Low carb easy lunch ideas

shoppie

My carbs always seem to be high. I have porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast, and that really works for me as it keeps me nicely full. My main evening meal contains a carb usually but its our only family meal. The obvious place to try and cut back is lunch. I currently have
a cup a soup
3 ryvita
a bag of crisps/ snack a jacks/ similar

I then have 2 pieces of fruit mid-afternoon - again all carbs. I really find it hard to stay full though!

I do not have cals to spare, I usually spend 7/800 on my evening meal so target 300 - 400 on lunch and similar on breakfast. I would really appreciate any help! :flowerforyou:

ajbeans

Salad of lettuce or spinach and diced tomatoes topped with tuna or chicken and shredded cheese
Chicken breast topped with whatever you want to top it with (I like melted pepper jack)
Eggs
Or, you can do like I do frequently, which is to make extra of the protein portion of dinner and eat it the next day for lunch.

idauria

I make salad and add a can of white meat chicken or tuna with shredded cheese. I also eat deli turkey or chicken with raw veggies and hummus. Some days I will have a protein shake if I didn't have one for breakfast. Honestly that is the only thing that fills me up for hours and leaves me with 0 cravings. Some days I'll make a hamburger or turkey burger. It's hard to come up with low carb meals but I am doing my best to go without wheat products. I also don't eat fruit since I'm also watching my sugar intake. Really sugar and carbs are the same thing. But if you love fruit I'd limit it to 2-3 servings of low sugar fruits like berries. There are tons of low carb resources on the internet. Just do a search and your head will spin with all the info! Good luck!

tiedye

Roll lunch meat into large pieces of iceberg lettuce instead of on bread for a healthy "wrap"
Make a salad with nuts and baked/grilled chicken or turkey bacon and dressing on the side to add at lunch time
Bring leftovers from the night before's dinner (but just bring the meat and vegetables, only a taste of the carb on the side if you want)
A cup of turkey chili to heat up

Sweet_Potato

Soups, frittatas, composed salads

beverlyfox

protein takes longer to digest and will help keep you feeling full. Also, are you drinking enough water? Sometimes we mistake thirsty for hungry.

shoppie

I'm definitely drinking plenty, and I only drink water. I might try wrapping protein in lettuce as I like that general idea, I'm not a big fan of salads per se in winter to be honest. Maybe if I made thicker soup that might be more filling? I'm wondering if I need to swop the fruit in the afternoon too now - argh!

I can't imagine a protein shake would fill me up, but if you don't try I guess you'll never know so I may go and have a hunt for one at lunchtime and see how I get on!

Thanks for the ideas :flowerforyou:

melaniecheeks

I'd swap one of the fruits for some crunchy veg instead - still got some carbs, but should be lower as they're less sugary. Or else go for protein snacks - a piece of cheese or ham, a hard boiled egg, nuts or roast soy beans

SuzMcH

How about homemade veg soup or butternut squash soup for lunch ? Or swap your afternoon snack for houmous and carrots or some nuts and seeds.
Personally I find it easier to cut out the carb in the evening, and like you this is family meal time. But for example if we are having chicken, potatoes and veg then i just leave out the potatoes. Tonight we're having roast gammon, but I've bought a nice salad to go with it.
I don't do it every night, so if we're having pasta for tea then I have a no carb lunch. Hope that helps.

provence9

I defrost frozen pre-cooked shrimp and serve it with a tad bit of cocktail sauce and a bowl of microwaved frozen vegetables. Very easy.

deedles7

Try replacing your potatoes with turnip or squash. I mash mine, make them into scoop size servings then freeze them. If you don't like salads in the winter try making a stir fry (without fat, I use spices for flavor). You can add whatever veggies you like. I keep a big bowl of this in the refrigerator for snacks. Sometimes I add chicken, tuna etc to make it more filling. Canned tomatoes mixed with string beans add chili or tex-mex spice (although high in sodium ) also makes a warm snack. Hope this helps.

prouddadbilly

---> At Shoppie ---- Are you somewhere you can cook at lunch time, or does this have to be a meal you prepare and take to work? My all time favorite low carb meal is a 2 egg omelet with chicken (canned or fresh, your choice, but the canned will be higher in sodium and will help your blood pressure go up... if that's what you want...) with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of basil. It is delicious. If you add in some fresh green onion, it will give it a little more flavor as well.

MollyDurham

---> At Shoppie ---- Are you somewhere you can cook at lunch time, or does this have to be a meal you prepare and take to work? My all time favorite low carb meal is a 2 egg omelet with chicken (canned or fresh, your choice, but the canned will be higher in sodium and will help your blood pressure go up... if that's what you want...) with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of basil. It is delicious. If you add in some fresh green onion, it will give it a little more flavor as well.

This is THE BEST omlet that you will EVER put in your mouth I PROMISE!!!! He makes them for me and they are just tooo yummy for words! We have also found that if you don't have shredded parmesean you can use swiss or provolone instead and it's still awesome! I like to toss some diced tomatoes in every once in a while too!