Lunch Ideas please

I am a visiting nurse who is addicted to fast foods..

Now what I do is plan ahead...Boars head turkey, lett.tom on a whole wheat bagel thin, make a smoothie with whey protein , strawberries and sometimes some greek yougart and freeze for the next day, hard boiled eggs and cut up fruit/vegies...and always a jug of water.

Hope this helps

I think they have a much better texture...110 cal I think 5gm fiber.

I've been doing ham and cheese wraps a lot lately

Flat Out multi grain wrap /w flax - 100 cal
6 slices oscar mayer deli thin black forest ham - 45 cal
1 slice pepperjack cheese - 70-80 cal depending on brand
and at least 1 cup Marketfresh (Walmart) half & half lettuce mix

I've also recently added in a yummy convenient snack. Seaponit Farms has steam packs of edamame that are 90 calories with 8 grams of protein. Not nearly as good as the ones you get in a thai restaurant but they're quite tasty and fresh with a hint of salt. Also found these at WalMart.

sabra hummus singles & baby carrots or snyders 100 cal pretzel stix
hard boiled egg, peeled and ready
babybel cheese rounds
crunchy veggies
grilled chicken made at home in excess so u can take it to work for lunches
and a nice piece of fresh fruit for fiber and to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Try making a wrap. I made one today with Flat Out wraps, 5 pieces of Budding turkey, a tbsp off Chive & Onion cream cheese, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, baby spinach leaves, and some slices of avocado.

I will admit I was not a fan of the Flat out Wrap..it seemed "gummy" to me. Next time I am going to make it with half a Mission Spinach Tortilla Wrap.

Bagel thins are great

i like cut up veggies,fruit,cottage cheese,clover leaf flavor tunas,almonds ,walnuts,sunflower seeds,hardboiled eggs,etc.

I've been making veggie wraps alot lately.....super yummy! I use the large spinich/Herb tortilla shells, but you could go with the whole wheat ones too. Spread with flavored hummus, reduced fat cheese if you desire, and add lots of veggies. Mix and match the veggies and hummus flavors for variety! Some ideas:

1) Spread with 2T spinich & artichoke hummus, reduced fat feta cheese, cucumber, carrots, red bell pepper, lettuce and tomato.

2) Spread with 2T supremely spicey hummus, green peppers, corn, black beans, lettuce and tomato.

Enjoy!!

I do a balanced shake. 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/2 banana, 1 Tablespoon organic almond (or peanut) butter, 1 cup almond milk, 1 scoop protein powder (Though I do a scoop and 1/2). I have double rich chocolate protein. AMAZING shake and balanced. Tip: I mix all but protien in the blender and add protein as it is blending so it doesn't clump. About 400 cals, but you can cut the indgredients down to fit what you want. I would just cut a little across the board if you do.

Also, if you cut up some veggies (tomato, onion, lettuce) and leave them in the fridge you can use them for turkey sandwiches and fruit. I put 2 or 3 pieces of turkey bacon (about 4 or 5 mins to cook) on them and a healthy amount of turkey lunchmeat. You could even cook the bacon a day or 2 before and just reheat in a microwave at work. About 300 cals. for the sandwich. Normally no cheese, and very little low fat mayo. If you want a few extra calories you could throw cheese on there. Also, I get Nature's Own whole wheat bread (50 cals per slice).

Bump! Ive been in a lunch rut... these are great suggestions!

My dad packed me this lunch last time I went to visit him, and it was delicious.

The main ingredient was a tapenade: an olive spread that he made using kalmata olives, green spanish olives, garlic cloves, canned pimento peppers, and a couple tablespoons of olive oil thrown in a food processor (he said you can chop it and mix it together, it just takes longer. He put that in a little Tupperware and gave me some whole grain crackers to spread it on. It also tastes really good with some laughing cow light blue cheese wedges.

I'll eat just eight or so crackers with a teaspoon of tapenade each and then bring yogurt, a salad, or fruit. Hope that helps...

Today I tried the Starkist Albacore tuna salad in a pouch....sandwich ready. Made into a sandwich, can of progresso f/f minestrone total of 400 calories and very filling.

This doesn't directly answer your question, but I do find it to be helpful. I found this link which kind of helps you vary up your meals and still have low calories. It didn't let me plug in the calories I WANTED to have, but their suggestions keep it low regardless. Just something fun if you wanted to check it out. Jenn


http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/mix-and-match-meal-planner.asp