Healthy and cheap lunch ideas

doralarue
doralarue Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm going to start taking my lunch to work. Any ideas of budget friendly lunches or dinner items that freeze well. I'm always hesitant to make big batches because I'm afraid it won't freeze well.

Replies

  • keepsakesbyconny
    keepsakesbyconny Posts: 33 Member
    Tuna or chicken salad on whole wheat bread or crackers (even a bed of lettuce) and a fruit. Or lean turkey and cheese sandwich on flat bread with a little brown mustard!
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    Most things will freeze well. When you cook dinner, cook more than you need and immediately portion it out and freeze it. As long as you package it right it will be fine.

    Make large batches of soups, pasta (slightly undercooked), stews, chicken (or any meat you like), etc. Portion and freeze soups, stews and pasta. Cut up chicken/meat and freeze in portions so you can add some to salads, wraps, pastas, etc.

    Whenever I make dinner I always make extra and portion for my husband's lunches. When I make enough a few of the portions go straight into the freezer so he can just grab and take them to work. I've done it with meats, pastas, soups, etc.
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
    Our favorite lunch right now is bean soup! You could pour it into individual containers and take it to work as you need it.

    1 can black beans
    1 can pinto beans
    1 can northern beans
    1 can rotel tomatoes
    1 can corn
    1 can fat free chicken broth
    dash of chili powder
    dash of cumin
    dash of cayenne pepper

    I drain and rinse the beans to help reduce the sodium content. This is just SO good and filled with protein! My kids love it too! I usually eat it with a few FF saltine crackers as well. I have found the cans as low as 50 cents a piece before so this is really a awesome cheap and healthy meal!
    Hope this helps!!
  • atucker0821
    atucker0821 Posts: 106 Member
    i eat lean cuisine salad additions...you have to add your own lettuce...i use baby spinach...

    bag of spinach $3.50
    salad add $2.50 x 5

    $16.00 for the week...
  • rlv2680
    rlv2680 Posts: 289 Member
    Greek yogurt, nuts, wraps (all kinds), hummus and veggies.
    I like the other ideas of making extra dinner portions for lunches as well.
  • IRollC30
    IRollC30 Posts: 54 Member
    Our favorite lunch right now is bean soup! You could pour it into individual containers and take it to work as you need it.

    1 can black beans
    1 can pinto beans
    1 can northern beans
    1 can rotel tomatoes
    1 can corn
    1 can fat free chicken broth
    dash of chili powder
    dash of cumin
    dash of cayenne pepper

    I drain and rinse the beans to help reduce the sodium content. This is just SO good and filled with protein! My kids love it too! I usually eat it with a few FF saltine crackers as well. I have found the cans as low as 50 cents a piece before so this is really a awesome cheap and healthy meal!
    Hope this helps!!

    Would you mind sharing your recipe so I can see the nutritional information?
  • jw17695
    jw17695 Posts: 438 Member
    I like bring left overs from the night before. Since I made it fresh then, I know exactly what is in it and if I'm going to like it or not. Then I usually just bring extra fruits, veggies, or nuts to add to the dish for lunch.
  • monicabuc1
    monicabuc1 Posts: 41 Member
    Our favorite lunch right now is bean soup! You could pour it into individual containers and take it to work as you need it.

    1 can black beans
    1 can pinto beans
    1 can northern beans
    1 can rotel tomatoes
    1 can corn
    1 can fat free chicken broth
    dash of chili powder
    dash of cumin
    dash of cayenne pepper

    I drain and rinse the beans to help reduce the sodium content. This is just SO good and filled with protein! My kids love it too! I usually eat it with a few FF saltine crackers as well. I have found the cans as low as 50 cents a piece before so this is really a awesome cheap and healthy meal!
    Hope this helps!!


    How much is a serving and how many calories, please? Thank you!
  • GloMash710
    GloMash710 Posts: 78 Member
    Two things I frequently make for lunch that freeze well and are pretty cheap

    Turkey Chili: ground turkey, can of diced tomatos, can of beans, chili powder and spices. I get 6 servings out of 1lb of jennie-o turkery. I also recently made this without beans (less carbs) and substituted buffalo meat and it turned out super good too!

    Chicken stir fry: 3 chicken breasts, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, onions and mushrooms. I get about 4 servings out of this, reheat at work and add a soy sauce/sriacha sauce mix!
  • erg2013
    erg2013 Posts: 84 Member
    I mix 1/2 cup southwestern style rice (get in the freezer section), 1/2 can of fire roasted tomatoes, 1/4 cup corn and 3-4 ounces of steak marinated in fajita seasoning. Yummy and filling!
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
    Our favorite lunch right now is bean soup! You could pour it into individual containers and take it to work as you need it.

    1 can black beans
    1 can pinto beans
    1 can northern beans
    1 can rotel tomatoes
    1 can corn
    1 can fat free chicken broth
    dash of chili powder
    dash of cumin
    dash of cayenne pepper

    I drain and rinse the beans to help reduce the sodium content. This is just SO good and filled with protein! My kids love it too! I usually eat it with a few FF saltine crackers as well. I have found the cans as low as 50 cents a piece before so this is really a awesome cheap and healthy meal!
    Hope this helps!!


    How much is a serving and how many calories, please? Thank you!

    @IRollC30 & monicabuc1

    I need to get some cans out of my pantry and do the math. Let me go grab them and see if I can add it to the database. I found a similar recipe in the database, so I was using that one. But I would much rather make sure I am using all the correct info. I will post it once I figure it out! :happy:
  • monicabuc1
    monicabuc1 Posts: 41 Member
    Thanks bunnyluvinMam!!

    Sounds like a wonderful dish and easy to make. I would so eat this for lunch. :happy:
  • IRollC30
    IRollC30 Posts: 54 Member
    Our favorite lunch right now is bean soup! You could pour it into individual containers and take it to work as you need it.

    1 can black beans
    1 can pinto beans
    1 can northern beans
    1 can rotel tomatoes
    1 can corn
    1 can fat free chicken broth
    dash of chili powder
    dash of cumin
    dash of cayenne pepper

    I drain and rinse the beans to help reduce the sodium content. This is just SO good and filled with protein! My kids love it too! I usually eat it with a few FF saltine crackers as well. I have found the cans as low as 50 cents a piece before so this is really a awesome cheap and healthy meal!
    Hope this helps!!


    How much is a serving and how many calories, please? Thank you!

    @IRollC30 & monicabuc1

    I need to get some cans out of my pantry and do the math. Let me go grab them and see if I can add it to the database. I found a similar recipe in the database, so I was using that one. But I would much rather make sure I am using all the correct info. I will post it once I figure it out! :happy:

    Sounds great! Thanks.
  • cdwilson2003
    cdwilson2003 Posts: 143
    I usually take a salad of Romaine lettuce & cabbage (for the crunch) and add some deli turkey or ham. I'll snack on nuts, fruits, sugar snap peas, etc. during the day.
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
    Ok...finally got the time to put together this recipe.

    I put it in the Database as "Healthy Bean and Corn Soup"

    Per Serving it came out to be 230 calories and 0 fat, with 13 grams of protein.

    I made the recipe have 6 servings. That would be a nice big bowl of soup with 3 cans of beans, can of corn, rotel and chicken broth divided into 6 portions.

    Hope this helps! I am going to make this for lunch again today! :happy:
  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
    I have dinner at work. Most meat cooked in sauces work well. Also pasta bake and anything that you serve with pasta or rice. You can actually freeze any meats really. Potatos tend to break down though.
    An easy one for me is to coook up extra chicken breast, or hubby with cook sausages or homemade meat patties for his and the kids dinner, then the next day I add some carbs , like rice or pasta. I find I need the carbs has work is physical and I have trouble reaching my goals. Then I get frozen vegies, uncooked and add them to the dish. We have a warmer at work and by the time I get dinner the vegies are cooked and the meal is ready.
  • jessocoppo
    jessocoppo Posts: 3
    cous cous with peppers, sweetcorn, mushrooms and if you are a meat fan add in a bit of ham or 1 slice of bacon!
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    I usually have supper from the night before. But my "go to" if there aren't leftovers is hummus, pita and veggies. I make a really good rice and bean burrito that I freeze and bring as well. Here is a link to the recipe: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/spicy-bean-and-rice-burritos/ . These are REALLY good and figure out to about 250 calories each. I usually bring yogurt and a piece of fruit to round out the meal. These freeze very well and reheat easily.
  • progers88
    progers88 Posts: 17 Member
    bump

Categories