Any ideas for healthy lunches at work? I am sick of salads!

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twogood
twogood Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
Hi Everyone!

I wanted to see if anyone had any good lunch ideas for the workplace. I used to always hit the fast-food drive thru on my lunches, but now, 3 weeks into counting my calories, I am sick of eating salads everyday at work.

Does anyone have any good ideas for lunches? I have a microwave here, so I can use that.

I just really want to stay on track and continue to eat well throughout the day.

I am doing so well, I don't want to go back to my old habits!

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks :)

Sara
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Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Leftovers!!
  • svanhoecke
    svanhoecke Posts: 266
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    My absolute FAVORITE:

    Turkey/Chicken Sandwich!

    1 100 Calorie Whole Wheat Thin bun: Good brands include Pepperidge Farm and Orowheat as well as some others.
    1 Wedge Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb cheese (Spread this on the bun) (35 calories)
    Spinach (5 Calories)
    Tomato (8 calories)
    Cucumber (5 calories)
    Turkey or Chicken (80-120 calories depending on how much you put)

    Super fast, super delicious. I suggest packing the slices tomato and cucumber in a separate bag than the bread/spinach/meat/spinach. This way the juicy cucumber and tomato don't make your bread all soggy!

    If you haven't tried sandwich thins yet, or haven't tried using laughing cow cheese as a condiment replacement...you are in for a treat!

    Seriously. Pair this low cal sammie with some fruit and a fiber one yogurt and you are SET!

    Hope you try it!
  • JoceyyySmall
    JoceyyySmall Posts: 155 Member
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    Question: Are you having the same kind of salad everyday? I read this magazine article about varying salads with tastes and textures etc so it doesn't seem that you're eating the same salad day in and day out. I have tried to incorporate these methods.

    Another thing I do is change what I bring- one day I'll bring a tuna sandwich and some veggies and hummus. Try something like that it's still healthy with tuna and put it with some whole wheat bread and you're pairing it with veggies and fruits. Sandwiches and such can vary (but lunch meats aren't good because the sodium- so if I bring a chicken sandwich its from pieces I baked the night before kind of thing)

    Since you have a microwave: Soup or a small bout of leftovers from dinner?

    That's all I can think of for now- sorry if this wasn't any help. Hopefully it might have sparked some ideas.
  • navyw1fe
    navyw1fe Posts: 313 Member
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    I know your sick of fast food but i LOVE subway! if u get bread ask them to carve out some of the bread in the middle and that will cut some cards out..also switch mayo for mustard and get baked chips/apples:) mmm makin me hungry might be my dinner for tonight!
  • svanhoecke
    svanhoecke Posts: 266
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    I know your sick of fast food but i LOVE subway! if u get bread ask them to carve out some of the bread in the middle and that will cut some cards out..also switch mayo for mustard and get baked chips/apples:) mmm makin me hungry might be my dinner for tonight!

    I love Subway too...but I try and avoid it a little now and only have it on occasion because the sodium is really high and makes me bloat/retain water. But it is yummy!
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    Tuna sandwhich ( or use it as dip with triscuts and pickles and some light mayo )
    wraps
    pita sandwhich
    pre cook some chicken and vevvies the night before

    OR

    be more creative with your salads!
  • heididw
    heididw Posts: 16 Member
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    Pita with ham, cheese and tomato! Yum yum! Or a Tortilla Wrap with leftover Chicken Curry (and a bit of salad) ... Alternatively make a salad with mango, pineapple, and apple, it's like eating a fresh fruit salad.
  • jagh09
    jagh09 Posts: 555 Member
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    I like a baked potato with broccoli and lowfat cheese. Sometimes I add a TBSP of light sour cream or plain nonfat greek yogurt. You can have the broccolie (or veggies of your choice) cooked already so they just need heating. Microwave the potato for 5 minutes, cut it open, add seasonings to taste and mash in the sour cream if you like that. Then add in the broccoli and top with 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese and zap it again for about a minute. Serve with a cup of veggie soup and YUM. Quicky, easy, Satisfying meal.
  • 500lbs2marathon
    500lbs2marathon Posts: 542 Member
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    I make sandwiches with low sodium/low fat cold cuts on Fiber One Honey Wheat bread most days with a piece of fruit and some greek yogurt as a snack
  • ShannaB83185
    ShannaB83185 Posts: 441 Member
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    Have you ever had Brocoli Slaw? They sell it in a bag by the bagged salads. I add grapes, apples and cut up chicken breast and the calorie count is about 300 calories depending on how much you make. I usually do 1 cup of the slaw, 10 grapes cut in half, 1 cup of sliced apples and 3 oz. cut up chicken breast. You can use any dressing you want but I use a Poppyseed dressing by Kraft and it's sooo good!! I have also tried the Healthy Choice Steamers and theose are pretty good and come in around 200-300 calories per meal! Good luck!
  • 123456654321
    123456654321 Posts: 1,311 Member
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    Your possibilities are really endless. What is your lunch calorie allowance?
  • ANeWcRe8N
    ANeWcRe8N Posts: 1,180 Member
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    chicken wrap? Chicken breast, veggies of your choice, flatout mini wrap or full wrap, whichever you prefer, and some laughing cow cheese ( I love the light mozzarella w/ sun dried tomato & basil) yum!! easy to prepare and just heat it up at work and its low in calories too :D
  • carina_75
    carina_75 Posts: 88
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    sometimes there are no left overs!! and in my case i use for dinner next night from the night before! my work has started buying salads because of my food change (lovely small family co i work for!!!)


    I love salads but they are becoming a bit boring after changing them up, even in the last month (i have got my work mates eating salads daily, salads they pay for i make (only 6 people)!!
    sorry for going on but...


    BUMP!!!
  • ejhayes
    ejhayes Posts: 44 Member
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    I would make more dinner so I can have leftovers for lunch. There is a lot you can do with that, sandwiches, another meal with vegetables, soup, etc. You just have to be a little creative, but I love leftovers!!!
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
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    Quesadillas!! Low fat cheese, veggies, lean meats, whole grain tortillas....the possibilities are endless w/ them :)

    One of my kdis fave things to do is to get a 100 cal english muffin, 1-2 tbsp of pizza sauce, low fat cheese, veggies and/or turkey pepperoni and cook. Good pizza :)

    What sort of salads are you eating? Allrecipes.com has a TON of different salad recipes out there! Always room to shake it up :)
  • ansonrinesmith
    ansonrinesmith Posts: 755 Member
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    I make deli sandwiches. I use Healthy Life Bread, Heinz no sugar added ketsup (or mayo), cheese and turkey or ham.
    It's a great low cal, low carb sandwich!
  • OlibecaMom
    OlibecaMom Posts: 78
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    Do you have anyone at work that is eating similarly and have similar goals? I have 2 friends that I have partnered with for about 2 years and we bring food for the group (i.e. Wednesday is my day so I brought enough for the other 2 and me). Since we're all trying to eat about 350-400 calories packed with lean protein and vegetables, it works great. It sure makes for a varying array of choices and new receipes to try at home.

    One of the best new lunches that we've done is a pita sandwich filled with spinach, cucumber, green onion and grilled chicken. The dressing was plain yogurt, light mayo and a few other things. I don't have it available to share right now but can if anyone is interested.

    Other ideas:
    leftovers
    tuna with light mayo in a tomato and a few crackers
    shredded chicken with salsa, black beans, corn, lettuce, tomato and a few baked lays chips crumbled
    sandwich thin/pita with lean turkey/ham slices and veggies
  • anastasiawildflower
    anastasiawildflower Posts: 197 Member
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    I have wonderful veggie sandwich recipe:
    bread of choice
    dijon mustard on one, layer of hummus on the other
    slices of tomato, avocado, and bean sprouts.

    It is mostly an anything goes type of sandwich, and I don't eat meat so you can always add your protein of choice (which is why I choose hummus). It is always so fresh and the combination of textures and flavors is wonderful.

    I also found a book called the vegan lunchbox. You don't have to be vegan to enjoy it. My mom is anything but vegan and she loves all of the lovely ideas. Pretty much anything vegan can be made omnivorous. Plus a lot of the recipes are simple.
  • aviduser
    aviduser Posts: 208 Member
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    Cosi makes a couple of sandwiches under 500 cal. One--the hummus and veggie is around 350 cal.

    Panera has a half sandwich and soup or salad combo and they list their calories, making it easy to pick. You have to resist the pastries though.

    Au Bon Pain has a bunch of sandwiches with calorie counts that are reasonable. Also they have 100 cal foods--things like hummus and veggies, mozzarella and pesto, etc. Reasonable price and you can select a few different tastes and still stay at a reasonable calorie level. They also have hard-boiled eggs. Ditto on resisting the pastries.

    Starbucks also provides calorie info for its foods and has some decent sandwiches.

    Vietnamese Pho ("Fo") is a soup with rice noodles and veggies, and some kind of meat (or in my case, tofu). Giant bowl of soup (6 cups!) is 400 calories.

    You can always go to your old favorite places too. There is this one Indian buffet place that I used to eat at a lot. It was an all you can eat place. Using MFP, I figured out how to control the portion and only make one trip to the buffet. It is still a larger lunch (700 cal) but I save it for days when I have had a big workout, limit it to once a week. But the key is learning what is a reasonable portion for different types of foods.

    Sushi is great if you stick to sashimi (just fish, no rice). It is a bit more expensive, but if you like it, it is a nice treat that is high in lean protein and good fats.

    So . . . improving your diet does not mean you have to only eat salad. Go out and learn what you can eat, and most importantly, learn how much of something you can eat before it is too much.

    Good luck!

    PS: I just had a Starbucks venti coffee light frappucino (200 cal). It is a delicious treat and low cal (DO NOT ADD WHIPPED CREAM!!!). If I had not worked out already, and had Pho for lunch, I might have just had the grande which is only 110 cal.

    Another great treat-- Edy's slow churned ice cream-- 100 cal for 1/2 cup. Most ice cream is between 250 and 350 cal for the same portion size. Also Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches are great. Fresh strawberries are super low in calories. Other fruits provide a yummy treat too.

    You have options. Explore them!
  • nehushtan
    nehushtan Posts: 566 Member
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    Go to an Indian grocery and get some of the boxed (unrefrigerated) microwavable vegetable offerings. These will be made by SWAD, MTR, Kohinoor, Ashoka, Tasty Bite, etc. There will usually be many varieties under 350 calories per box. MTR has one called Diet Delite. There are lots of varieties (eggplant, yoghurt dumplings, beans, chick peas, soups, potato-based dishes, etc) with lovely indian spices. I eat one almost every day and I'm never bored.

    There's generally a metallic bag inside the box. I usually dump the contents of it into a microwavable bowl & add a can of tuna or shrimp or some grilled chicken chunks to mine before I nuke it.

    The sodium content of these is usually fairly high but I don't track that.

    You should also take note of the expiration date on the box... a lot of the local Indian/Pakistani groceries are small family-owned stores that don't really have the "clear out the expired food" policies typical of large grocery chains.

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