Low Calorie "easy to make" Lunch Ideas

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KermitLaFrog
KermitLaFrog Posts: 1
in Recipes
Hi, I am struggling to find different things now for my lunch. Had soup for about the last 3 months & really need to hae a change now. Anyone any ideas :0=) Thanks.
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  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
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    I make a lot of salads, with different things on them, lots of veggies, grilled chicken, things like that.

    I also used to buy those Arnold's Sandwich Thins, and use those to make sandwiches and eat baby carrots or celery with them.
  • dietingdanni
    dietingdanni Posts: 65
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    I have sandwiches which i make myself and are surprising low calorie, use wholemal 50kcal slice bread, chicken breast and salad with salad cream or butter or cream cheese, i have two whole sandwiches for less than 400kcals :D
  • LeonnieH
    LeonnieH Posts: 209 Member
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    How about a pasta salad (any combination of ingredients e.g. pasta twists, olives, peppers, tuna, chicken, prawns, cherry tomatoes, capers, sundried tomatoes, cucumber) or a roasted veg couscous salad (couscous, roasted peppers, courgettes, cherry tomatoes, onion, butternut). Or an ordinary green salad but with some protein to make it more filling e.g. grilled chicken, tuna, hard boiled eggs, bacon bits. The other thing I've had cold which is quite nice is a frittata served with a side salad. You can put anything into the frittata but if you stick with lower cal things like cherry tomatoes, courgettes, asparagus, peppers that will keep the cals down.
  • Kelley528
    Kelley528 Posts: 319 Member
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    If you are a meat eater I made 270 calorie hamburgers last week and that included the bun :)

    I got hamburger that was 93% lean for 170 calories per 4oz. I stumbled upon low-calorie buns in the bread aisle that were 80 calories each. With my seasoning, onions, and ketchup the whole burger was 270 calories.

    I discovered flax seed wraps for 110 calories and 9 grams fiber. They are big, thicker wraps and you can throw whatever you like in them. I used 2oz chicken ( 50 calories), green peppers, black beans, hot chili sauce, 1/4 brown rice = 301 calories. It was very filling due to the flax and fiber. It tastes like a whole grain wrap. You can fill wraps with whatever you like. Just measure out what you are putting in it to control the calories.

    Today I have 4oz pork chop (170 cal), asparagus (30 cal), some sliced potatoes with herbs and spices cooked in zero calorie oil spray (110 cal). Add the marinade to the pork chop for (30 cal) makes the whole meal 340 calories.
  • gingerygal
    gingerygal Posts: 59 Member
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    If you love buffalo chicken, I highly recommend this recipe. I doesn't take that long to make, you can make a ton of it, and it heats up really well. It's on my blog :)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/gingerfitness/view/buffalo-chicken-quinoa-495759
  • jersgirl060606
    jersgirl060606 Posts: 27 Member
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    bump
  • muayqis
    muayqis Posts: 72
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    chopped tomato/lentils
    +
    dead animal/legumes/egg
    +
    veggies
    + herbs/spices

    nuke in microwave.

    pretty much my staple lunch just now.
    you can buy some chopped tomato with spices and herbs if you shop around too.

    i like chopped toms because they are low in k-cals, so you get a decent bowl of soup from them.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
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    My lunches usually come in right around 500 cals.

    On Sundays I grill up a bunch of chicken, fish or beef for the week. I also roast a whole bunch of vegetables, and make a big bowl of salad greens, diced cucumber etc. Then, during the week, I just combine roast veggies, protein and salad ingredients to have many different combos of lunch options for work. I usually pre-pack two snacks for each day too, maybe a handful of raw almonds and an ounce of beef jerky or something of the sort.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    Make extra of your dinner so you have an already made serving for lunch the next day. I do that a lot.
  • ajohnson1567
    ajohnson1567 Posts: 26 Member
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    "Morning Star" makes a lot of microwavable patties for sandwiches, and they taste good!! low on calories and carbs, also!
  • alabamamommy
    alabamamommy Posts: 26
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    I LOVE brown rice, black beans and salsa. Or a piece of bread, toasted with some almond butter and fresh berries on top....a "grown up" pbj! :) You can get grilled chicken strips in the frozen food dept and keep that on hand to add to salads. Today I'm going to try albacore tuna made with avocado and hard boiled egg.
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
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    Some of my "go to's"

    COLD: salad with vegetable, a protein like tuna or chicken, left over hamburger patty, etc.

    WARM: Steamed cauliflower and protein like above but warmed up!
  • AdrieneJ
    AdrieneJ Posts: 141 Member
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    I like to make a big batch of bean stew on the weekend and it does me from Monday to Thursday. I usually put in:

    - a can of red kidney beans (I rinse all these beans really well to remove as much salt as possible, btw)
    - a can of chick peas
    - a can of some other bean (whatever else I happen to find on sale)
    - two cups of water
    - a low-sodium bouillon cube
    - a bay leaf
    - two tbsp of tomato paste

    Simmer for about 30 mins. It usually comes in around 300-350 calories per serving. Sometimes I add cubed sweet potato. I divide it into portions and freeze it to prevent spillage during transport to work.
  • 30more2go
    30more2go Posts: 9 Member
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    I make a really good wrap! I don't eat it every day because that's just boring lol. I use a whole wheat tortilla, 3-4oz grilled chicken breast, 1 strip cooked turkey bacon, romaine lettuce and ranch dressing. I don't use the cheese because I don't notice it missing and why add the extra calories? I like to eat it with a bowl of soup or some ff cottage cheese :)
  • jessicawrites
    jessicawrites Posts: 235 Member
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    I like to snack, so my lunch is typically a box full of a lot of easy-to-nibble things: today is 1.5 oz ham on a slice of bread, cherry tomatoes, a blood orange, applesauce, and an ounce of peanuts. Every hour or two I take something out of the box. Other favorite inclusions are Greek yogurt, a banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter, and a stick of string cheese.
  • DANCERPURPLE
    DANCERPURPLE Posts: 134 Member
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    BUMP
  • khemory
    khemory Posts: 47 Member
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    bumpity bump
  • nf1982
    nf1982 Posts: 38 Member
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    protein smoothie:

    1 banana
    frozen blueberries
    frozen strawberries
    carrot juice or water
    plain fat free greek yogurt or protein powder

    Throw everything in a blender and BAM you've got a low cal lunch and you just drank all your fruits for the day :)
    I like to have a smoothie and a hard boiled egg or turkey sandwich for lunch.
  • sarahszumba
    sarahszumba Posts: 4 Member
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    I have gotten into the habit of making a big batch of stiry-fry on weekends. I portion it out for the week, so all I have to do is grab and reheat. I switch up what veggies and meats I use so it is always different. It is great with chicken, shrimp or beef with broccoli, snap peas, shredded carrots, zucchini, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Try with your favorite combination. It doesn't take long to cook and depending on portion of meat, is usually between 200-250 calories.
  • sara19673
    sara19673 Posts: 1 Member
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    I have weight watchers bread x 2 with half a tin of tomatoes really low on cals. try it it is feeling

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