Office lunch ideas at 300 calories or less?

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  • agarlits
    agarlits Posts: 429 Member
    Napkins maybe?
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    I make large batches of protein whenever I cook, cube or shred the leftovers and freeze in individual portions. At any one time, I usually have pork, steak, and chicken. Every couple of weeks, especially during the summer, I will do a huge batch of sauteed veggies spiced the way I like them, usually carrots and zucchini, but asparagus and other veggies are great too. It depends what is on sale.

    Then for lunch I can grab one of each and one of the following: can of compatible soup; tortilla, lettuce, tomato or avocado, and sour cream; a cup of rice and a bit of sweet chili sauce; some refried beans etc.

    I also keep bigger bags for last minute dinners.

    I know that you said no frozen meals, but the smart ones lasagna florentine is quite nice and actually a decent size. It's the only "lean" meal I've found that fills me up. Not sure about sodium though.

    Big batch things for sunday: Meatloaf muffins or mini quiches in your muffin tin freeze/thaw well and are preportioned and easy to take. Casseroles, soups, and chilis are inexpensive and filling.

    Greek yogurt with cheesecake flavored pudding mix. Sandwiches. Lettuce wraps (turkey cheese and tomato sometimes ranch usually) and fruit are other things I like bringing.
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    Green leaf lettuce wraps. I like shredded chicken and a bit of bbq sauce. I'd put cheese in mine as well, but whatever fits your macros.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    It's just chicken, lots of salsa, and a packet of taco seasoning, cooked for 6 hours in the crockpot. We've omitted the seasoning before and it was still good!

    I do this with a big bag of thighs or breasts and 1 jar of medium salsa. First day is burritos/tacos usually. Then I use the lovely broth (choose the heat of your salsa carefully for your taste!) for a soup by adding zucchini, pinto or black beans, kale, and carrots. Then you add back your leftover chicken at the last step to warm back up again after the veggies are cooked. You will probably need to thin it with a bit more broth (I use a qt of organic) or even water. It is seriously good soup.
  • One2Run
    One2Run Posts: 63 Member
    My usual lunch is:

    Hard boiled egg (80 cals)
    Zero fat yogurt (35cals)
    Apple (80 cals)
    Cucumber slices (20 cals)
    Popcorn flavoured rice cake with 1tsp low fat cream cheese (60 cals)

    Under 300 next to no prep work required.
  • draco706
    draco706 Posts: 174 Member
    have you tried a fruit and yoghourt parfait? 1 dannon light and fit (90cal) 1/4C natures path pumpkin flax granola (90cal) and add roughly 100cal of your favorite fruit.
  • Snooozie
    Snooozie Posts: 3,464 Member
    I make large batches of protein whenever I cook, cube or shred the leftovers and freeze in individual portions. At any one time, I usually have pork, steak, and chicken. Every couple of weeks, especially during the summer, I will do a huge batch of sauteed veggies spiced the way I like them, usually carrots and zucchini, but asparagus and other veggies are great too. It depends what is on sale.
    Big batch things for sunday: Meatloaf muffins or mini quiches in your muffin tin freeze/thaw well and are preportioned and easy to take. Casseroles, soups, and chilis are inexpensive and filling.

    :flowerforyou: love this idea lila.. ty! can't believe i never thought of it; I always freeze portion sizes of things like chili or soup, but cooking for one it just never occurred to me i could cook a couple of chicken breasts, chop em and freeze them cooked.. DUH!! thanks for the light bulb moment! Also for some other great ideas for lunches from everyone ty
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I do not do salads too often either. So I understand!

    How about a bunch of "snacks" eaten at once? For example...string cheese, fruit, veggies, nuts, hummus, chips, a boiled egg, tiny square of chocolate, small portion of yogurt...mix and match from the above snacks until you reach a calorie count you're happy with.
  • mamahannick
    mamahannick Posts: 322 Member
    Last weekend I made a crockpot of minestrone soup that I divided up and brought to work each day. It was full of carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, celery, onions, sweet potatoes, and ground sausage. Plenty of recipes floating around online you could make. :)
  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
    Bebimbop is really good and can be low cal if you don't use too much quinoa or rice ( depending on your preference).

    I steam a whole bunch of different veggies and use raw carrots for a crunch. You can also add a lean protein if you'd like. Then top it with a little sriracha and you're good to go. Yum! And I can usually eat a BIG bowl for about 300cals.

    I do love soups. There are many out here that don't have to be so high sodium.
  • lorocks61
    lorocks61 Posts: 15
    homemade "weightwatcher" soup, string cheese and 1/2 cup of grapes''
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I bring in Stir-Fries a lot - chicken/ turkey with lots of veggies: peppers, mushrooms, onions, cabbage, mangetout (usual stir fry veg) - make at home the night and they can be eaten cold or warm and you can make them different by the sauces you use :)
    They can be frozen too which always means you have a meal in the freezer.

    I cook a LOT of stir fry- it's my go to.

    stir fry and then I make meat sauce- you know for pasta- with no pasta. Because well I don't like pasta so much (I'll eat it- but I hate eating it at work for some reason)

    any sort of chicken you can prep ahead of time is great.

    canned tuna is fabulous. I mean just cook stuff you like and pack it up.

    Cereal- makes a great lunch.

    Yogurt- also a great lunch

    Some cheese and crackers great lunch snack thing.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Those StarKist tuna packs are good. They are tasty and easy to cleanup. These are the ones that come with a spoon and some crackers.

    You could also try a protein bar(a bit more than 300).
  • rayraex
    rayraex Posts: 50
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/lunch-recipes.html
  • jlynnm70
    jlynnm70 Posts: 460 Member
    I try keep cottage cheese, crackers, chicken (deli style) at the office. Sometimes I toss in fruit. Sadly - but it's easy - I sometimes buy a couple of frozen dinners to keep at work - it's better than being starving and running to some fast food joint, or being hungry. (I know it's processed and not clean eating, but I am a realist)

    I also bring leftovers from dinner - A LOT. It's pretty easy to portion out that way and keeps me from getting bored. My lunches are usually around 300 calories too - I like to save the calories for dinner time because then I am trying to feed the whole family. Easier to cut low at breakfast and lunch.

    Chicken salad, wraps, fruit, yogurt, etc.
  • MrsG31
    MrsG31 Posts: 364 Member
    Me and my husband eat leftovers every day for lunch, so I am no help with what I eat...

    But I pack my daughters lunch for school every day. She always gets some fruit/applesauce with raisins mixed in, or yogurt and a handful of something like pretzels, Bugles, chex mix, snap pea crisps, Goldfish crackers, etc. Sometimes I throw some baby carrots in too. Her main part of her meal varies:

    -Wraps made with a small tortilla, small slab of mayo, a slice of cheese and lunch meat (turkey, roast beef, ham)
    -Wraps made with pre-cooked grilled chicken strips, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, and a squirt of either ranch dressing or BBQ sauce
    -Pita pocket sandwiches using mayo, cheese, and lunch meat
    -Chicken nuggets (cooked the night before, yes...probably cold at lunch but kids will sometimes eat anything, lol)
    -Chunky PB and Apple Butter sandwiches (sometimes on bread, sometimes on a bagel thin, a hot dog bun, or sandwich thins)
    -PB, Banana slices, and a squirt of honey sandwiches
    -Her absolute fave is ham cubes and a cut up cheese stick
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    My lunch today is 295 calories.

    1 slice of whole wheat bread
    2 oz of turkey lunchmeat
    1 slice of low fat american cheese
    Few slices of lettuce
    1 tsp of spicy brown mustard

    light string cheese

    6 baby carrots
    6 Tostitos mini chips
    1 tablesppon of garlic humus
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    That was an idea since you dont like salads. Most days I eat salads :)

    Also...I eat some kind of fruit for my midmorning snack.
  • Adomke89
    Adomke89 Posts: 35 Member
    Instead of taking canned soups (which taste terrible) why don't you make your own? Soups freeze awesome too.

    I make several awesome, flavorful, filling soups and take them during the week. Try stuffed pepper soup, taco soup, beef and barley, or any other type you might like.

    I then normally bring something sweet as a dessert like 1-2 pieces of dove dark chocolate promises or a clementine. Sometimes when I want some crunch I eat raw baby carrots.

    Otherwise tuna with Newmans Own Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing instead of mayo is awesome, or even egg salad using mashed avocado instead of mayo. I usually eat it in a pita pocket or bring some type of whole grain cracker in order to keep my carb intake low.
  • Snooozie
    Snooozie Posts: 3,464 Member
    :bigsmile: just bumpin - some great ideas
  • sushisuzi2
    sushisuzi2 Posts: 111 Member
    1/2 cup of pinto beans, 1/2 an avocado, 1 corn tortilla. That clocks in around 280 or so.

    Agreed! I always say go for Mexican food. Sucker for plain old tacos. Even a half a cup of cubed chicken and salsa with two corn tortillas is great!!

    Although I'm somewhat on Smart Ones chicken strips and fries kick this month.
  • Fishshtick
    Fishshtick Posts: 120 Member
    Low fat or no fat Chobani yogurt of your choosing with 1/2 cup of Fiber One or other high fiber cereal in a bag to add to it. Also throw in a good size apple for an afternoon snack. All three of those foods rate very high on their hunger satiation ability in actual diet studies and you will still come in under 300 calories. That said, a strict 300 calorie limit for lunch would be pretty difficult to stick with for most people.
  • beckyboo86
    beckyboo86 Posts: 5 Member
    I love a toasted warburton thin (100cals) spread with a laughing cow cheese triangle (25 cals) with a 200g tin of spaghetti hoops (120cals) and a bit of pepper on top! Then I have a 0% fat activia yoghurt (75 ish cals) totalling 325 cals. If I want to keep to 300 I just leave out the cheese triangle! X
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I do understand the no salads thing. I get really tired of salad in a hurry...unless it's southwest style/taco salad, with black beans or TVP and a few tortilla chips crumbled in it. Like others have said, eat what YOU like just less of it.

    I am not a total veggie fiend but I like to round out my lunches with them since they are low calorie and very healthy. For example I will bring to work some hummus and/or a Laughing Cow wedge, and a piece of chocolate...but have baby carrots, cucumber slices, sugar snap peas, etc, to dip into the hummus or cheese. That is pretty common for me.

    Making your own soup is a good way to control the sodium and other ingredients. There are lots of good recipes online. I find most of mine via Pinterest, but you do have to be careful because there are some bad/ridiculous recipes on there, too. One of my favorites involves lentils, kale, sweet potato, and tomatoes. You can add very little salt and have a delicious, nutritious meal for several days on one big pot of soup. I personally do not mind eating the same breakfast and/or lunch 3-4 days in a row during the work week as long as I switch it up ONE or two days by going out for a light lunch or changing up a meal here and there. If anything it gives me a break from planning when I know I have nutritious low calorie meals waiting for me.

    Someone else suggested Morningstar Farms products and I like those too. Kind of along the lines of frozen/prepared packaged foods, you don't want to eat those daily for lunch (at least I don't...maybe others do) but they are yummy and fairly low calorie too. I love their chickpea burger on a Sandwich skinny spread with hummus.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    Four hard boiled eggs.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    300 calories? Is this a serious question?
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    300 calories? Is this a serious question?

    Yes. My breakfast pushes 450 calories and I eat an afternoon snack 3 hours after my 300 calorie lunch which consists of about 200 calories. Followed, three hours later, by a 450-500 calorie dinner and a 50-100 calorie "dessert." It's called a 1500 calorie meal plan, and it's no joke.
  • jenchamb1
    jenchamb1 Posts: 73 Member
    I'd make a big stir fry up and freeze portions, then make rice and keep in the fridge for the week. Take a scoop each day to add to the stir fry.
    Or try some chicken sausage (the brand I buy at Wegmans is 90 cal per link) with green beans or zucchini in tomato sauce, you could add some pasta or potatoes.
    Make your own soup to avoid the sodium.

    I eat salad everyday and never get sick of it. But I add a big variety of vegetables to it, change the protein daily (either chicken, almonds, walnuts, tuna or sunflower seeds) and keep 3 kinds of dressings at work...so it is really a different salad each day. And I have a different kind of fruit daily to go with it.

    Also I think 300 calories is perfectly fine for lunch! Mine is less than that and I'm satisfied.

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