Packing a lunch

shaunshaikh
shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
I'm having trouble packing a lunch (snacks, too) that has enough calories and isn't either very high in sodium or just filled with carbs/sugars and fats. I like to have lean protein in every meal, but sandwich meat is just so freaking full of sodium.

Any ideas? Or do I just have to eat leftovers every day for lunch? Not always possible, though...

Replies

  • tararocks
    tararocks Posts: 287 Member
    Grilled chicken breast saves my day every day. My husband grills extra chicken breasts throughout the week and that is my preferred lunch, it is a lean protein and there are SO many things you can do with it. Eating it as a chicken breast, mixing it with grilled vegetables in a pita, mixing it with bbq sauce and veggies on a flatbread, putting it in whole wheat pasta, using low carb wraps and stuffing a wrap with it, creating a colorful filling chicken salad...and the list goes on and on. If you grill extras when you are making dinner it makes these lunches so easy to prepare.
  • JesaGrace
    JesaGrace Posts: 799 Member
    I still have trouble with this sometimes...
  • bhawkins0617
    bhawkins0617 Posts: 46 Member
    I actually strive to eat leftovers. That's because what I cook is mostly homemade from scratch so I control the ingredients. Otherwise, I pack homemade tuna or egg salad in a pita with a side salad or just a big sald topped with protein such as chicken or eggs.
  • Xaspar
    Xaspar Posts: 726 Member
    I make a wrap with LOTS of fresh veggies, a couple tablesoons of hummus spread over the wrap... then add shredded or julliened carrots, cucumbers, spinach leaves, bean sprouts, diced tomatoes, etc. and if I want to add more protein, the packs of pre-cooked chicken strips work pretty well for that... after all the veggies, etc. you only need a couple strips of meat to 'flesh it out' (pardon the pun.)
    You can even grill or bake the chicken breast yourself. Or cut it in strips and stir fry it quickly then pre-portion into zip-loc bags to help make sandwich building easier.
  • CraftyGirl4
    CraftyGirl4 Posts: 571 Member
    My lunch today is crackers, mini Babybel light cheese (2 pieces), mini sweet peppers, cherries and carrots.

    My snack today is just a protein bar (not very creative) - a brand called Think Thin.

    Other lunch ideas:
    - Med. plate - hummus, tabbouleh and fresh veggies (and olives, if you like that kind of thing...I don't)
    - Leftovers (I love to just make 2 of dinner and bring the rest for lunch)
    - Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (seriously...it's good, and it contains a good protein kick)

    Snack ideas:
    - Hummus and veggies or crackers
    - Cheese and fruit
    - Protein bar/shake
    - Nut butter and apple or banana
    - High fiber muffin
  • Divatime
    Divatime Posts: 33
    Hi,

    I try to pick up healthy things to snack on during the day and mix up for lunch.

    bananas
    sandwich thins
    100 calorie almond packs
    Planters Nutrition mixed nuts
    Yo cruch 100 calorie yogurt with granola
    sugar free dole fruit gels
    fresh fruit such as apples, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi
    oatmeal, hot ceral or boiled egg for breakfast
    Chicken breast...you can use in salad, wraps, etc
    Tuna salad
    Egg salad


    I hope this helps! :flowerforyou:

    Good luck!
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
    I've used canned chicken for chicken salad...still has some sodium, but not as bad as lunchmeat. Or cook your own chicken breasts & use for chicken sandwiches/wraps.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I'm having trouble packing a lunch (snacks, too) that has enough calories and isn't either very high in sodium or just filled with carbs/sugars and fats. I like to have lean protein in every meal, but sandwich meat is just so freaking full of sodium.

    Any ideas? Or do I just have to eat leftovers every day for lunch? Not always possible, though...

    I eat leftovers when I have them. If no leftovers, I usually bring fruit and greek yogurt, cottage cheese with tomatoes, hummus with whole grain crackers or veggie sticks, sandwich wraps with hummus or other bean dips, onions and leafy greens, whole grain pasta salad with veggies & beans can be made ahead and good for 2 or 3 lunches in a week, celery or carrots with peanut butter dip.
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
    How about a non-traditional salad:
    Try a cut up (green) apple with dried cranberries and walnuts. Then add a little gorgonzola or blue cheese for protein. Top with a raspberry or cranberry dressing.
  • Michelebecker
    Michelebecker Posts: 13 Member
    Sundays... or whatever day off you have during the week, are your friend. You have to prepare for the week, and prepare for lunch the night before. This is probably my greatest weight loss struggle, but it is also the one that works the best. I work in a job that requires that I am on the road for sometimes up to 10-12 hours per day, without much of a chance to stop. With this, I also ususally don't have somewhere to stop and heat things up... If you don't want to have to worry about it every day, make a couple days' worth of lunches at a time... ex: On Sunday night I may cook a pork chop, a small steak, and a chicken breast. I cube everything so that it is bite sized and I don't have to worry about having a knife handy. I toss a tablespoon of BBQ sauce in the tupperware container with the chicken, and a little (sp) Worshishire sauce in with the pork. I then cook a bag of steamed corn and a bag of steamed peas and divide them up into portions (in tupperware containers as well.) A salad each day, plus usually a cup of cubed fruit (melon) or a whole fruit (apple or banana). I also keep on hand fruit cups in light sauce/water because they are portable, and I am almost always carrying an oz or two of nuts. Oh... and LOW FAT STRING CHEESE is awesome! It's portable and easy, and full of protein. Tupperware is your friend in this battle... good luck!
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    Thank you everybody for your respones. Michele, yours piqued my interest the most. i think that's exactly what I need to be doing to make sure I have good, well portioned lunches from whole foods sources.
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