Packing School Lunches - Grown Up Version!

dawbygirl

I was one of the lucky kids who LOST a freshman 15 instead of gained. Well, most of the weight loss may have been into my sophomore year, to be honest, and I'm not sure exactly how much I lost as I never really went near a scale, but it went something like that. Essentially, I lost not gained weight when I entered college. (Then I got pregnant and my life went crazy for the next five years, but that's another story.) I think I lost weight mostly because I just wasn't eating very much. I was a commuter and didn't have a meal plan; trying to find something edible for lunch usually ended in me eating corn chips or something equally questionable for a meal. Not so healthy, but I did drop weight.

Seven years after graduating, I'll be returning to school at the tender age of 29 to get my master's degree this time. Again, I'll be commuting, but the anti is up this time. The commute to school is twice as long, my schedule will be twice as hectic, and I'm essentially working a full time job on the side. Whew!

As panicky as I am about the specifics and the studying, etc, et al, the big question on my mind is feeding myself! The cafeteria on campus is notoriously awful, so I'd just as soon avoid that. If I don't pack a lunch, I'll FIND a lunch - and there's a Panera, a sushi shop, a tremendously popular sub joint, a D&D, and a Burger King all within too close proximity for my waistline. I'll likely be driving down early in the morning, spending the day there, and then rushing directly to my job in the evening. That's all three daily meals that have the potential to be "road" meals! We're talking school, so no available freezer or refrigerator (except my car in the winter). Possibly no time to really sit down and eat.

What are everyone's favorite, healthful grab and go meals? On days I teach lessons with no breaks in between, I wolf down a protein bar and a can of low sodium V-8. I wonder if it's worth a trial membership to BJ's to check on prices if I'm going to be consuming a lot of similar foods?

kerriknox

I usually take an hour or two on the weekend and make my lunches for the week. I have loads of tupperware containers (drives my husband mad) and I'll fill them with various things, grapes, sliced fruit (add a tiny bit of lemon juice so it doesn't go funny in the containers slated for later in the day), carrot sticks and sliced cucumber, I'll often make a huge omlette and portion it out to be reheated for breakfast in the mornings. Oh and my all time favourite is I buy broccoli slaw and rice paper. I roll up the slaw in the rice paper (if you have roasted chicken add some of that for protein and some fresh mint or cilantro). By the time the rice paper dries it is a nice compact sandwichy thing (think vietnamese spring roll) and I dip it in peanut sauce. If you don't put meat in it you don't need a fridge.

After I am all done I have one whole shelf inthe fridge filled with tupperware but then all I have to do is grab a few and go in the morning. It works really well!

Good for you going back to school!

ltlemermaid

I would stock up on fruits and veggies and nuts for snacking--all those can sit out without a fridge.

Also I would get an icepack or 2 and an insulated lunch bag-that way you can keep things cool if you need to: chicken and tuna salads can be eaten cold so this would help keep them cold and don't need reheating.

Other ideas: (no heating required)
PB&J on whole wheat and using natural peanut butter
Veggie wraps
if using an ice pack: chicken, turkey, ham wraps loaded with veggies, yogurt if kept cool
tomato/cucumber sandwiches
cous cous salad (can be eaten cold)
tortilla chips and salsa
cold pasta salads
Hummus with carrots/zucchini

fitnessbugg

Good luck to you! I admire your drive and determination. As far as the food goes, don't forget that you can always keep a cooler in your trunk if you want to keep something cold all day. If you eat out, you can always get a salad with chicken on it. I know some people think that's boring, but to me it never gets old. Also, you can check out the nutrition information online for the restaurants around campus and print it out so that you know what the good choices are for you and then you are armed in case you have one of those days when you don't have time to pack or a Friday if you want to "treat" yourself by eating out. And I don't mean you can have a treat, but that you on purpose didn't pack enough for the day and plan to eat out. Lastly, I would say make sure you eat every 3-4 hours so that you don't get famished and make bad choices. Good luck to you!

MrsJax11

You won't have to buy the membership to BJs unless you actually purchase something. At least that is how it is at the Sam's club. You can also check online to compare prices as they will have most of their products listed.
I find that it does pay for me to have a membership. I get a huge 1 lb box of organic spring mix for $4, 32 oz containers of greek yogurt for 4.70, almond milk for 2.60 a container, Feta for 3$ a lb, almonds for about 3$ a lb, fresh mozzerella - 2 lbs for 7$, B/S chicken breast is 1.99 and whole chickens are 88 cents a pound...those really are the staples in our diet besides as many fresh fruits and veggies are in season locally, and beef, pork, or seafood 2 times a week. One night we will do a veggie option for dinner...
as far as packing goes, we pack both breakfast and lunch every day and plan a dinner to be ready to be eaten before 7 every day...
You need an insulated lunch box and cooler/freezer packs to really do it up. You can keep your cooler in the car and only take out what you need...
Some of our favorites for breakfast are overnight oats, all kinds of yogurt/cereal/fruit combinations, eggs and veggies in a wrap, all kinds of sandwiches and wraps are usually great for breakfast, too...cream cheese, banana, and nutella on whole grain bread is amazing...for lunch we have sandwiches or more often than not leftovers from dinner. Heating up food may be more of an issue for you that keeping it cool. Personally, I don't mind a lot of things cold or room temp. If I have something with rice or pasta I will take it out of my lunch box and set it out for an hour or so before lunch so it takes the edge off of the chill.
Good luck with your new venture:happy:

etaven

I used my little lunchbox cooler to take to work. I found that bringing food also meant I could make myself eat the healthy food that I tend to pretend isn't in my fridge when I'm home-- yogurt or fruit or stuff that I tend to pass over if I have the option for less healthy stuff, hah. But if I pack those foods in a lunchbox, then I'll eat 'em, cuz they're all I have! Worked like a charm at work.

Also, you're going to be relatively close to me for your schooling, right? We should have Healthy Lunch Dates if there's a day you have some time

marshallexi

I have a Laptop Lunchbox (google it!) and I fill it with all kinds of things. Houmous, carrot sticks, rice cakes, rye and turkey ham sandwiches, popcorn etc. In winter (and because it's all in seperate boxes) I make soups, curries, chillis and put the rice and side salads in the boxes.

It's a really slim box (it would fit through a letter box) so it's no hassle to carry in to work/home with me, it fits in most of my handbags.

ilookthetype

Hard boiled eggs are my new addiction. They are easy to make (I make a dozen a week - at least!) and they are the ultimate portable snack. If you're doing breakfast in the car I'd suggest a piece of fruit and a hard boiled egg (or two).

I prep on Saturdays so I've got everything already chopped and diced and just needs to be thrown together in the morning to make a salad. I throw a cup of home made fruit salad on top sometimes so I don't have to use dressing (using mango/pinapple in the fruitsalad ensures that it's ultra juicy.) Lots of veggies for snacking. If you're a grad student maybe there is a prof you particularly like...or who particularly likes you who might let you use a staff fridge. (My mom was a prof and I know she had a student or two who used her fridge!) A lot of campus' have good food options, wraps, salads, stick to veggies and know what is in the bread/wraps and stay in your goal.

Colleges also = free gym. That's always a plus, maybe between classes? :happy:

TrainingWithTonya

I feel you! I drive 2 hours to school each day. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday my schedule will be classes from 8am to 3:40pm so I leave my house by 6am and get home about 5:40pm, if I come home and don't go meet clients at the gym first. Tuesday and Thursday, classes are 10am to 6:40pm, so an even longer day even though it doesn't have to start as early. I'm having to transition all my local clients to at night and on the weekends and will teach a couple of classes at the rec center on campus between my classes. Anyway, my point is that I have to pack my meals. I pack a cooler and keep it in my car. With enough ice packs, my stuff stays cold even on 108 degree South Georgia Summer days, so I know it can be done safely. I generally pack cereal in ziploc bags, bottles of juice, water, etc., sandwiches, salads with the dressing in a separate container, whole wheat crackers, cheese sticks, granola bars, tuna kits (the lunch to go things), fresh fruit, veggies and ranch dip, and put chocolate protein powder and powdered milk in shaker cups so I can just add water at the water fountain on campus or in the gym and shake them up. There are lots of things you can take on the go like that. Good luck!

Bunnyboo82

I'm a huge fan of have yoplait. If its youplait light, they are only 100 calories a piece. Since it's all protien its keeps you full for quite a few hours. you can tuck it in your purse or computer bag and it doesn't take up much space. I am NOT a lunch person, so that is pretty hard. If you want to treat yourself, sushi isn't that bad for you as long as you stay away from the rolls with cream cheese and sauces. Since you are on my fitness pal you can always 'build your lunch' before you actually eat it to see what kind of calories you will be consuming. I know that if i'll be busy all day and want to make sure I don't over do it I log my day's worth of foods and vow to stick to it. Awesome dedication!

susangell

bump

Tereztaylor07

I know it's high in sodium, but sometimes I take canned chicken breast or tuna and some crackers and have makeshift tuna salad. (If you leave it in the can, you don't have to refrigerate, but it will be dry). I also pack around canned fruit. I think everyone else is right. You will need to invest in some ice packs to make this work, but it will definitely be worth it.

dawbygirl

So many great ideas! (Those laptop lunch boxes are super cute!) Sounds like it may, in fact, behoove me to get the BJ's membership. I mostly shop at the produce market by my house, which is great for eggs, bread, and fruits, but their veggies can be hit or miss and it's expensive to buy what I want when I do actually go to the grocery store. I try to only buy things when they're on sale (like the meat - I stock up on the chicken breasts when they're on sale for 1.99!), but sometimes you need something and there's nothing you can do. I don't have a cooler, so I think I'll have to go look and see what will work for me. If it can keep things cool in Georgia weather, New Jersey weather should be okay. Also packing a lot of small things will make it easiest to keep track of what calories I'm eating, I suppose. Hmm!

Sadly, I don't think we have a campus gym. We had one at the university where I go my undergraduate (though I never used it - I kick myself for that now!), but this is a small music college and doesn't have one. It's technically run by a larger university, which I'm sure has a gym, but it's a 20 minute drive to the main campus for that.