Healthy packed lunch/ snack ideas?

hannahbanana417

Hi everyone.

I'm new on the diet front, and am hoping to lose 15 or 20 pounds in the near future. I have a new job which starts on Monday, and it's from 8am-5pm, with two 15 minute breaks as well as an hour for lunch. I really don't want to eat out for lunch, so I was wondering if anyone has any packed lunch and snack recommendations, as well as how to spread it out throughout the day?

If you have good "breakfast on the run" ideas too, that would be great since I have quite a commute and would rather have a breakfast I don't have to wake up early to prepare. For dinners, I am planning to have healthy crockpot meals, which I have pulled recipes for.

Thanks in advance!!

singer201

If you have access to a microwave at work, make several entrees that freeze well and portion them for your lunches. Some of the entrees I froze were zucchini lasagne, baked chicken thighs, beef pot roast, also a salmon portion will thaw in your lunch bag and be ready to microwave at lunchtime. Then you can grab your ready-made, portion-controlled main dish, add a salad or veggie assortment, and a fruit and have a pretty balanced lunch. I was "dieting" my last year of work, so for breaktime, I'd just make a cup of tea and enjoy that instead of snacking. A good protein-rich breakfast is crustless quiche or a fritatta made with any recipe you like. Keeps a week in the fridge, and a slice warms up in 60 seconds.

sshintaku

I'm a really big fan of soup for lunch. Also I often just make enough of whatever I cooked for dinner to take as lunch the next day. Greek yogurt cups , cucumber and hummus, fruit, granola, raw almonds, other crunchy veggies you like all make great snacks. Oatmeal is a good commute breakfast.

SharonNehring

I pack breakfast and lunch 5 days a week. Weekday breakfast is usually oatmeal with berries and diet hot chocolate, a microwavable breakfast sandwich or greek yogurt with berries.

Lunch is often left overs from the night before, soup, a sandwich wrap with lots of veggies or salad with some kind of protein like chicken or hard boiled eggs.

Snacks vary but apple slices with 2 tbsp. peanut butter, a handful of almonds, cheese with a few crackers, raw veggies with hummus or lite dressing dip are a few. Whatever you'd like, check serving sizes and divide things out into small sandwich bags/containers at the beginning of the week. It's easy to grab a pre-portioned amount of nuts to toss into your bag when you're in a hurry.

rockmama72

A bunch of sliced fresh vegetables, hummus, a bit of feta cheese, a couple of olives and some pita bread--one of my favorites.

FitnFeistyLyness

salads in a jar..
humus and veg
veg chiili
stir fry veg with brown rice
snacks you can take
date nut balls
healthy cookies
black bean brownies
chickpea popcorn

FitnFeistyLyness

http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/07/quick-and-easy-lunch-idea-salad-in-a-jar/

laursoar

For a sweet snack, I really like homemade dessert "cookie dough" hummus lately! I make mine by blending a can of drained chickpeas, 2 tsp of vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of PB2, 3 packets of truvia, 1 tbsp of ground flax seed, and 1/4 cup of unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk in a food processor. Then, once it's nice and blended, I stir in 2 tbsp of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. I measure out the whole mix on my food scale to figure out serving size in accordance with the recipe calculator.

It's relatively filling for a snack, low-cal, and easy to spread on something else if you want a little more substance.

DancingMoosie

I take salads for lunch most days- mixed greens or spinach with ham or turkey, cottage cheese, carrots/cucumber/tomato, avocado
for snacks- south beach diet protein snack bars, banana, easy peel orange, almonds, cheese stick, greek yogurt cup (these can also be quick breakfast ideas)

Shanahoo

I have a 45 minute commute in the mornings, so I feel you on the need for quick breakfasts. I usually just have a bowl of cereal and half a banana. Sometimes a bowl of oatmeal or a muffin for a change.

For lunches, to be budget friendly, I usually just take a smaller portion of whatever I cooked for dinner last night. If there are no leftovers, I like a half a sandwich (usually turkey-bacon-avocado) and a bowl of veggie soup.

My favorite snacks are cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with fruit, hummus with veggies, string cheese and beef jerky, proscuitto and melon.

My commute home tends to be closer to an hour fifteen or more and I would usually be starving by the time I got home and want to eat a whole loaf of bread, so I've started keeping an apple in my purse to eat on the road so I'm not famished when I walk in the door.

SLLRunner

Hi everyone.

I'm new on the diet front, and am hoping to lose 15 or 20 pounds in the near future. I have a new job which starts on Monday, and it's from 8am-5pm, with two 15 minute breaks as well as an hour for lunch. I really don't want to eat out for lunch, so I was wondering if anyone has any packed lunch and snack recommendations, as well as how to spread it out throughout the day?

If you have good "breakfast on the run" ideas too, that would be great since I have quite a commute and would rather have a breakfast I don't have to wake up early to prepare. For dinners, I am planning to have healthy crockpot meals, which I have pulled recipes for.

Thanks in advance!!

Yes i do! I work in an office and I take my lunch every single day, unless there is a planned lunch out.

I take a serving of nut and craisin trail mix and greek yogurt for my morning snack, a banana for my afternoon snack. For lunches, I take some kind of sandwich either on sandwich thins, or a sandwich roll, or homemade bread I have made, a piece of fruit (really into pears right now), and a serving of almonds. On my sandwich I might use almond butter and jam, or maybe make and egg salad, or even tuna. Sometimes I even buy a chocolate covered bavarian pretzel from the Rocky Mountain Candy Shop. It all depends.

You just need to find the foods that work for you and take them along.

SLLRunner

For a sweet snack, I really like homemade dessert "cookie dough" hummus lately! I make mine by blending a can of drained chickpeas, 2 tsp of vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of PB2, 3 packets of truvia, 1 tbsp of ground flax seed, and 1/4 cup of unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk in a food processor. Then, once it's nice and blended, I stir in 2 tbsp of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. I measure out the whole mix on my food scale to figure out serving size in accordance with the recipe calculator.

It's relatively filling for a snack, low-cal, and easy to spread on something else if you want a little more substance.

This sound delicious!

seltzermint555

I know it sounds really "cooked" but I find if you get in the habit of making eggs/omelettes in the AM you can practically do it in your sleep and it takes the same amount of time as pouring a bowl of cereal. Some breakfasts I like/recommend:

omelette with bell peppers, onions, and/or mushrooms and a tiny bit of picante or salsa
egg taco made with 1 egg fried in Canola spray, SMALL flour or corn tortilla, and a tiny bit of salsa or southwest dressing (my personal favorite)
Greek yogurt with nuts and/or berries
hard-boiled egg, toast, and either jam or a piece of fruit

My husband and I also sometimes make steel cut oats and various "healthy" pancakes (banana, or lemon ricotta, or pumpkin) on Sundays and leftovers can be reheated for a workday breakfast (or even part of a lunch!), to mix things up.

I usually come home for lunch, but still need quick-fix ideas so I don't spend the entire break cooking my lunch. I generally try to steer clear of frozen prepared stuff but some are decent in my opinion. Here are some of my recent favorites for lunch:

tuna or pea salad served with reduced fat wheat crackers, raw veggies as a side
veggies (cucumber, celery, carrots) with hummus, small piece of meat and/or cheese
Aldi Simply Nature (?) sesame lo mein bowl over shredded kale
Aldi southwest fresca bowl with shredded lettuce on top
tortilla wrap spread with hummus and stuffed with sliced avocado, black beans, baby spinach & carrot sticks
salmon burger (again, Aldi) or veggie burger (I like Morningstar) on a Sandwich skinny and some fruit or applesauce
veggie burger patty chopped up atop a salad with your choice of dressing
crab or sliced avocado "nachos" using a sparing number of chips (10-12), smaller amount of cheese, chopped green onion and/or jalapeno, and taco sauce


ETA: I don't really snack much, I tend to have a mini "treat" along with my lunch if anything, and do not eat in the afternoon. But some of my favorites are mini Clif Z bars, Special K 100 cal pack brownie bites, cocoa coated almonds (they have so many flavors now, yum), or other nuts. In the afternoon at work I sometimes have hot tea though. Chai tea especially makes me feel like I am having a little bit of indulgence.

Skarlet13

Snack Pack Vanilla pudding. 60 cals. So good. It's my dessert every night.

gemmalu

We just downloaded the smart swap recipe app from the NHS. It has loads of great ideas for healthy meals. Because there are only two of us we can make a meal for four for dinner and take the extra portions to work the next day for lunch. What I really like about it is that you can add those recipes to a shopping list and it adds up all the ingredients for you. Not tried the puddings on there yet though.

http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/meal-planner-recipe-finder-app.aspx

loupammac

I work shift work at the moment and either get 10 minutes or a half hour depending on my shift. I am studying to be a teacher so when I have student teaching periods I run on school timetable. I've had an hour for two breaks or 15 minutes then 75 minutes. It's hard to know especially on the first day when you have no clue about the timetable yet!

I always pack a lunch that can be eaten in the 10 minute slot purely because I've had shift cuts and by the time I microwave dinner I'm left with no time! I usually have a bar of some kind and fruits. For my half hours I tend to take dinner left overs or pasta. On the school time table I usually have roast chicken and salad, yoghurt and fruits. One school I was at had a toasted sandwich maker so I had one of those every day! Yum.

I would trial a few favourites. My boyfriend takes soup cans to work in a tupperware because it's an instant bowl. He also likes to take sandwiches and fruit. He needs food that doesn't mind getting squished in his bag.

damianjh

This is just what I do if it's any help:

For breakfast I usually have two eggs scrambled (for the protein) with a mixture of vegetables (tender stalk broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes, spinach... a mix...) followed by a banana. The theory being, protein keeps you satisfied for longer, and the banana regulates blood sugar levels throughout the day.

This really sets me up for lunch.

On the way into work, I take a detour through the market and pick up some fruit - usually an apple and an orange. I have them for lunch with a small fruit yogurt, and that's me done for lunch really. This is partly because my job requires some degree of physical activity (being a lecturer in contemporary theatre) so I find it harder to work on a big full lunch.

That said, I'm not really ever hungry throughout the day, and I'd put most of that to the size and content of the breakfast I'm eating.

Hope this helps. =]