Healthy packed lunch ideas

Pectinbean

For adults! I'm in a couscous / pasta rutt. Does anyone have any tasty low-cal lunch ideas for work?

bsoxluvr

Bump! I'm sick of wraps and need some exciting ideas.

rduhlir

I eat a lot of pasta or rice type things for lunch, usually it is what is left over from dinner the night before. I have made all the recipes I am linking you. I don't know what your calorie intake is, so tried to stay in a 300-500 calorie range. Enjoy!

Baked Italian-Style Cauliflower
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/healthy-budget-recipes-00400000056656/page16.html

Spring Vegetable Couscous with Chicken
http://veryculinary.com/2011/04/21/spring-vegetable-couscous-with-chicken/

Couscous with Roasted Vegetable and Chickpeas
http://www.afetefullife.com/couscous-salad-with-roasted-vegetables-and-chickpeas/

Healthier Meat Lasagna
http://www.marthastewart.com/336865/healthier-meat-lasagna
(BTW, the serving size for this one is HUGE! 1/4 of an 8X8 dish! And only about 400 calories per serving)

knra_grl

I make breakfast sandwiches for lunch at work - a thin bun with egg white, turkey bacon and cheese - if I remember I will bring a tomato and add a slice

aplhabetacheesecake

i pretty much rotate thru a few select lunches

subway soup + cheese string, baby carrots, and a yogurt

subway 6in chicken breast with lite mayo and veg no cheese and baby carrots

ham and cheese sandwhich, yogurt, apple, carrot

chicken breast and bacon salad with caloriewise ranch dressing, croutons and a yogurt

oven roasted veggies (peppers, zucchini, onion) with balsamic dressing and chicken

and the lunch on the fly- 650mls of dark chocolate milk

ChrisM8971

What about a Greek Salad?

Only suggesting it because I had one today and it reminded me how good they are, I threw in some roast chicken instead of feta cheese (not authentic but wanted the extra protein).

What I had today

Lettuce - some have this some don't 41g
Cucumber 70 g
Tomato 28 g
Kalamata Olives 23 g
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 5 ml
Lemon Juice 3 ml
Dried Oregano 1 g

This came to 136 calories but added 209 calories of roast chicken, but it is equally as tasty with feta cheese instead of the chicken

Mary407

I struggle with the same thing! Here's a post I put up a couple days ago on another thread. That one was about what to do with tofu, so there's a description of how to press it. In addition to being a kids favorite, the simply marinated tofu is a great lunch staple for me. Often I find that leftovers in the fridge would be a fine lunch if they had some protein, and I will just add some of this marinated tofu to whatever veggie/grain type leftover I already have. Also great on salads, and takes just minutes to make. Here's the tofu post:



Unless you plan to blend the tofu, to use in things like smoothies or as a sub for cream in chowders, you will do best to press it. Very simple - just cut the block into even slices about a half an inch thick, then lay on a clean dish cloth. Place another clean dish cloth on top, followed by a cutting board. Put something heavy on the cutting board and just leave it alone for a few minutes. The longer you wait, the firmer the tofu will become. After 5 or 10 mins, just cook the tofu however you like. You can dice it or cut into strips after pressing and it will maintain its shape when cooking. Sometimes, I hear that people have no success cooking tofu in stir fry or whatever cause it falls apart, but pressing solves this issue.

The kids love plain or simply marinated tofu (not cooked - tofu does not require cooking, though there are many good ways to cook it). So, for the kiddos, while the tofu presses, I take a glass storage container with a lid, and add:
A tsp or so of something tangy (rice vinegar, lemon juice, etc.)
A dash of low sodium tamari or soy sauce
A 1/2 tsp or so of toasted sesame oil
A 1/2 tsp or so of agave or honey (not to make it sweet - just for balance)
Then I just whisk the marinade together, cube the pressed tofu, throw it in the container with the lid, give it a shake, and call it done. Whole process takes less than 10 minutes and it keeps for a few days in the fridge. I modify flavors / seasonings for myself and the hubby (Sriracha, lemon pepper, italian seasoning with olive oil instead of sesame oil - many options).

Mary407

One more fun idea - salads packed in Mason jars. Just started doing this and it works great. Pretty quick too if you are already chopping some veggies for dinner. I'll make a dinner salad and pack a jar at the same time. They might now look quite as pretty as the pics in this article, but they work great.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-pack-the-perfect-salad-in-a-jar-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-192174

Arranna1212

Going to sound really weird...But for lunch today I took a Starkist tuna creations sweet and spicy, mixed it with a couple crushed white cheddar cheeze its and a tablespoon of mayo. 270 calories for it all, 150 of it from the cheeze its. I also dip my bananas in yoplait greek peach yogurt.

babsabs2011

My lunches are usually some form of salad and greek yogurt. I also really like taking quinoa for lunch. I usually mix it in some veggies and maybe chicken or shrimp.

megan_elizabeth8

Today my lunch was:
1 spring onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stick celery, diced
Handful of parsley, chopped
1 can tuna
1 can 4 beans

Yum!

mfoulkebrown

I love variety in my lunches, so hubby got me these great Rubbermaid stackable lunch containers. They come in all sizes and allow you to take a bunch of different items in small portions. I especially love the sandwich and salad containers. They allow you to separate wet and dry ingredients, so you can have a yummy sandwich or crisp salad.

Some of my favorite recent creations are:
Fresh mozzarella and marinated tomato sandwich: 2 slices 40 calories bread (80 cals), 1 ounce fresh mozzarells (70 cals), 1 roma tomato, marinated in 0 calorie Italian dressing and a splash of balsamic (35 cals), romaine lettuce (5 cals) and either basil mayo (25 cals) or Laughing Cow mozz (35 cals). Total = 215-225 cals Sometimes I even add proscuitto for an extra 30-60 cals!
I'll usually have that with a cup of soup or salad (30-100 cals), pickle (0-5 cals), 0.5 ounces chips or pork skins (60-80 cals).
For 'dessert' I have berries soaked in almond milk with Splenda for 30-60 cals.

Shell_1384

LENTIL, BLACK BEAN, AND VEGGIE SALAD

Makes 5 2-cup servings. Lasts all week in the fridge, perfect for people with little time for daily meal prep!

*Could easily replace Greek dressing with any other oil & vinegar based dressing; beans and/or lentils could be switched out for other hearty legumes like chick peas, etc. according to your likes and dietary needs/restrictions.

Green Lentils, cooked and cooled, 2 cups
Black Beans, cooked and cooled, 1 cup
Baby Carrots, raw, chopped, 1.5 cup
Celery, raw, chopped, 1.5 cup
Red Bell Pepper, raw, chopped, 1 cup
Purple/red onion, raw, chopped, 0.5 cup
Sugar Snap Peas, raw, chopped, 1 cup
Broccoli, raw, chopped, 2 cups
Kraft - Greek Vinaigrette With Feta Cheese and Oregano Salad Dressing, 150 ml

Lightly fold all ingredients together, careful not to mush the beans and lentils. Divide equally into 5 containers for ready-to-eat meals.

Nutrition info per serving according to MFP recipe builder: 340 Calories, 49g Carbs, 11g Fat, 17g Protein, 378mg Sodium, 6g Sugar

PibbleLover88

I made up a big batch of Italian stuffed peppers earlier this week! I made a quick marinara with spices, sauteed onions, and crushed tomatoes. Then I roasted zucchini, asparagus, and other veggies. Cut the veggies in small pieces, mixed with with a diced smoked turkey sausage, and added it all to the marinara. Cut my bell peppers lengthwise (so each pepper makes two), added the mixture, topped with a bit of Italian cheese, and baked! A half pepper is 220 calories with 13 fat, 14 carb, and 13 protein the way I prepared it!

chocolateandbutterscotch

I spend the day on Sunday and make a couple pots of healthy soup. I then portion it all out into containers and I am good to go. I have a piece of fruit with it.

Here are a few other ideas that I am sure you can find recipes for on the internet
white bean and tuna salad
Barley and black bean salad
cook an extra piece of chicken the night before and have that with some veggies


I also enjoy turkey pepperoni and have had turkey pepperoni with an ounce of cheese and a serving of crackers.

Pectinbean

Thanks everyone! Great ideas. I'm not very imaginative in the kitchen so will definitely work my way through these. I'm aiming for 300-400cal lunches as I'm a grazer and can't skip my midmorning and afternoon snacks! I'm at least getting more fruit in than chocolate...

Fit_Fox88

This may not help much but usually whatever I make for dinner- baked chicken breast, tuna salad, regular salads, pork chops, stuffed peppers, cabbage rolls, stuffed chicken breasts, etc.- I make an extra serving or 2 so me and the hubby can have leftovers for lunch. Occasionally I just buy some frozen meals to switch it up when I don't feel like cooking the night before. For sides I usually bring fresh veggies w/hummus dip, chips/salsa, fruit cups, string cheese, or fit in a bag of chips from the office kitchen.

ElisaGetsHealthy

Great ideas!!

ElisaGetsHealthy

Some of my favorite recent creations are:
Fresh mozzarella and marinated tomato sandwich: 2 slices 40 calories bread (80 cals), 1

What kind of bread do you buy? Im looking for a low cal bread and when you say 80 cals for TWO slices I got excited!! HA!

bunnypanther

My lunch for tomorrow is prawn salad with tomato and cucumber and extra light mayo.

I'm trying the little n often approach so also have carrot n humous, natural low fat yoghurt n strawberries and 2 kiwi fruit.

Specialkayrina

I made lots of these and I have them on my freezer - I bring 2 for lunch twice a week, just let it unfreeze in my lunch bag until lunch time and I heat up in the microwave.
It's DELICIOUS and everybody that are around me during lunch asks me what it is because it smells so good!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/video-jamie-eason-turkey-meatloaf-muffins.htm

364 calories for 2!