Lunch ideas?

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iSurvive
iSurvive Posts: 91
in Food and Nutrition
I am looking for some quick and easy lunch ideas. I stay at home with my three young kids so I would still like something that is quick and easy, but still HEALTHY! Any suggestions?! I don't eat a lot of meat. Other then that I am wide open to suggestions!
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Replies

  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
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    I always cook extra from the night before. That way it's ready I just have to heat it up. I don't really eat bread so no sandwiches for me.
  • smelons
    smelons Posts: 450 Member
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    Soup!
  • BeautifulBetsy
    BeautifulBetsy Posts: 60 Member
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    salad, everyday. add tuna, or an egg or some deli meats. Use dark green lettuses, and low calorie dressings.
  • KatFierce
    KatFierce Posts: 252 Member
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    I stay home with my 2 little boys. I eat dinner leftovers, yogurt with granola and some fruit, deli meat on salads or as a wrap/sandwich, egg white or egg beaters with veggies and some cheese. Pizza, use a wrap and bake it till it gets a bit crisp, then top with veggies , sauce, and some cheese, bake to melt cheese YUM! Soup, beans, veggies, salsa, and a bit of chicken done up in a pan and topped with cheese and a dab of sour cream, eat with chips or in a tortilla or on a salad.

    Whenever I cook I make more than I need so I can freeze it and have another time. Makes life sooo much easier.
  • jamiem1102
    jamiem1102 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    I like using Soft Wraps from La Tortilla (the one that's made with Olive Oil)... it's only 90 cals and has a ton of protein and fiber in it. I stuff it with whatever I have around (usually light cream cheese, tomato, cucumber, and roasted turkey) toss some grapes on the side and call it a day. Yum. Sometimes I'll do Chili, lentil soup, or chicken soup on the side if it's cold out. :)
  • Cyngen
    Cyngen Posts: 557 Member
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    Avocado's are great. Since you don't do much meat, you could look up some other recipes to fit your requirements. I tend to take 1/2 an avocado, mix in kraft lite mayo with olive oil and peppercorns with about 2 ounces of chicken and some craisons for a lunch.
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    If you've got an iPhone or ipad there's an app called Green Kitchen and online it's Green Kitchen stories. It's vegetarian and healthy but some look yummy and times vary from quick to slightly longer. Might be worth a look.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    Salad or soup with protein! If I am doing soup for lunch, I make a big pot over the weekend and have enough for the whole week so I just have to heat and eat.
  • EmergencyGraphics
    EmergencyGraphics Posts: 132 Member
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    Recently I've been cooking a crock pot soup on the weekends and using that for lunch during the week. Though I have to squeeze the time in on the weekends its really helped make the week a little easier.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    chopped romaine lettuce
    chunks of chicken (or not) you baked/grilled the night before
    blueberries
    strawberries
    pecans, almonds or walnuts
    mandarin oranges
    Maple farms sugar free poppyseed dressing

    lettuce
    grilled chicken or salmon (or not)
    lots of red, yellow, orange bell peppers
    mushrooms
    nuts or seeds
    carrots
    grape tomatoes
    your fav. dressing

    This is high in sodium but I love it. Palermos margharita pizza. It's a cheese pizza with tomatoes on it.390 calories for HALF of the full sized pizza. I add diced red, yellow and orange bell peppers, sometimes onion and mushrooms and or spinach

    Homemade soups.

    Omelets, or just scrambled eggs with the stuff tossed in.

    Healthy Life whole wheat bread (35 cals per slice) with whatever you like on it. I love almond butter and Planters banana granola nut peanut butter with homemade jam.

    Leftovers from last night's dinner is the easiest.

    Refrigerator oatmeal is delicious and you can make it the night before. Plus, there are a million different ways to make it.

    Tortilla pizza. Use your fav sauce or homemade, top with low fat mozz, veggies and mushrooms.

    Your homemade spaghetti sauce with whole grain pasta. One serving of pasta is 2 oz uncooked and it's a LOT. Pasta is easy to cook and the combos of sauce with veggies is unlimited. I make my own sauce to control the sodium in it. I just put it in the crockpot and let it cook all day, then I freeze them in small containers to make pizzas or pasta later. If you'd like my recipe, I'd be happy to send it to you.

    I know that these aren't the quickest or easiest when your busy, but it's usually healthier if you make your own stuff.

    Edited to delete the meals with meat, sorry I missed that. :)
  • vegasgirl36
    vegasgirl36 Posts: 37
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    how about eggplant? i cut up a nice sized eggplant layer it with spagetti sauce add weight watchers shredded cheese and bake in the oven at 350 for about 45 min . you just want the egg plant to cook until its tender. its so yummy even your kids will eat it! they dont even have to know its eggplant!
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    I always cook extra from the night before. That way it's ready I just have to heat it up. I don't really eat bread so no sandwiches for me.

    This! Well, sort of. Hubby and I do all our cooking for the week on the weekend. He's a trucker and this way we can skype dinner together and actually eat the same thing. That said SOUP!!! Soup is great for lunch! All kinds of soup! Pepperjack tomato, chicken corn, chipotle butternut squash.... The possibilities are endless!
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
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    Leftovers are the best lunch idea ever. Easy peasy.
  • mommy1126
    mommy1126 Posts: 146 Member
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    I love the Green Giant or Pictsweet veggie steamers. They sell the individual size boxes where I am at for around $1. So, they are quick, easy & cheap!
  • oOMusicBabii
    oOMusicBabii Posts: 494
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    I love the Green Giant or Pictsweet veggie steamers. They sell the individual size boxes where I am at for around $1. So, they are quick, easy & cheap!
    THIS + whatever leftover chicken or meat is in the fridge.
  • aimiemims
    aimiemims Posts: 15
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    My go-to lunch is a half can of black beans, half can of corn, and hot sauce. I prefer the low-sodium cans. Couldn't be easier and so tasty!
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
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    I like lettuce wraps, sardines (yes, I know it's a fish so a type of meat), cottage cheese with olives and chopped tomatoes, an orange or apple with cheese and whole grain crackers, yogurt, cut up veggies and low calorie dressing, boiled eggs. The possibilities are endless. Good luck.
  • liesevanlingen
    liesevanlingen Posts: 508 Member
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    -I have four children currently between the ages of 6 and 14, and I was a stay-at-home mom for 12 years. I know exactly where you're coming from. My life-savers were:

    --raw chopped veggies with low fat dips(carrots, peppers, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, etc) If you prep them earlier, they're very quick.
    --fresh fruits and/or fruit/veggie drinks (my kids love the SunRype or V8 fruit plus veggies juice, strawberry banana flavour).
    -macaroni and cheese, with finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower--you can get the whole grain variety of KD.
    --veggie frozen pizza--you can always sprinkle extra veggies on the top.
    --if you like to bake, replace some of the milk or water in the recipe with an equal amount of baby food pureed carrots, squash or peaches, with a little water to thin it. Works well for baking mixes as well and adds a nice "home-made flavour and a little colour. I also replace some of the white flour with wheat germ. You can add baby food carrots or squash to almost anything. eg. ,spaghetti sauce, sauce pizza sauce, meatloaf/hamburger mixtures ,mashed potatoes (add a little cheddar and call them `golden potatoes) and the previously mentioned baked goods.)
    --I got my kids to eat broccoli by telling them they could pretend to be dinosaurs eating `trees`and adding a little cheese sauce. This worked well for my 3 boys, although my daughter was and is pickier.

    Hope this helps!
  • NaturalinCO
    NaturalinCO Posts: 164 Member
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    Great tips! I ALWAYS struggle with lunch ideas! I don't eat much meat either and I know it's not safe to eat tuna sandwiches every day lol, so these tips help a LOT! Especially the pasta suggestion. It's the perfect time of day to eat pasta, a large salad, a piece of fruit - filling and will give me great energy! I love MFP!!! Thanks for the post and I appreciate all the tips too!
  • fp64
    fp64 Posts: 128 Member
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    salad, everyday. add tuna, or an egg or some deli meats. Use dark green lettuses, and low calorie dressings.
    yup. *sigh*

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