New to MFP...how to eat healthy at lunch...Lean Cuisine???

cbmillz
cbmillz Posts: 16
edited September 20 in Introduce Yourself
Hi All. I am new to MFP. i am trying to figure out a healthy way to eat at work. My coworkers order pizza and subs almost every day. I usually bring leftovers but i hate not knowing how many calories I am eating.

For the past few weeks i have brought smartones or leancuisines but I feel like they do not have enough veggies and protein. I also feel that even though they are low cal they have too many carbs.

Anyone have thoughts? I have a friend on the fresh diet but that is WAY too expensive. i thought about kashi meals also.

HELP!!!

Replies

  • durbanski
    durbanski Posts: 183 Member
    Welcome and Good luck. From my experience, turkey is your friend. :) Turkey burgers, Turkey chili. Find out what you like discover new stuff. :)
  • rach89652
    rach89652 Posts: 26
    If you want to keep bringing your leftovers, you can find out how many calories are in each one by plugging them into a calorie site. I got this one from another MPFer and I LOVE IT! http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

    I eat the best when I plan the meals!

    Good luck! I hope this was a little bit helpful!
  • SherryRH
    SherryRH Posts: 810 Member
    Welcome to MFP.:flowerforyou:

    I bring leftovers for lunch all the time. I make sure I measure everything for the next day and then I can log it. Go to GNC or the vitamin shoppe and buy a cheap food scale. Best investment I ever made.

    Lean cuisines and all the other stuff has way too much sodium and that will make you retain water too.
  • PinkKitty724
    PinkKitty724 Posts: 179 Member
    What I would do is get the ones that have veggies and pasta and add frozen veggies to them. I also would have a piece of fruit or a yogurt. You can also pre-make a salad for the day or cook up a giant veggie lasagna and freeze it until you need it. I'd separate it into individual portions and take what you need out the day before or so, so that it can defrost. Make a healthy sandwich- use whole wheat bread and turkey with lettuce.. mustard, tomato, etc. and a yogurt. I recommend Dannon yogurts because they have 80 calories versus 100-120 in others.
  • lucky1ns
    lucky1ns Posts: 358 Member
    I feel like you dont get enough to eat in exchange for the calorie count of frozen meals.

    Not to mention the sodium.

    Use the food log on this site to determine the calories of your homemade lunch.

    You can have a sandwich or leftovers or whatever you want!

    I usually log my lunch while I am eating it then I plan my dinner knowing how many calories I have left.

    If I know I am having a higher caloric dinner, I have a healthy choice soup for lunch.

    I always save room for a mid morning snack of some sort of fiberous carb and a calcium (example-crackers and cheese) and a piece of fruit for my mid afternoon snack. Or vice versa just depending on how hungry I am.

    If ever I am absolutely famished I will grab a pickle to munch on keeping in mind to remember I need to go easy on the sodium.

    I feel like I am eating more and better than ever in my life and would hate to waste precious calories on a nasty old frozen dinner but that's just me.
  • sheydab
    sheydab Posts: 11
    I always have fresh veggies handy. I also keep cans of tuna, a box of bran cereal and nonfat skim milk in the fridge. They can have what they want. Keeping eating healthy.
  • 2bskinnyagain1978
    2bskinnyagain1978 Posts: 32
    U could try Subway 's fresh fit sandwiches get a foot long sometimes they are 5.00 and split it for two days worth load it with veggies no cheese and no mayo they have all the calorie guides for the fresh n fit Jared's subs.. and buy some individual baked lays at the store they have them in a big bag at walmart w all diff varietes add a low cal yogurt and u r good .. veggies.. dairy from the yogurt etc.. or keep the smart ones just add a salad and bring a low cal dressing .. thats what I would do and add like an orange or an apple for a mid morn or mid day snack or carrots or cucumbers etc. good luck..
  • cbmillz
    cbmillz Posts: 16
    Thanks for the ideas! i am worried about lunch bc i have breakfast down and LOVe to cook so dinner is a highlight with a small great portion of proteins and new ways of cooking veggis. But I feel that even my lunches are low in calories but they are terrible for me.
  • Samantharose8akaDebbie
    Samantharose8akaDebbie Posts: 407 Member
    Target has a scale for 5.99 - best purchase that I have ever made. I also use Oscar Mayer carved Turkey breast - 50 cals. for 2 large slices. Thomas bagel thins are my best friend.....they are so yummy and only 110 calories. Right now I am hooked on vegetable cream cheese........1 Tbls. goes a long way for only 35 calories. Good luck to you!
  • TheMotherAwesome
    TheMotherAwesome Posts: 174 Member
    I do give in to the Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine meals here and there, but I've also been making sandwiches using lean lunchmeat, fat free cheese and sandwich thins. You can even use a small amount of mayo and still come in around 250 calories.

    I second the idea of buying a food scale. I got one at my regular grocery store this weekend and have been a measuring fool ever since! It's a great way to know exactly how much you're eating. It's also a real eye opener - the recommended portion of chicken is 3-5 ounces, but most chicken breasts are double that. Eep!

    Have fun creating new lunch plans, and welcome to MFP! :)
  • KarenECunningham
    KarenECunningham Posts: 419 Member
    I make my leftovers into a yummy salad. Today I took 3 oz. of chicken off of a baked chicken we had for dinner and added about 1 tsp of barbecue sauce (I removed any skin or fat) I put a bed of field greens on a paper plate, warmed up the chicken and put on top of the greens, added 1/2 oz of feta cheese, 31 grams of Marie's lite chunky bleu cheese dressing, 1/4 cup of cut corn (slightly warmed in the microwave) 7 grams of the sliced almonds you can find in the vegetable section for salads. My lunch is delicious and healthy and I feel satisfied. I do this a lot with leftover meats and vegetables. I make sure I plan the night before and weigh and measure everything.
  • dpressman
    dpressman Posts: 5 Member
    I usually cook on sunday for the first half of the week and pack that for lunch. I have a turkey chili recipe that has tons of veggies in it and is low carb and delicious. recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1013242 This recipe makes 8 servings and freezes really great. It is a recipe from Bowden's healthiest recipes on earth. Has tons of vitamin c because of the kale.

    Lean cuisines are a so-so alternative but there is tons of sodium in them and I find they really lack in the amount of veggies you should be eating.

    Another alternative is the ziploc steaming bags - you can cook veggies and meats in them in the microwave and it is quick and really yummy.

    Hope that helps.
  • JJRunning
    JJRunning Posts: 146
    Be VERY careful with Lean Cuisine and other prepared meals... I used to eat them because they are easy, but they are LOADED with sodium. I used to get stomach aches and feel bloated. Also, they are not very low fat/ low cal if you consider the amount of food per serving. I could make a huge lunch for less calories. I usually do a large salad with veggies, chicken, and shrimp. It's very yummy:laugh:
  • PinkKitty724
    PinkKitty724 Posts: 179 Member
    .

    I second the idea of buying a food scale. I got one at my regular grocery store this weekend and have been a measuring fool ever since! It's a great way to know exactly how much you're eating. It's also a real eye opener - the recommended portion of chicken is 3-5 ounces, but most chicken breasts are double that. Eep!

    Have fun creating new lunch plans, and welcome to MFP! :)
    You've got that right. We separated our big pack of chicken out last night and one breast was 12 ounces!!!!!!!!!!! We cut in two!
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
    I do Lean Cuisines now and again. I usually get the ones that are barely 300 calories and have morning and afternoons snacks as well. Because one complaint I can agree on is that they can be rather small depending on what you get.

    I know all the arguments about the sodium levels, but if I make a sandwich on wheat bread at home with veggies and everything I get WAY more sodium because of lunch meat, which is usually chock full of it. At least twice as much in some instances. Just make sure you drink water with it to flush out the sodium.

    If you're just worried about veggies try the blue Lean Cuisines - I believe they are the "spa" kind. Quite a few of them have a lot of veggies in them. Some of the entirely vegetarian ones are actually REALLY good.

    Also, you can make a side salad to have with them or they now have single serving frozen veggies by green giant you could have as a side. Even the green giant with sauces is pretty low calorie now. I love me some broccoli and cheese! :)
  • megamom
    megamom Posts: 920 Member
    When in a pinch and a hurry I use the healthy choice and Smart Ones. You have to watch the sodium and I bring extra veggies and fruit.
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