Easy to Cook Alternative to Salads & Sandwiches Anyone ?

Cathy_Daydreams

something I've been doing a lot lately is having a load (2 cups) of mixed raw veggies and dipping them in a "tuna salad"....for the tuna I take a can of tuna (in water) drain it completely, then add either 1tbsp of mayo, or ranch dressing, or cottage cheese etc....add in different spices that I like and voila...instant, and portable lunch with protein and veggies!!!! You could use hummus instead of the tuna.....just throwing that out there.

I've never tried hummus before and it sounds really nice actually I can't say I'm a fan of Tuna though, but I'm glad there's an alternative thank you sooo much

appyarry102

flavoured cous cous or pasta etc low calories

Cathy_Daydreams

Think you're in the UK so I am not sure if they have these there (I'm in Canada) but you can get small cans of flavoured tuna, some are lower fat and calories than others if you look at the labels. Sometimes I pair these with rice crackers (also very low cal).

Also, you said you don't like soup. What about a smoothie or a cold soup (google that and you will find some).

I never eat sandwiches, just not in the habit.
I pack a lunch every day and tend to put a few little things in in as well as a "main". Some things I might include would be: leftover mixed rice, greek yougourt, pretzels, fruit, nuts.

Another thought: eat breakfast items for lunch. Nothing stopping you from having oatmeal with vanilla yogourt and berries.

I am from the UK and I've never heard of it round here, but I will have to have to go on the prowl .
I had also thought that a smoothie was never enough for lunch, more of a drink on the side, but I treated myself to a milkshake with a friend today and was full for the rest of the day after that so drinks are becoming more of an alternative.
I had genuinely never thought of having breakfast stuff for lunch, it's an interesting suggestion, especially since (now I'm on holiday) I don't always get up in time for breakfast thank you.

Cathy_Daydreams

Since your mom is already making dinner each night, can you pack the leftovers for lunch the next day? That seems an easy solution. You might find it helpful to buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store (since you aren't big on cooking) and pick the bird clean - eat the breasts one day and used the leftover meat for chicken salad the next. Hungry Girl has some super easy recipes for broccoli slaw - my favorite is chicken (use rotisserie or buy the pre-cooked breast), canned mandarin oranges, canned water chestnuts, almond slivers and some asain salad dressing all thrown into a gallon ziplock baggie with a bag of broccoli slaw. Just let it sit in the fridge overnight and its done. Makes a fabulous, healthy lunch for the next few days. Bonus - there's NO mess. You can do the same thing with ranch dressing and bacon. You could also boil a dozen eggs and eat them throughout the week, as well as make egg salad. Also, maybe pack more snack-like finger foods: nuts, pre-cut raw veggies & dip, fruits (fresh and dried), cheese, meat rollups (as previously suggested), hard-boiled eggs (can you tell I'm a fan?), pepperoni, etc. I know you're trying to get away from salads and sandwiches, but another option is to combine the two - roll your salad in a tortilla. I no longer eat breads, but used to love having spinach, strawberries, walnuts and balsamic dressing tortilla wraps.

It's rare that we have food leftover from dinner, apart from when we're having something like Sunday roast and my mum buys rotisserie chicken for a salad lunch on a Saturday. I don't know if we could afford two a week, but I will look into it. Thank you for the suggestions
I am always worried that I need a little more than just finger food, but this is a good suggestion with some of the other things that have been suggested. I hadn't thought of eggs either, but thank you, it's a nice alternative to omelette, which is the only thing I can really cook.

Cathy_Daydreams

flavoured cous cous or pasta etc low calories

I have never come across flavoured cous cous. I tried some normal cous cous while I was out and I never really took to it. I will see if I can find some now you've mentioned it though. Thank you x

Cathy_Daydreams

Thanks for the suggestions everyone x