Easy Brown-Bag Ideas

gp79

I'd like to see what some of you are packing in your coolers to bring to work. Quick to prepare, and 400'ish calories is what I'm looking for. Not interested in microwave meals.

Lately I've been doing 4 oz of low sodium deli turkey on wheat or tuna sandwiches. Looking forward to getting a couple different options in my rotation.

sarah307

bump*
I am always looking for new ideas for packing lunches

almonds
turkey sand.
banana
apple slices
granola bars

Dohrnl

I do bagel thin with cream cheese(200), yogurt(80), mini babybel cheese light (30), apple(80)


Also if you have access to a microwave a great way to mix things up is different lean cuisines, kashi meals, etc.

isabellammm

You can see my diary if you want. I usually bring my lunch to school, either a sandwich or leftovers from dinner. My lunches tend to be 200-300 cals, but you can easily make it more by using more caloric bread, or bigger portions of whatever!

Rynoman2k3

Pre-made meals are great but watch the sodium. I looked at some of those Michelina Light meals and holy cow some of them pack on the salt!

I eat Special K alot. It's pretty filling. 3/4 cup is 160ish calories and a cup of 2% milk is about 120 cal. Then i tend to eat a banana too.

AMoore33

This recipe was in the recipe forums and is a great make-ahead. I've been eating it with a quick half-sandwich and strawberries or hummus/pretzels each day. Great for a brown bagger.

Throw all ingredients in a bowl in this order:

-1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1pint cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved
-4oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into cubes
-a little finely chopped onion
-1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (actually in the recipe this time)
-1tbsp olive oil
-1tbsp balsamic vinegar
-1tbsp lemon juice (see above)
-pinch of salt and pepper

Makes 5 servings at around 153 calories each.

Cheers!

SheWei

bagged salad mix with frozen grilled chicken strips. I highly recommend Fresh Express. They have a good variety like Pear and gorgonzola. The kits are roughly 300 calories INCLUDING dressing and the grilled chicken strips can be microwaved in minutes which adds another 100 calories.

kepete

I eat as much low cal food as possible during the day. Today for breakfast & lunch I packed: nectarine, yougurt, Oreo 100 cal bar, chocolate cherrios, carrots, apple & 150 calorie Lean Cuisine meal for a total of 550 calories!

surfrgrl1

Fage Yogurt 0% fat (pomegranate cherry is my fave)
Lean Ham Sandwich on wheat bread
Archer Farms Almond,Peanut, Cashew butter on celery sticks
Baby Carrots
Strawberries
Various high fiber crackers
Hummus
String Cheese
Leftovers from the previous night's dinner

Nikki582

I make dinner, then separate a portion and take that for lunch the next day. Plus an apple or yogurt.

AZKristi

Today I took a salad made from canned, rinsed chickpeas, one diced jalapeno, one diced red pepper, half a red onion chopped fine, 1 tablespoon olive oil and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Makes 2-3 servings, no need to reheat.

mynika

One of my favorites is Tuna with red grapes sliced in half, and a little light mayo, then put it in a half a pita bread. YUM... Thanks for asking, I love getting new ideas too

dawnm92

Nice topic. I'm going to keep this for future reference as well.

My favorite easy to grab and eat lunch is:

1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1 oz. almonds (290 cals)
3-4 oz of grilled chicken breast or other protein (cooked the night before and very quick to reheat) (100-125 cals)

rrrosemaryyy

I made a big batch of this yesterday and portioned it into 5 containers, 345 calories each.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-Salad-with-Fresh-Hearts-of-Palm-em-Ensalada-de-Quinoa-con-Chonta-em-352878
I find it to be a bit oily, so the next time I make it I'll cut back the olive oil (which is the cause of a lot of calories in this recipe) and add more vinegar instead to keep the quinoa moist.

For snacks I love:
* plain 0% greek yogurt with fruit or 1tsp flavoured honey or slivered almonds
* spinach goma-ae (great for catching up on your Vitamin A and iron)
* a sliced apple with a bit of cheddar with greek yogurt again
* Praeventia cookies (yes, they're cookies, but high in fibre)
* fruit cups (again, used when I want a sugar rush)
* flavoured tofu (two halves in a pack, 90 calories each)

NiciS72

2-2.6 oz pouch of Starkist tuna 160 calories
2 T Light Miracle Whip 40 calories
1 T Vlasic relish 15 calories
1 boiled egg 70 calories
=Tuna salad for 285 calories

I usually add a piece of fruit to add to this a nectarine is 68 calories give or take or 200g of strawberries for around 50 calories! If you want more protein add another boiled egg.

zeeeb

i had a really nice lunch today it was thin rice cakes with kraft free cheese slice and sliced chicken. I had 4 and i reckon it would be about 300-350 calories.

AnnaMaus

My favorite lunch has consistently been a light instant noodle soup (200 calories) with frozen peas (~80 calories) and a some fruit--plums, nectarines, grapes and apples (another 100 calories, tops).

A Tofurkey sandwich (100 calories per serving) loaded with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mustard on Trader Joe's light wheat bread (50 calories per slice) is a close second.

nickscutie

my diary is open, i eat 500-550 calories for lunch most days

flutatious1

I usually take leftovers from dinner.... my brown bag lunch uses a lot of rubbermaid containers ;-)
Lately I have been taking a lot of veggies....something like zucchini with spaghetti sauce.
it's not a frozen dinner, but it does require the microwave :-/

pinkita

A Jennie-O turkey burger patty has 160 calories--I like to cook them up the day before and put it in 2 slices of Sara Lee 45 whole wheat bread. That's kind of the "base" of my lunch--I'll have baby carrots, Greek yogurt, etc with it.

ejohndrow

Dinner for me tonight:
-Grilled chicken breast seasoned with pepper and garlic (grilled on the George Foreman grill).
-Pear
-Gala apple
-6 grape tomatoes (it's all I had left).

I tend to eat a lot of the same things over and over; grilled chicken or fish seasoned with pepper, raw fruits, veggies. It works for me and is easy to pack.