Easy to Cook Alternative to Salads & Sandwiches Anyone ?
Cathy_Daydreams
Posts: 120
Basically I'm getting sick of having various salads and sandwiches day in day out. I can't cook a lot and I tend to have a big meal in the evenings (mum insists on cooking for all of us so I don't have a say in that) has anyone got any good lunch ideas that aren't too complex and light but filling ... if that makes sense? A lot to ask I know but if anyone has any ideas ... shoot 
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Replies
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If sodium is not an issue you could do lunch meat and cheese rollups. so simple. lay down meat, put a slice of cheese on top and roll it up. can even put some mustard on it0
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Tins of soup? Jacket potato (can do it in the microwave) with baked beans or a sprinkling of cheese? Ryvitas with various toppings? Wraps? Good luck! 0
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I suppose this is a salad, but not a traditional one so I'll throw the idea out there: Mix quinoa with some fruits or veggies for a quick quinoa salad that will last for days in the fridge. Serve in an avocado half for a quick lunch.0
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If sodium is not an issue you could do lunch meat and cheese rollups. so simple. lay down meat, put a slice of cheese on top and roll it up. can even put some mustard on it
Sorry if I sound really thick, but what do you mean by 'roll up'?
Like a wrap ?0 -
Tins of soup? Jacket potato (can do it in the microwave) with baked beans or a sprinkling of cheese? Ryvitas with various toppings? Wraps? Good luck!
Thank you and I guess I could try jacket potatoes and I have tried wraps in the past and I find that if I make them myself it never works out so I prefer to buy them if I fancy one. Not very economical but .. 0 -
I suppose this is a salad, but not a traditional one so I'll throw the idea out there: Mix quinoa with some fruits or veggies for a quick quinoa salad that will last for days in the fridge. Serve in an avocado half for a quick lunch.
I've never heard of this before thanks for the suggestion 0 -
Lately I've been putting together a variety of individual foods for lunch - like, a hardboiled egg, a piece of string cheese, some berries, etc. Or if your mum makes a LOT of food for dinner, could you save a bit for lunch the next day?0
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If sodium is not an issue you could do lunch meat and cheese rollups. so simple. lay down meat, put a slice of cheese on top and roll it up. can even put some mustard on it
Sorry if I sound really thick, but what do you mean by 'roll up'?
Like a wrap ?
kind of but just made with 1 piece of meat 1 piece of cheese and roll it up as if it were a wrap
edit: like this: http://content.everydayhealth.com/wte3.0/gcms/pg-turkey-roll.jpg0 -
Lately I've been putting together a variety of individual foods for lunch - like, a hardboiled egg, a piece of string cheese, some berries, etc. Or if your mum makes a LOT of food for dinner, could you save a bit for lunch the next day?
That's a good idea actually, mum gets really uptight about having to waste food and stuff so it'll at least cut down on the arguments Thanks x 0 -
I make a batch of soup at the weekend and then bring to work with me in a thermos for the rest of the week, it keeps just fine. This week I'm making this one: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1907/pea-and-mint-soup-0
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If sodium is not an issue you could do lunch meat and cheese rollups. so simple. lay down meat, put a slice of cheese on top and roll it up. can even put some mustard on it
Sorry if I sound really thick, but what do you mean by 'roll up'?
Like a wrap ?
kind of but just made with 1 piece of meat 1 piece of cheese and roll it up as if it were a wrap
edit: like this: http://content.everydayhealth.com/wte3.0/gcms/pg-turkey-roll.jpg
Oh right I get it now ... feeel a little silly :L
and that's a brilliant idea, I might try that when we have some left over meat in the house.
Thank you0 -
I make a batch of soup at the weekend and then bring to work with me in a thermos for the rest of the week, it keeps just fine. This week I'm making this one: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1907/pea-and-mint-soup-
It looks brilliant, I hope you enjoy it.
Unfortunatley soup is one thing I've never liked ... I'm a bit awkward like that, I think it's the warm feeling down your throat I'm not keen on because I don't drink, tea, coffee or hot chocolate either.
It's a good suggestion though and I hope someone else finds it useful 0 -
Pita bread pizza is my favourite, the pita bread is about 100cal and I add a little bit of tomato paste and then mushroom, zucchini, baby spinach, 97% fat free ham, pineapple and lite cheese, yummo!0
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start visiting cooking blog pages!! Skinnytaste, Emily Bites and so many more! They have fab ideas that are waist friendly lol!!
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What about some soups or stews...maybe some meats and veggies. I like to saute some chicken with broccoli and cauliflower add a little water and fat free cream cheese...0
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crock pot soups. Throw whatever chopped veggies you've got, any lean meat, and a handful of spices in the night before, turn on low, in the morning you've got fresh hot soup to put in a thermos for work or whatever. crock pots are a dime a dozen at thrift stores, and small ones go for like $10-30 at target and similar stores. If you make a big batch, you can freeze in individual serving size containers, too, so you don't get sick of the same soup.0
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Pasta, in small portions. You don't need that much to fill you up. Soups and "stoups" (stew/soup, thicker and heartier). Casseroles are easy peasy and leaves you with leftovers so you can use them for multiple days!0
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Food Blogs I love:
http://ohsheglows.com/
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/
http://glutenfreegirl.com/
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/
xgfx.org
Some are more involved than others, the Vegan blogs (ohsheglows & xgfx.org) have a lot of simple recipes because they does a lot of raw food.
I'd seriously suggest you check out food blogs and fitness blogs on tumblr if you're looking for easy meal ideas, also, maybe ask your mom if you can help prepare dinner some nights and have a recipe or two to go off of, make sure you and your mom coordinate recipes so you know you have all of the ingredients.0 -
how about an 'open face sandwich' here is one of my favorites. so, so, tasty.
1 slice whole wheat or jack sprat bread
philadelphia garden vegetable cream cheese
6 slices cucumber
4 slices tomato
thinly sliced onion
avocado
toast your bread and just slather on a serving of the cream cheese (2 tbs)
then build your sandwich. it is d e l i c i o u s and so good for you.
Calories: 258, Carbs: 25g, Fat: 13g, Protein: 6g, Fiber: 7g, Sodium: 306mg0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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.0
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Pita bread pizza is my favourite, the pita bread is about 100cal and I add a little bit of tomato paste and then mushroom, zucchini, baby spinach, 97% fat free ham, pineapple and lite cheese, yummo!
That sounds brilliant.
It would be a good thing for me to learn for when (and if ) I go to university thanks. 0 -
start visiting cooking blog pages!! Skinnytaste, Emily Bites and so many more! They have fab ideas that are waist friendly lol!!
Thank you.
I hadn't thought about these in the past. Thanks for the suggestions and the links
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What about some soups or stews...maybe some meats and veggies. I like to saute some chicken with broccoli and cauliflower add a little water and fat free cream cheese...
As I've mentioned in a previous post I do not like soup, no matter how much I try it ... it's just one of the many oddities of my body :L. But this sounds really nice actually and my mum is really into soup so it might be something I'll make for her thank you. 0 -
crock pot soups. Throw whatever chopped veggies you've got, any lean meat, and a handful of spices in the night before, turn on low, in the morning you've got fresh hot soup to put in a thermos for work or whatever. crock pots are a dime a dozen at thrift stores, and small ones go for like $10-30 at target and similar stores. If you make a big batch, you can freeze in individual serving size containers, too, so you don't get sick of the same soup.
I never thought of adding meat to soups ... never really had or heard of it. It might get me into soup and it's something I'll definitely try. Thank you0 -
D'oh, how do you delete a double post :huh:0
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I've just switched my salad out with a tortilla wrap... Whole wheat wrap, lettuce, tomato, lean turkey or chicken or roast beef and a smidge of low fat ranch dressing... Not your conventional sandwich and tasty :-)0
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Food Blogs I love:
http://ohsheglows.com/
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/
http://glutenfreegirl.com/
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/
xgfx.org
Some are more involved than others, the Vegan blogs (ohsheglows & xgfx.org) have a lot of simple recipes because they does a lot of raw food.
I'd seriously suggest you check out food blogs and fitness blogs on tumblr if you're looking for easy meal ideas, also, maybe ask your mom if you can help prepare dinner some nights and have a recipe or two to go off of, make sure you and your mom coordinate recipes so you know you have all of the ingredients.
Hello,
Thank you so much for the links, they're really helpful and yeah, I'm not too keen on doing anything complex given I'm only seventeen and my parents haven't really let me cook or do anything before this year (so you can imagine how bad my cooking skills are
.).
I already cook for myself Friday and Saturday but I avoid getting my mum to help me because she has a tendency when I'm cooking to tell me I'm doing it wrong and take over, if that makes sense?0 -
how about an 'open face sandwich' here is one of my favorites. so, so, tasty.
1 slice whole wheat or jack sprat bread
philadelphia garden vegetable cream cheese
6 slices cucumber
4 slices tomato
thinly sliced onion
avocado
toast your bread and just slather on a serving of the cream cheese (2 tbs)
then build your sandwich. it is d e l i c i o u s and so good for you.
Calories: 258, Carbs: 25g, Fat: 13g, Protein: 6g, Fiber: 7g, Sodium: 306mg
This is a brilliant recepie thank you soo much x0
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