Office Worker - Healthy, Easy lunch ideas

leegrieve83

Hello

First time poster, long time dieter. I, like a lot of people, work in an office. I am fairly sedentary during the day, and go to the gym 3 days a week.

My problem though, which I am hoping you can all help me with, is that at lunch time I am starving! About 12:00 I need food!

So right now I found some Chinese noodle things that are only 94 cals per bag. So I am dining on those fairly consistently. However I don'twant to kid myself, lets face it, these things are probably baked in fat before they are dried out, and the calories are completely of the bad variety. I notice through my fitness pal that my diet is nearly 60% carbs 15% fat and the rest protein.

Can anyone help me please. I need some ideas for a healthy lunch, that doesnt require me to cook lunch at home the day before or similar. Something I can buy that I can then prepare while at work, that isn't stupidly expensive.

I dont really have time at home due to kids / routines and so on for preparing a healthy lunch at home. So I need some easy to purchase / easy to prepare lunch ideas that aren't all bad calories. Anyone god any ideas?

Cheers

Lee

suryamurthy0576

Precooked chicken breast pieces are available in most supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsburys in UK). Where you are located, check the supermarkets for these. You could eat this with any salad bowl. For carbs, you can buy a tin of cooked chickpeas / any beans and add in the salad. Top up with a sauce of your choice.

eldamiano

Hello

First time poster, long time dieter. I, like a lot of people, work in an office. I am fairly sedentary during the day, and go to the gym 3 days a week.

My problem though, which I am hoping you can all help me with, is that at lunch time I am starving! About 12:00 I need food!

So right now I found some Chinese noodle things that are only 94 cals per bag. So I am dining on those fairly consistently. However I don'twant to kid myself, lets face it, these things are probably baked in fat before they are dried out, and the calories are completely of the bad variety. I notice through my fitness pal that my diet is nearly 60% carbs 15% fat and the rest protein.

Can anyone help me please. I need some ideas for a healthy lunch, that doesnt require me to cook lunch at home the day before or similar. Something I can buy that I can then prepare while at work, that isn't stupidly expensive.

I dont really have time at home due to kids / routines and so on for preparing a healthy lunch at home. So I need some easy to purchase / easy to prepare lunch ideas that aren't all bad calories. Anyone god any ideas?

Cheers

Lee

There are loads of microwave meals under 600 calories and quite a lot under 500 and even some under 450. I wouldnt say they are particularly bad nutritionally. No worse than sandwiches.

misschoppo

+1 for the salad/chicken idea. I prepare salad boxes for a few days at a time then roast chicken breasts and slice to add but if you buy the mixed salad bags and precooked chicken you will have no prep to do and a healthy fast lunch & you can just switch between different dressings or different salad mixes for variety. You could also make your own sandwiches which takes barely a few minutes again using precooked chicken or if you have a microwave soup is a cheap and easy option to buy, just watch out for high sodium contents.

Without meaning to offend, you say you have no time to prepare anything due to being a very busy mum & I get that with hectic routines it can be hard but this is about your health and your body so surely you can make time to make lunch? Even if that means going to bed 15minutes later or deciding to go cook something instead of watching a 30minute tv show...There are hundreds of things you could cook the night before in well under 20minutes, just google 10/15minute meals and there are loads of options & most recipes serve 4, so that's potentially 4 lunches that you can box up for the week by just cooking once.

I think its a matter of prioritising to be honest, my sister has two young kids, works full time and is also part time helper (evening & weekend visits) to her husbands ill mother, on top of being a taxi service for her husband who doesn't drive. She is by no means a superwoman, and yes she gets hacked off with how hectic things are but she finds time to cook simple but healthy meals for herself and her family because it is important to her. No doubt people will disagree with me but "I don't have time to cook" is a kind of lazy attitude.

*edit spelling

kandell

I also work in an office. For lunch, I typically just bring a turkey sandwich or leftovers from dinner the night before. But I bring lots of raw fruits and/or veggies to snack on during the day to keep my appetite in check.

My go-to work snacks:
Raw cauliflower - 200 g
Baby carrots - 200 g
Whole sliced cucumber - 200-300 g
Total calories: 177

And trust me, 200 grams of baby carrots is a lot! I also drink a lot of water during the work day. And if I need some flavor, I throw in a Crystal Light packet.

It can be tough to plan lunches for work, but it's so worth it. I feel great when I'm not tempted to hit up the vending machine down the hall. I definitely second what choppo1 said, though, about prioritizing. A couple months ago I was making a bunch of excuses to not pack healthy, balanced lunches. But once you start doing it, it gets easier. It really becomes habit after a while and your body will thank you for it :]

srmchan

Without meaning to offend, you say you have no time to prepare anything due to being a very busy mum & I get that with hectic routines it can be hard but this is about your health and your body so surely you can make time to make lunch? Even if that means going to bed 15minutes later or deciding to go cook something instead of watching a 30minute tv show...There are hundreds of things you could cook the night before in well under 20minutes, just google 10/15minute meals and there are loads of options & most recipes serve 4, so that's potentially 4 lunches that you can box up for the week by just cooking once.

Just to back this up, I'm the breadwinner in my house and typically work 50+ hour weeks - yet I still find the time to cook. It starts with careful planning. I make a meal plan every Saturday and order groceries online for pick-up so I avoid impulse shopping. I also try to maximize for left-overs. For example, this week I'm making grilled chicken parmesan with home made tomato sauce and spaghetti squash. When I make this meal, I'll cook a couple extra chicken breasts for lunch salads, and I'll make extra tomato sauce for meatball sub sandwiches later in the week. My "sandwich" will be without bread; my boys get the good stuff. :-) Speaking of my boys, I get them involved too. They know how to do basic prep, they help clean the kitchen as I cook, and much of the time they clean up after dinner without my help.

Here's my evening meal plan for the week to give an example. This one doesn't maximize left-overs as much as I typically would, but these are typical things I can cook given forward planning. (Note that SV = sous vide describing the way I'll cook at least one of the meals.) You'll see I LOVE cooking on my grill/smoker.

Sunday
- tri tip steak
- baked potato
- pan seared asparagus
- fresh guacamole

Monday
- cedar plank grilled salmon w/ spice rub
- jasmine rice
- salad with home made ginger dressing

Tuesday
- grilled chicken parmesan (SV) with home made tomato sauce
- pan seared asparagus
- spaghetti squash

Wednesday
dinner
- left over chicken parmesan
**make salsa for Thursday

Thursday
- mexican style shrimp
- mexican rice
- guajillo salsa
- nachos (not for Sam)
- fresh guacamole

Friday
- meatball subs
- hoagie roll (not for Sam)
- italian meatballs
- tomato sauce (left overs)
- provolone cheese

Saturday
- smoked baby back ribs w/ sugar-free dry rub and low-sugar BBQ sauce
- corn on the cob
- corn muffins (not for Sam)

leegrieve83

Thanks for all the replies, I will absolutely be taking time to go through.

To clarify, I am actually not mumsy at all, wrong sex!

However my routine still stands. I agree with you, I am likely not being diligent enough, potentially a bit lazy. I try to be motivated enough to sort my lunches out. However ideal in theory, it never actually happens. I guess as you say, I should perhaps plan my meals better like srmchan does.

Again thanks all, definite food for thought there (pardon the pun).

Regards

Lee

srmchan

One other thought as I don't want you to feel I'm bashing your time management.

I've only been cooking seriously since November 2013. My stove died, so I bought a new one and with it some cookware. I had a little time on my hands over the holidays, so I set out to learn how to cook something better than the typical crock-pot or microwave fare. My early adventures weren't at all healthy - my first target was to learn how to make a good crème brûlée. After that, I moved onto figuring out my grandmother's egg custard pie, and then soufflés. I'm pleased to say I can whip up a sweet vanilla or chocolate soufflé on command now.

As time progressed, I started learning other basics - like how to properly pan sear meat and vegetables, how to cook to temperature (vs cooking to time), and seasoning food. I'm pleased to say I buy more fresh produce than I do packaged foods now. Recipes are great but I think technique is half the battle. To that end, YouTube is a great resource. I never could get soufflés right in the beginning and many ended up in the trash - but after watching a ton of videos on YouTube, I figured it out. I try to learn something new - whether simple or complex - each weekend. Yesterday, it was fresh guacamole. And I've found that moving about the kitchen is great exercise.

I have a LONG way to go towards becoming a proficient cook but am building "muscle memory" in the kitchen through repetition. I can do dishes like lemony-garlic pan seared asparagus, creamy truffle mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, blackberry-lemon brûlée, bacon wrapped pan seared pork chops, burgundy mushrooms, and honey glazed sweet and sour wings practically off the top of my head now. :-)

But I digress... I enjoy my cooking hobby and started the fitness journey a few weeks ago. I feel very passionate and hopeful that my hobby is compatible with a significant life goal - to lose weight, exercise and eat better - and I love to read and share experiences. If you find a good answer that works for your lunches, please share. I'm keen to learn.

Platform_Heels

When you make dinner why not make enough so that you have left overs that you can package up and take for lunch the next day?

When I worked in an office I would either make a bunch of stuff on Sunday afternoon and package it all up so that I had lunches for the week or I'd take some of the meal from the night before to work for my lunch. It didn't take any extra time or effort. Or if I didn't want the leftovers while my dinner was cooking I'd put something together for lunch.

Also I love salads but it was a PITA to make individual salads every day so what I started doing was making one big salad in a big tupperware bowl and just portioned it out for my lunches during the week. Super easy and zero time.

JoRocka

Left overs.

I batch cook/meal prep on Sunday- and have everything pre-portioned out- I bulk and cut on this system.

I work a full time 9-5 and spend roughly 20 hours or more at the gym and my dance studio- I work 3 jobs (plus side sewing jobs on top of that).

There IS time to meal prep- you just have to want to do it.

I mostly rotate between 3-4 dishes- I don't get crazy. I can eat the same type of eggs and the same type of chicken for days so that might not work as well for you if you need variety- but it doesn't bother me.

Also I cook one stove top and one oven- so I have 2 types of food but only spend one chunk of time prepping/cooking/cleaning.

LeahNMe

On Sundays I gather up all my ingredients and make Salad In A Jar.
You take a mason jar put your favorite salad dressing in the bottom then add your salad ingredients.
The dressing has to go on the bottom with the lettuce at the top with all your veggies in between.

Typical for PB's salads are
Russian dressing
Baby carrots
Boiled egg
Sliced mushrooms
Fresh broccoli
Romain lettuce
You put the lid on it and stick it in the fridge. It will last up to a week so I make lots of different kinds, chicken, shrimp, and he takes them to work, dumps it in a bowl when he's ready to eat.
This is not my original idea at all, I found it on pintrest but it is an awesome fast healthy lunch.

Keepcalmanddontblink

Hello

First time poster, long time dieter. I, like a lot of people, work in an office. I am fairly sedentary during the day, and go to the gym 3 days a week.

My problem though, which I am hoping you can all help me with, is that at lunch time I am starving! About 12:00 I need food!

So right now I found some Chinese noodle things that are only 94 cals per bag. So I am dining on those fairly consistently. However I don'twant to kid myself, lets face it, these things are probably baked in fat before they are dried out, and the calories are completely of the bad variety. I notice through my fitness pal that my diet is nearly 60% carbs 15% fat and the rest protein.

Can anyone help me please. I need some ideas for a healthy lunch, that doesnt require me to cook lunch at home the day before or similar. Something I can buy that I can then prepare while at work, that isn't stupidly expensive.

I dont really have time at home due to kids / routines and so on for preparing a healthy lunch at home. So I need some easy to purchase / easy to prepare lunch ideas that aren't all bad calories. Anyone god any ideas?

Cheers

Lee

Do you have any allergies to nuts? If not, get some raw almonds rather than the fried noodle things. For a serving its 160 calories, but it really stays with me and curbs my hunger. It also makes me drink more water which helps me get my 8 to 10 glasses a day.

leggup

I am also an office worker. I have access to a fridge, freezer, and microwave. Here are some of my lunches in the past few weekdays:

-Can of soup (amy's low sodium lentil), 1 oz cheese (prebagged), 14 grams croutons: 480 calories (20 g protein)
-Individual mac n cheese cup, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1 fake chicken patty: 570 calories (20 g protein)
-paper cup of soup (split pea with barley), croutons, individual hummus pod, baby carrots: 476 calories (18 g protein)
-black bean veggie burger, salsa, guacamole individual serving, a clementine, a fiber one brownie: 470 calories (23 g protein)
-fake chicken patty, 1 bag of steamers veggies (favorite is couscous, spinach, and a light sauce): 500 calories (20 g protein)

Hope that helps! I also keep an 'emergency' soup in my desk at all times in case I'm starrrrving midafternoon or if my lunch is ruined for some reason.

stephx8

I've only just started this but i get some sandwich meat(usually bbq chicken), lettuce and a tortilla wrap and its fairly low when on my diary and also fills me right up until 7pm.

purplemurfy

Left overs.

I batch cook/meal prep on Sunday- and have everything pre-portioned out

I do this as well. Cook on Sat or Sun some type of one pot meal with lots of veggies that I can heat up for lunch during the week. I will also cook extra when making dinner during the week to portion out and freeze for lunches so that I have some options.

You can make the time if you really want this to work.

lisaabenjamin

I make up a big bowl of cous cous on a Sunday afternoon/evening and box it up into takeaway containers to take to work for the rest of the week.

It takes literally 10 minutes to cook cous cous - just boil a kettle, pour cous cous into a bowl, pour the boiling water on top, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave for 10 minutes. While it's steaming, chop up a few veggies like peppers, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes etc, or open and drain a tin of tuna, or grate some cheese, or whatever fillings you like, then after 10 mins, mix the fillings with the cous cous and divide into containers. Easy peasy.

sweetpea03b

I try to avoid carbs like the plague... so... my typical lunch is a salad with chicken (I buy the Perdue Short Cuts and leave them at work... and that will give me chicken for 3 salads) or I buy the (Perdue or Tyson... can't remember) Simply Smart breaded chicken fillets that I can pop in the microwave for a few minutes and have that with fruit or veggies. This will usually last me about a week. Only 190cals/filet.

ddino

Office worker with 4 kids here, and I pack my lunch every morning. I usually bring the same thing(s). I use a 3-section container for portion sizing. This is what I generally make (and it takes about 10-15 minutes in the morning, but of course could be done at night). I don't eat beef or poultry, and I try to steer clear of wheat since it bloats me like crazy.:

Main:
salad (I pre-rinse, chop the lettuce on Sundays and store in a plastic "green bag" for use all week) w/veggies (also pre-sliced on the weekend) with a side of balsamic vinegar and spices, or
tuna salad (one pack of tuna in water, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 pickle spear)

with:
fruit (any that need to be cut are done on the weekend and stored), but if it's berries or grapes, I just rinse that morning and throw them in
cottage cheese (the ones in a snack pack) or
cheese stick
sliced cucumbers, olives, or marinated mushrooms in a jar-- any veggie option that is easy that I can just throw in my small portion of my container, really.

and, my "snack"-- a jell-o sugar free snack pack.

This typically gives me about 350-400 calories at lunch, depending, and ALWAYS fills me up.

SnuggleSmacks

I keep cans of soup in my desk drawer as well as protein bars, nuts, nut butters, and wholegrain bread. Being a student on top of my full-time job, I don't always have time to cook, and having these options keeps me from running to the nearest fast food place, or putting money in the vending machine.

When I do have time, I preportion things out with a food scale and put them in little bowls or baggies, like 100 calories of cashews or cheese. I try to do a bunch at one time so they'll last a while.

bciloveme2014

I usually plan my dinners but for lunch I am a little bit lazy, so sometimes I bring one hard egg, thin sandwich bread, and a can(5OZ) turkey breast and make a sandwich, or sometimes I eat a half of avocado or black fried beans on tostadas, or a bunch of fruits and vegetables, or yogurt. I am focus in my protein intake so everything that I bring for lunch has to have protein.

melissat888250

I'm usually all about cooking meals, but the last month life has gotten hectic and I've been trying out different alternatives to cooking myself. One thing I've found is the steamfresh bags of frozen veggies. I pop them in the microwave for five minutes while I'm getting ready in the morning, then reheat them at work for lunch. If you have a freezer available at work, you can just make them at work! Today I'm doing the broccoli & cheese with pasta one. My favorite is the brussel sprouts. Anyways hope this helps. My usual, non-hectic life go to for lunches are dinner leftovers!