What do you take to work for lunch?

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Replies

  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
    I bring homemade soup in a thermos. Since I'm not on 1200 kcal a day I also bring some fruit, cheese and maybe crackers for snacks throughout the day.
  • Usually a big salad...but not skimpy. I put cheese and or meat or tuna on it. I like a hard boiled egg or a raw revolution bar for extra protein.

    Today is shopping day so my options were limited. I decided on a bean and beef burrito (frozen) an apple and a hard boiled egg. I also brought one of those raw revolution bars for the late afternoon...gotta go food shopping and don't want to be hungry!!

    I like the salads the best, I feel full and they are not very many calories. :)
  • trhops
    trhops Posts: 295 Member
    2 low carb tortillas, black beans, avacado and tomato. Side of bing cherries to eat!
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    Leftover dinners... could be homemade soup, stir fried tofu and vegetables, crepes with a savory filling, roasted fish, enchiladas, risotto... I'm only cooking for two so I end up with leftovers naturally, but if you're feeding a lot of people and don't normally have extra just scale up the recipe so you do.
  • mnb7v3
    mnb7v3 Posts: 21
    I'm back in school now, but when I was teaching I always brought a salad (usually spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, or whatever veggies I had on hand) and used either hummus or a salad dressing from Trader Joe's. I love the champagne pear vinaigrette! I also like the Bolhouse Farms honey mustard yogurt dressing. Along with it, I'd have crackers with Cabot 75% reduced fat cheese (I don't usually eat reduced fat things, but that cheese is SO good!) and an apple or pear.

    I use to always bring sandwiches, but hate the way they taste once they've been sitting in my lunch bag all day. Cheese and crackers were a good alternative! Sometimes I also brought some turkey to go with it.
  • peter236uk
    peter236uk Posts: 140 Member
    Chicken wrap with salad plus apple and go-ahead bar for snacks or soup
  • MrsB123111
    MrsB123111 Posts: 535 Member
    I take leftovers from dinner the night before. I eat 5-6 times a day, so most of my meals are all between 200-300 calories. I try not to eat more for any one particular meal. Usually, I have a lean protein and a veggie. If I don't have leftovers, I am really into the Chipotle burrito bowls! I get brown rice, chicken, salsa, black beans, lettuce and a little cheese. I can usually get 2 meals out of one bowl...
  • UrbanLotus
    UrbanLotus Posts: 1,163 Member
    Flatout flatbread looks good!

    Trhops - that sounds so good, going to buy some black beans
  • This is my go-to salad, I love the steamed lentils you can pick up at Trader Joes because you can just dump em in and go, but I'm trying to be better about just making my own. The little seaweed bits add some crunch, and if I don't use the dressing then I make my own with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and some mustard. Today I added in kale because I'm sitting on a pile.

    Earthbound Farm Organic - Baby Lettuces, 2 oz
    Trader Joe's - Sweet Sesame Seaweed Snack , 0.5 package
    Trader Joe's - Goddess Dressing
    Spinach - Baby, Fresh
    Trader Joe's - Steamed Lentils, .5 cup
    Mushrooms - Raw, 1 cup, pieces or slices
  • BTW--I am supposed to be on 1200 calories per day which is crazy because I am 5' 8.5" and currently weigh 130...I think the 1200 is feasible but I workout every day and I usually eat all my calories back. I'm not trying to lose, I'm maintaining. But I hear you, 1200 is not very many calories and very hard to maintain!
  • margaretcape
    margaretcape Posts: 4 Member
    Take a boiled egg and a piece of double fiber bread. With some pickles on the side and an apple you can have an easy and healthy lunch! :)
  • mandi_spicer
    mandi_spicer Posts: 37 Member
    I take my lunch for budget and nutrition reasons.

    Amy's soups are good with salsa chips or crackers. Tuna salads on whole wheat (I'm a pescan). A salad. I've reheated homemade veggie quesadillas and omelets and they were good! I usually bring nuts or fruit to eat as a side or snack. The main thing for me is preparing it the night before so it's ready to go in the morning. Good luck!
  • fiferize
    fiferize Posts: 141
    a home made salad with lots of stuff in it. Things that crunch and squirt and have a lot of flavor, like pickles, cucumbers, cutie oranges, a tiny bit of avacado (too much fat), carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion,, red cabage and some protien, like a boiled sliced up 1/2 chicken breast. Fresh fruit on the side. I use Wish Bone Balsamic Spritzer only 1 cal per spray for dressing.

    you have to be very organized to pull this off.

    the processed meals are not so good for you!
  • My work requires me to stay in a dorm room with no kitchen for about 14 days a month; I have a microwave and a mini fridge. For those days, I drink the GNC Lean Shake in Swiss Chocolate for lunch, then I have raw veggies and hummas for a snack a bit later. I do the GNC Lean Shake 25 (added protein) in the morning after a workout. They only have 3 grams of fat and 3 grams of sugar per serving, and the serving is 200 calories. It tastes pretty good and it fills you up. I always feel AMAZING and high energy all day when I drink them.

    If I'm at home, I will pick stuff out of The Abs Cookbook; I love the horseradish wrap with lots of veggies and 2 pieces of turkey.
  • mandi_spicer
    mandi_spicer Posts: 37 Member
    I love seaweed snacks!!
  • UrbanLotus
    UrbanLotus Posts: 1,163 Member
    badmoon those shakes sound good, I'll try that!
  • Epernini0703
    Epernini0703 Posts: 24 Member
    Stay away from the frozen meals if you can! They are highly processed and full of sodium and other garbage. I usually bring tuna with egg whites.tomatos. cucumbers and tofu - or a loaded romaine/spinach salad topped with the same and more goodies :) I always use balsamic vinegar as well :) I always make my lunch for work the night before so I do not have to worry about it in the morning!
  • I usually change it up every week.

    Last week: Flat Out wrap with cream cheese, turkey, veggies.

    This week: Salad with apples, gorgonzola, walnuts, and raspberry dressing.

    I also like to make a big vat of soup on Sunday at eat it throughout the week.
  • srenea9
    srenea9 Posts: 142
    If I dont have time in the mornings I also take Lean Cuisines. But usually leftovers from the night before....Chili (made with lots of veggies), Soup, Grilled chicken salad, Grilled chicken & veggies, tuna fish, I have also made oatmeal for lunch. & of course sandwiches.
  • JEG2012
    JEG2012 Posts: 158
    I usually do light Progresso Soup, 4 oz protein and 2-3 cups of vegis. Not exciting but keeps me on the straight and narrow.
  • Epernini0703
    Epernini0703 Posts: 24 Member
    Also, greek yogurt and fresh cut veggies with hummus or an apple :)
  • tinalatina
    tinalatina Posts: 499 Member
    I always take either a homemade Energy soup, some spring mix, boiled eggs, cheese, and fruit of some sorts. Also greek yogurt for snack. You should my office fridge! Its stocked up with all my foods. hahah
  • yummymummy65
    yummymummy65 Posts: 86 Member
    I bring literally the same thing to work everyday. Morning Snack: Half large Fuji Apple with 3/4 cups FF Plain Yogurt with Chia Seeds and Ground Flax. Lunch: 2 Jaime Eason's Turkey Muffins (I made mine smaller - they are about 200 cals for both) plus some steamed Greens. My other lunch option is Grilled Salmon with steamed greens. Afternoon Snack: Quest Protein Bar.

    I'm one of those people who can eat the same thing everything for months on end. I never seem to get tired of it. And yes... my lunch bag is full of tupperware! lol!
  • Ultragirl2374
    Ultragirl2374 Posts: 390 Member
    Salad with precooked chicken pieces, left over stir fry from last night's dinner, Healhty Choice microwave dinners, veggies with a little ranch dressing and a slice of roast turkey breast, hummus on a whole wheat wrap...
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    First, I keep pistachios, a pouch of Madras lentils, a can of tuna fish and a kashi go lean bar in my desk for emergencies or additional snacks. The lentils are in case I only bring in cold food and need a warm meal. The HVAC in my office breaks at least once a semester. No excuses to go to the vending machine or across the street, where there is, ironically, a WIC office surrounded by a bakery, a coffee shop, a pizzeria, chinese and a bar and grill.

    Snack:
    Me: Fruit and nuts

    Lunch:
    Salad: 2 cups mixed greens, 2 flowerets cauliflower, feta cheese and tuna fish (or deli sliced turkey - turns out it has less sodium than even the low sodium prepackaged ones) sometimes olives. Sometimes I leave off the meat and have lentils or a lean cuisine - a lot more calories for when I need them. In our house, whoever gets moving first makes two of these. His has a little more of everything, always olives and a smattering of cranberries.

    It's going to be a late night:
    Lean Cuisine with an additional fruit or vegetable.

    Lean Cuisines are high in sodium and added sugar, and all the ones currently in my freezer have some kind of processed soy, but darn they are convenient and they have a few that I thoroughly enjoy. Plus, there have been some really good deals on them lately.
  • sruckstuhl
    sruckstuhl Posts: 13 Member
    I eat every two hours. It is the best way to speed up your metabolism and I never get that "starving" feeling. So lunch isn't usually huge. I have no time in the mornings, so what I do is make a big meal on Sunday that will usually serve as my lunch for that week, either a bunch of chicken to put on salads, or maybe some spaghetti squash with grilled chicken, fresh basil, garlic and cherry tomatoes.

    Try and stay away from Lean Cuisines and canned soup because they are processed and LOADED with sodium. Just eat REAL food and you usually can't go wrong!

    Also, on Monday I bring 10 snacks to work (5 morning snacks, and 5 afternoon snacks) Usually that looks something like: 3 apples, 2 pears, 5 cheese sticks, a bag of raw almonds, a pint of blueberries and a big container of plain Greek yogurt, maybe some Quest protein bars. The key that I learned from a nutritionist is to always combine protein+carbs so eat an apple+cheese or yogurt+blueberries, etc. it keeps you full longer and speeds up your metabolism.
  • LisaAvasNana
    LisaAvasNana Posts: 82 Member
    My usual is ham or turkey sammie on 35 cal a slice bread with mustard. Sensible portions veggie chips, fat free tapioca pudding, water. Then for snacks celery, kelloggs pastry crisps brown sugar and cinnamon. I just discovered the flatout origanal white flatbread. I will be eating more of that.
  • The good thing about Lean Cuisine is that it will help you know what a normal serving should look like. The bad thing is the salt and other stuff in there you probably want to avoid.
    I've gone more vegetarian, so today I took a Portabella mushroom stuffed with diced tomatoes, onions, herbs, and topped with skim mozzarella. HOWEVER, I'm having trouble being over on carbs and low on protein.
    What kinds of foods do you like?
  • Kadesha72
    Kadesha72 Posts: 109 Member
    I make sure to bring along 2 snacks for mid-morning and mid-afternoon (one is usually fruit, the other veggies...usually) and for lunch I have soup and a hard boiled egg, or a small can of tuna or chicken with a Tbsp of mayo, a stalk of celery mixed in, a little pepper, and a hard boiled egg. That's most days. Every now and then I splurge and maybe have something healthy eating out, but usually the stress of finding that one thing is too much and I just bring my lunch. LOL
  • cnlargent
    cnlargent Posts: 199 Member
    Today I ate a Gordon's Tilapia filet, an activia yogurt (high on sugars, but we were out of greek at home), and a spinach and romaine salad with grape tomatoes and balsamic viniagrette dressing