Packing a Lunch

AB4u

i need tips on packing a lunch for work. I find that i really crave sweets at work, I'm always looking for a soda or a chocolate bar.

I never know how much to pack, and what to eat when, any ideas? what do you pack and what time do you eat it?

AggieFan2011

I pack salad a lot of the time. It's easy to make the night before and I can measure out the amount of dressing that I want to put on it. If that is what I pack then I usually also bring a 100 calorie pack of either the chips ahoy thin crisps or Oreo crisps, which would be a good thing for your sweet craving. I also occasionally pack sandwiches or I make wraps with tortillas, but I know that can get boring after a while.

I also found this articicle on Pinterest a while back and it gives you 30 days of healthy lunch ideas. Here's the link to the PDF file. I hope this helps some!

http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Project-Lunch-Box-30-Days-Family-Fresh-Cooking.pdf

Karabobarra

I don't usually have time to sit and eat so I found it more helpful to pack "finger foods" carrots, celery sticks, bell pepper slices. I also have a stash of raw almonds at my desk and I usually eat my morning oatmeal for my mid morning snack... the oatmeal has really been a big help in keeping me full for a few hours and helping me resist all the candy laying around the office.

I also pack some protein that I can eat cold or hot, if I have time to heat it up (usually chicken breast, veggies and brown rice or salad) I find the 3oz travel bottles work really well to keep your dressing stored inside your lunch bag.. if I bring in the whole bottle of dressing it has a tendancy to get used by everyone and then it's empty when I need to use it. If I'm in a rush and I didn't have time to throw a lunch together I will put the dressing and a can of chicken or tuna in my bag with some carrots and a protein bar and buy a garden salad a add my chicken or tuna to it.

I have also heard that you should be eating every 2 hours or so to keep your metabolism burning, it doesn't have to be huge... I eat almonds 7 or 14 at a time ( I do this for logging reasons ...there are 28 almonds in a serving) and consider that a snack

Hope this helps

EdTheGinge

I'm up at 5.15am the home for about 8pm, this is what I take:

8.15am = banana
10 - 10.30am = 1 sandwich tends to be chicken or a salad
11am = grapes and satsuma
12 = kiwi fruit
1pm = satsuma
2pm = kiwi fruit
4pm = banana

6pm cycle off to train then home, usually have about 8glasses of water throughout the day. Obviously fruit isn't to everyone's liking but I love it and keeps any cravings away

VelociMama

I either make a sandwich or a dish of some sort to pack as a main entree then fill in with things like yogurt, fruit, and cheese in case I get "snacky." If you need a sweet fix, yogurt might work. It's sweet but not too sweet and not too bad on calories either. I sometimes pack hard-boiled eggs as well (pre-peeled).

Shyonenz

Liquorice tea is good to take away a sweet craving but I think there is a limit to what you can have. I also find Vitamin C is also good to suck on to take away a craving. Tin fruit is good too.

AprilRN10

I work 12 hour shifts. I bring a lot of food. Sometimes I eat it all and sometimes I don't, but I'd rather take it back home than not have enough. I bring a salad every day. I put tons of stuff in them:fruits and vegies. I use light dressings measured out. I also bring fruit either canned or fresh, fiber one bars, soups, and 60 calorie pudding cups.

swweetpea

Leftovers from dinner the night before are great, especially if you have a microwave to heat them up (or don't mind them room temperature).

I find it really helpful to prepare a few days' worth of lunches at a time so that I can put something together quickly the night before. Usually this means cooking some brown rice or quinoa and some chickpeas, and preparing vegetables - slicing, roasting or steaming. That way I can combine whatever I feel like for a decent meal with whole grains, vegetables and a protein source (sometimes I'll take a can of tuna or a boiled egg instead of chickpeas but you know what will work best for you!). You can spice it up with dressings, herbs, nuts or a bit of crumbled cheese and so on.

My snacks are usually:
-yoghurt with sliced fruit and/or frozen berries mixed in
-cut up fruit and raw vegetables
-a couple of rice cakes with peanut butter, banana, cinnamon and raisins
-crackers/vegetable sticks and cheese or hummus
-dried fruit and nuts for a quick energy boost if I'm going to the gym afterwards

You get the idea! If I'm in a rush I'll usually just grab a little can of flavoured tuna and some crackers, and a couple of pieces of fruit. I hope this sparks some ideas!

michaelachallis

I take a huge roast vege salad which i prepare a massive batch of for the week.
Roast whatever veges you want and mix together with whatever fresh veges you want and even a low fat cheese like feta or mozzarella.

If you get chocolate cravings take 2 or 3 squares of organic dark chocolate.

I eat my lunch around 12.30, morning snack at 10 and an afternoon snack at about 3

lilpoindexter

I like to put 90 calorie Kellogg's special K bars in my lunch. They are good, but a little smallish, but just right for getting a taste of something chewy and sweet.

aussiecaseylee

Bumping this for later great topic and really good ideas so far!

OhLibra

I find the 3oz travel bottles work really well to keep your dressing stored inside your lunch bag.

Great idea!

JamCubeChi

Bumping for later

AB4u

Wow! thanks for the responses everyone! This helps a lot!

Can't wait to grocery shop this afternoon, and try some of these ideas for tomorrow's lunch!

keep them coming

Koldnomore

I usually pre-log my meals so I have an idea what I will have leftover for dinner. On top of my 'normal' lunch which is usually leftovers from the night before I will take some extra snacks just in case I find myself hungrier than I expected. A granola bar, some veggie sticks, a couple of boiled eggs. I normally save the granola bar for when I am really hungry so I can avoid the temptation of going to the cafeteria and getting something that would not be as healthy.

You could always leave packaged snacks at work for days when you need a little extra and then just log them if you eat them.

SunnyAndrsn

i need tips on packing a lunch for work. I find that i really crave sweets at work, I'm always looking for a soda or a chocolate bar.

I never know how much to pack, and what to eat when, any ideas? what do you pack and what time do you eat it?

I have been known to keep the Hershey's treasures, those little pieces of chocolate which are around 200 calories for 3 pieces, in my lunch bag. I will take one a day when I buy a bag for around 70 calories a piece.

My RD recommends 100-200 calories a day that are "discretionary". She says use these for things like a cookie, or chocolate, or a glass of wine.

Lunches for me these days are things like leftovers, some veggies, and a piece of fruit. On the weekends, we cook several meals ahead of time and divide it up for the week. We also buy fresh veggies and pre-bag them for each day. Same with fruit, depending on the fruit.

You can pre-log to help you stay within your calories too.

marie_eve_78

I like bel-soy chocolate soy pudding. They are filling and 120 calories.
Otherwise, I like to mix vanilla yogourt with unsweetened apple sauce.
I like Chrispie Minis (chocolate or caramel mini rice cakes) too.
Fruits are nice too.

alaskaang

I find the 3oz travel bottles work really well to keep your dressing stored inside your lunch bag.

Great idea!

Just one word of caution with this, not all plastics are food safe so double check what it's made out of.

rebeccapri

I pack a lunch everyday! (I haaatte that so many people go out to eat every day. Gross) I find that I prefer to "munch" a lot during the day, so I don't pack a huge lunch. Rather instead some healthy snacks to and a main to keep me going. Staples include things like:

-90 calorie granola bars
-string cheese
-hard boiled eggs
-carrots
-green peppers
-fruit (apples, oranges, grapes, etc)
-tuna
-SALAD (eat this almost daily)....and I use SALSA FOR DRESSING (so much healthier)
-soup (a lot of times when i make homemade soup I freeze small portions and then just pop em out of the freezer when i'm rushed to make lunch or don't feel like it)

maggiemay22467

I want something sweet when I am at work. I always have 2 T of peanut butter and celery. This really helps me

Gramps251

You can check my diary for lunch/breakfast ideas. I eat both meals at work.

20tulipgirl20

I really love Carob Bars (Goldies is the one I usually go for). For me, I find they taste at least a little bit like chocolate. I will also back some fruit; kiwi in particular as they are relatively high in fiber( the skin contains most of the fiber). And of course, the protein bar and water.

justal313

I pack salad a lot of the time. It's easy to make the night before and I can measure out the amount of dressing that I want to put on it. If that is what I pack then I usually also bring a 100 calorie pack of either the chips ahoy thin crisps or Oreo crisps, which would be a good thing for your sweet craving. I also occasionally pack sandwiches or I make wraps with tortillas, but I know that can get boring after a while.

I also found this articicle on Pinterest a while back and it gives you 30 days of healthy lunch ideas. Here's the link to the PDF file. I hope this helps some!

http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Project-Lunch-Box-30-Days-Family-Fresh-Cooking.pdf

I pack something to have about 1/2 way betwen breakfast and lunch, maybe a yogurt or some nuts, or some of the dried mango I have a giant bag of..

Lunch is often leftovers or some of what I cooked for my lunches for the week.

Afternoon snack is a cheese stick and a fruit. What kind of cheese stick and what kind of fruit often changes but it's always fruit and cheese.

In addition to being able to control my nutrition I'm not spending 50 dollars a week on lunches at work and instead about 5-10 dollars for the whole week.

jess7386

I pack my lunch probably 4/5 days a week.

Breakdown of time:

8:00AM - Protein shake
10:30AM - If I'm hungry, I eat a small snack, e.g. string cheese.
12:30PM - Lunch
3:45PM - Fage greek yogurt
8:00PM - Dinner (at home)

I work out at home around 6PM almost every day, so having a snack at 3:45 is critical for me. I also run 3x a week at lunch, so if I do that I usually will eat lunch earlier and forgo my 10:30 snack (or have it later in the day!)

In terms of lunch meals, I like to eat a high protein/moderately low carb diet. I will almost always have a protein, fat, and under 15 grams of carbs for lunch. For example, I like to make burritos a lot - a whole wheat flax wrap, cheese, grilled chicken & whatever veggies I can find to put in. I also take a lot of chicken & salad, or leftovers from the night before. The key is to pack it up the night before so you can grab and go the next day!

Think about when you work out and try to have a snack 2 hours before that.... then you can fit the rest of your meals around it. I never go hungry during the day, but I try to look at work as an opportunity to eat the best that I can, unlike when I'm at home Good luck!

bcattoes

Mostly I take leftovers from dinner. Other options I like are wraps (big handful of leafy greens, a protein (fish, meat, egg, cheese, hummus, etc) and whatever else I choose), cottage cheese and veg/fruit on a bed of leafy greens, hummus or pb with veggie/apple slices.

I always keep cans of low sodium soup in my desk for days I forget my lunch. I usually have a low sodium V8 around 10-10:30 and eat lunch when I get hungry (usually somewhere around 12:30 - 1:30).

I workout after work so I have a snack around 3:30 - usually something like: hummus/pb with veg/apple slices, apple with dry roasted edamame, nuts or low sugar granola bar.

mindidily

My typical lunch box has 2 hardboiled eggs, yogurt, a banana (or other fruit), carrots, a small salad and either a sandwich or leftovers from dinner.

aprilwilliams2729

I almost always pack my lunch. As others have said, leftovers are always good. I also try to have some kind of soup in the freezer (I make my own so alternatively you could buy some canned soup) to grab for a quick lunch. As a last resort I have some freezer meals in the freezer at work that I can grab if I really don't have any other choice.

I also agree with others who have said to bring snacks, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, cheese sticks, fruit, etc.

Sooooo much cheaper and better for you to bring your luch with you!

seashell99z

I eat breakfast and lunch at work.

7:00 oatmeal with frozen fruit
AM smack cheese stick and sometimes hardboiled egg
11:30 soup and apple or banana
Afternoon snack yogurt

christina1d

I usually try to have a banana for breakfast and then leftovers from dinner for lunch. I have been told eating something citrus like an orange helps curb the sweet tooth but I like to have a small piece of chocolate.

AZKristi

I pack a morning snack (veggies w/ yogurt dip), a lunch (soup or salad plus protein), and an afternoon snack (almonds), and 56 ounces of water.

msrootitooti

I try to pack and end up doing it 3-4 times a week. I usually pack a salad or a sandwich. I keep Gazebo Greek dressing at my desk. Since it is olive oil based it does not need to be refrigerated. I keep snacks at my desk like almonds, Luna bars, dark chocolate, popcorn in case I need a snack, but usually pack snacks too. Usually my day looks like this

8:15 hard boiled egg, piece of toast, oatmeal, or banana
10:00 Greek yogurt
12;00 lunch
3:00 hummus/veggies, almonds, Luna bar, or string cheese...

Hope this helps.