the rest of your diet isn't high sodium, I don't think it's anything to worry about. I always have a couple in the freezer just in case.

I also try to make a little bit extra for a couple of dinners each week so I have leftovers for a couple of lunches as well.

Sometimes I do manage to premake stuff - chicken or tuna salad with lots of veggies in a pita or wrap, pasta salad with canned beans and raw veggies, chili. But thats never been my strongsuit In a pinch i have pb&j on an English muffin with carrot sticks.

Good luck!

nowine4me

They’re fine, but not too filling. I usually put it over a bag of frozen broccoli (if a veggie things) or a pile of Zoodles (if a pasta things). If you have time to prep in Sunday’s that might be a better bet. I typically roast a bunch of different vegetables including a starch and toss them together. This week I made a big batch of red beans and rice and stirred in come corn. I’ll have that with an Apple and almond butter.

nooshi713

JBanx256 wrote: »

I don't buy frozen meals; I typically do meal prep on my own 1x per week. None of the ridiculous sodium etc of the store-bought pre-made meals and you can season/flavor exactly to your liking.

Above meal were just made in 2 batches and portioned out into individual meal containers. The one on the left is a spicy venison stir-fry with mushrooms, broccoli, and red bell pepper with a side of raw spinach; the one on the right was made in a crock pot and is salsa verde chicken, mushrooms, zucchini, and red bell pepper with a side of brown rice.

Looks really good!

nooshi713

I usually bring leftovers from dinner the night before, a turkey, tuna salad, or chicken salad sandwich, or occasionally an Amy's bean and cheese burrito. Sometimes I bring a veggie patty and a bun and make a quick burger in the microwave at work. If I must buy, I get a 6 inch Subway sandwich. That is my main part.

I also usually bring a salad or carrot sticks and a fruit of some kind,

Athijade

I don't like the low calorie frozen meals as they are not at all filling. Not that I can eat most of them with how much soy they use (as I am allergic). So what I do is meal prep on Sundays for the week. I prep breakfast, lunch, and snacks ahead of time. I love it! I find I can make a whole weeks worth of those meals in less then 2 hours and it saves me SO much time and money!

Sambo_fitness

If you absolutely have to, they're okay in a pinch.... but it is so much more rewarding to prep your meals for the week! Getting to know what is exactly in your meals and the amount of preparation it takes... total motivation to eat the prepared meal! It is also nice to have a routine for the weekends/time for you to enjoy the process.

jamesjeffsmith

I prepare 2 times a week as others here do one time. Tonight I am crock potting 2 Cornish game hens with a large yellow onion, large amount of wild mushrooms, 4 carrots, minced garlic and poultry seasonings. I also boiled 20 Brussel Sprouts and am putting a large sweet potato to cut in 6 pieces and 4 pieces for the hen. That will give me great lunches. I often use Butternut Squash for my carb and chicken breast or fajita beef for the meat. Sometimes cottage cheese and 10 almonds. I always have a dozen hardboiled eggs ready. It's quite easy and much better than frozen dinners and i mix up the vegies. Good salsa daily with added garlic. Sometimes 1/2 slice of 21 grain bread and 3/4 tbl of almond butter.

martaindale

I meal prep. Lunches/dinners are all in a 300-375 range. Here is this week's prep. The bottom right is breakfast. The other 3 are lunch/dinner that I rotate through the week. Not in this image is a snack and dessert each day. I do this for 6 days a week, all prepped on Sunday. Made my life so much easier!!

SVZee

I'm very repetitive when it comes to lunches and am currently eating a serving of rice with a few ounces of chicken and CA blend veggies, with a bit of sweet n sour sauce. I make a big thing of rice and chicken on Mondays (chicken I just throw in the crockpot first thing in the morning), and that lasts me all week.

jenniferkaye22

SVZee wrote: »

I'm very repetitive when it comes to lunches and am currently eating a serving of rice with a few ounces of chicken and CA blend veggies, with a bit of sweet n sour sauce. I make a big thing of rice and chicken on Mondays (chicken I just throw in the crockpot first thing in the morning), and that lasts me all week.

I might try this!

SVZee

jenniferkaye22 wrote: »

SVZee wrote: »

I'm very repetitive when it comes to lunches and am currently eating a serving of rice with a few ounces of chicken and CA blend veggies, with a bit of sweet n sour sauce. I make a big thing of rice and chicken on Mondays (chicken I just throw in the crockpot first thing in the morning), and that lasts me all week.

I might try this!

I use Sweet Baby Rays sweet n sour sauce and it's sooo good-make sure to measure out portion sizes or you'll dump the whole bottle on lol.

I did mix things up today and had two small soft tortilla shells topped with a serving of refried beans split between the two, lots of salsa and 1 serving of sour cream, split between the two. With a side of Veggie Straws. It was quick and easy and came in at around 450 calories

hesn92

I personally don't like the frozen meals because they don't fill me up. But I like the idea above of adding some steamed frozen veggies to it to bulk it up.

I usually just eat a sandwich with cottage cheese and sliced cucumber for lunch. Last week I did salads with rotisserie chicken. Also Aldi sells tikki masala jarred sauce that isn't bad, and one time I cooked up some diced up chicken and threw in that jar of sauce, and then cooked some white rice in the rice cooker, and that was my lunch for 3 days or so.