Tell me about your lunch! What do you usually pack?

msliu7911

Its Sunday night! Surely many of you have already packed Monday's lunch or already know what it will be.... trying to get some new, simple ideas to help me stay within my limits and still lose!

As a disclaimer...for the longest time I did a shake and yogurt + fruit or veggies... but I literally got burnt out from that. Plus work started getting much busier around that same time so I stopped planning and packing ahead of time, and off to the work cafeteria I went... every..single..day. (fortunately I stuck with the "healthier" options but its just so darn expensive)

IDEAS PLEASE! THANKS IN ADVANCE! :drinker: :flowerforyou:

msliu7911

Anyone?

a_dub

I pack a lot of sandwiches, and never get burnt out on them.

I'm a vegetarian, so I stuff them full of veggies, and I replace the lettuce with baby spinach - it's less soggy, more filling, and MUCH healthier.

I'm also addicted to green smoothies. I have a Magic Bullet at home, so I make mine the night before. I usually just do 1 cup of almond milk, a huge handful of spinach, 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries, and a third of a super ripe banana. I've also made a huge batch of these, put a single serving in freezer bags, and then I take out a bag and let it defrost in the fridge overnight.

Some other lunch ideas I rotate:
-- Babybel cheese (or string cheese, cheese sticks, etc..) and pretzels
-- Tortilla chips, hummus, and guacamole
-- Yogurt with granola
-- Celery with peanut butter
-- Salads - I use spinach (shocker!) as a base, and then add whatever I feel like... my favorite at the moment is spinach, shelled pistachios, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and low-fat raspberry vinaigrette

And I always, always have a TON of extra fruits and veggies on the side. Baby carrots, tangerines, apples, cucumbers, grapes, anything!

Hope this gives you a few ideas!

FoodandFitness

leftovers or a sandwich with some sides

bostonwolf

Homemade chili. Three pounds of ground beef, three cans of black beans rinsed, two chopped onions, a whole bag of carrots chopped and diced, a jar of salsa and spices. Last batch made 9 servings of about 560 calories per serving. Used the recipe tool to track it.

Don't make excuses for not planning. Planning is the key to controlling what you eat and not letting it control you.

Alatariel75

This week I have spinach and ricotta canneloni. I don't mind eating the same thing every day for a week, so sometimes I make batches of pumpkin and lentil curry, or a fritatta, and a lot of the time I just have salad veg with a can of chicken, some dressing and some sort of carb.

MysticRealm

Egg Salad (sometimes on it's own sometimes in bread depending on how many cals I want to spend on lunch)
Mini pitas with sandwich meat and cheese
Noodles and alfredo sauce
Pulled Chicken (sometimes on it's own sometimes in mini pitas or something)

Those are my main go-to lunches.

cappri

I have leftovers from today's lunch packed for tomorrow. Spinach and Cauliflower Pizza Crust Pizza with tons of veggies and a little turkey bacon.

acraw558

i eat very simply--like i'm still in 5th grade! i like to bring snacks rather than a meal so that i can just kind of graze all day. Snack ideas:

cheese stick
whole wheat crackers
grapes
apple slices
peanut butter
strawberries
cheese slices wrapped in turkey and lettuce
pudding cup
pretzels
pita chips and hummus
cuties
little tomatoes
carrots and ranch
broccoli
etc.

FitGirl329

I'd love to know more about the cauliflower crust pizza!

I do either a turkey and avocado or peanut butter and all-fruit spread sandwich on Ezekiel sprouted grain bread with cucumbers, carrots or a fruit on the side.

I make a nice sized salad with 2-3 c. Romaine and add in a protein like chicken breast or egg, chicken or tuna salad and cherub tomatoes, avocado, etc. and either balsamic and vinegar or Newmans Own oil and vinegar dressing. I put the dressing in a small container made for salad dressings and put it in and shake right before eating.

Sometimes I do a snack type lunch with flax crackers, babybel cheese, turkey, celery and hummus.

lockettallen

Lite Progresso has great soups in many good flavors. You can add a sandwhich.

Make a vegetable lasagna and cut sections and place in rubbermaid containers for the whole week, or freeze a few for next week.

tricksee

Today I have brought the following...

1 can Tuna
300g mixed frozen Veg (carrots, brocoli and coli)
100g cottage cheese
50g Oats
50g Strawberry whey Protein shake
2 eggs.
1 Banana
1 muller light yogurt.

tachyon_master

Today:
* Ciabatta roll with 1/4 avocado, a sprinkle of cajun seasoning and 50g smoked salmon
* 2 plums
* 600 mL bottle of coke zero.

Vansy

I pack a salad:
red leaf lettuce, chicken breast, sliced carrot, cucumber, a little organic olive oil, and (different flavors of) balsamic vinegar.

I also bring:
chicken, ham or steak, and steamed vegetables and usually a piece of fruit or a piece of light cheese to go with that for dinner

I switch between those two for what is dinner and what is lunch. I'm working night shift right now and I work 12-hour shifts so I typically only eat breakfast at my house before leaving for work.

kennie2

i have rice with veggies and spices a lot (if you eat chicken then maybe with chicken/turkey too)
I also have falafels with hummus in a wrap a lot

trudijoy

I take salad every day atm (assorted raw vegies, a bit of cheese, sunflower seeds and sometimes some meat.). Usually I also take a piece of fruit, a yoghurt, and a couple of 'kids lunchbox'things like raisins, or a mini muesli bar, or a small package of cassava, potato or corn chips.

With it during the day I'll have a coffee, about a litre of water, and occasionally some chocolate.

This covers me leaving home at 730 am to arriving home round 6 pm

astralweeks82

I usually bring in a Healthy Choice, just because it's so convenient, and a yogurt.

Topsking2010

Bump

RooBug88

My average workday lunchbox contains:

Carrots:35 cal
Apple or grapes: 80-100 cal
Fat free turkey or low-fat bologna sandwich with light cheese and fat free mayo: 240-250 cal
Reduced calorie Pringles snack pack OR reduced fat Cheez-its: 100-140 cal
Sugar free Jello cup: 10 cal
Fiber One brownie or chocolate chip cookie: 90 cal
Water bottle or sparkling flavored water: 0 cal

I average 600 cal or less at my meal (my target intake is 1750 cal/day, although I've been staying well under that and will probably drop 200-250 starting next week). It really is quite a bit of food and it takes me a long time to eat it (around 30 minutes of my 60 minute lunch break, much better than when I used to grab a Lunchable, chips, soda, and mini fruit pie and scarf down 800+ calories in under 10 minutes. Plus, the protein and fiber stick with me much longer than the high sugar foods I ate before. I wouldn't go back for anything, I don't even miss the junk food because I always include a low-calorie treat (the jello and Fiber One bar) so I don't feel like I'm missing out.

sherrymccall

My lunch is boring, haha. Every day, all most, I pack a peanut butter sandwich, peanut butter protein bar, and a cup of chocolate milk.

mtbke5

One of my favorites lately has been this:

Grilled Chix
apple &/or grapes
PB2
All wrapped up in a lettuce leaf

You can add almonds, other fruits, etc to fit into your goals

SamanthaClarexo

Chicken and veg stir fry with a little soy sauce
Turkey chilli and brown rice
Salads
Baked sweet potatoes with numerous fillings (mostly turkey mince with salsa and sour cream)
Turkey salad sandwiches on wholemeal bread.

BerryH

At work we have no fridge, kettle or microwave, so I'm quite limited. Today I have a Thermos flask of lentil soup, a cheese roll, a handful of pretzels and a cereal bar.

If I have a dinner that I can eat cold too, like penne with pesto, tuna and olives, I'll make extra to have for lunch the next day.

jfauci

I'm really boring - I eat the same lunch every day. 2 oz chicken breast, raw carrots and grape tomatoes. If I am hungry, I add in a rice cake. I like eating the same foods everyday. I don't have to give it much thought and I am loosing nicely.

deviantcupcake

I work in one of those annoying places with no microwave or facility for heating your own food. Since I can't have anything hot unless it's made with boiling water, I have a stash of cup-a-soup in my desk drawer. Usually one of those with two Krisprolls and a cheese triangle sees me through lunch. When I know I won't fancy that, I take a tupperware bowl of cold pasta salad (tuna, sweetcorn and onion, usually) and one of tinned fruit (I'm into grapefruit at the moment, but also love peaches and pears, as long as they're in juice and not syrup). The other thing I love is wraps. Chicken, avocado, cherry tomato and a little bit of salsa.

If I had a microwave I'd be taking leftovers from the previous night's dinner. Or if there was a toaster I'd have Vegemite and avocado on toast.

Wow, now I'm hungry!

VryIrishGirl76

Lunch is usually my heavier meal of the day.
This week will be Quinoa, dices tomatoes with chilis and onions as base , then I switch up the protein...black beans or chicken.

Cytrix

I generally take a thermos of soup (about 400ml) in every day, from a huge batch I make every Sunday. This week's soup is Spring Vegetable Miso soup (with asparagus, peas, chinese cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms) for only 78 calories a serving. Then I have 15 almonds, about 3 prunes, carrot/cucumber sticks, a banana and drink at least 7-8 cups of green tea during my work day.

Koldnomore

Today I have a big fruit salad that was leftover from yesterday's breakfast. 2 homemade rolls that I baked yesterday to go with some sloppy joe filling that my boyfriend made last night. Also some Greek yogurt, carrot sticks and 2 dozen dark chocolate peanut butter bars that I baked for the guys at work - which I will not be eating for lunch :P

Normally I bring more food so I will probably end up hitting up our cafeteria for some salad to round out my sloppy joes.

FattieBabs

salad containing radish, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, celery, courgette and some form of protein like ham, crab, cheese, egg and avocado. I also have either a banana or apple as a snack sometime during the day. I make the salad up in the morning whilst my egg is poaching, toast cooking or bacon grilling. Definitely multi-tasking. I am never organised enough to make it the night before!

It took a while to get over the mindset that avocados are fattening. I find them delicious and filling and count them into my daily cal allowance with no trouble.

dan323

I usually eat a protein bar, with 25 - 30 grams of protein .

fattyfoodie

I often make wraps, so with turkey, veggies, and mustard. Or salads, I will add a can of salmon, some olives and capers and it's pretty tasty. I also love making homemade soups, so I have a few recipes and sometimes on the weekend I will make a few batches and then I will have a variety for when I don't feel like making my lunch.