NEED IDEAS 4 A HEALTHY PACKED LUNCH

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AHealthierSuzyQ
AHealthierSuzyQ Posts: 702
in Food and Nutrition
Hubby has lost his first 5 pounds so my life just became much easier as he's now on the eating healthier bandwagon with me. My greatest challenge is his lunch the days he works as it HAS TO BE something shelf stable or taste decent cold or room temperature as he has no way of heating anything when he's out on location. He is often out there for up to 12 hours. Right now its too hot to want to take anything in a thermos.

He used to take a lot of sandwiches, but now he's getting interested in LEAVING THE BREAD ALONE and LIMITING SODIUM. I don't want to burn him out on jerky, tuna salad, veggie sticks and apples but that s the direction we're headed... I could live on an apple dipped in peanut butter, but he doesn't like them together.

Any ideas and/or recipes would certainly be appreciated.

Replies

  • liltommysmommy
    liltommysmommy Posts: 13
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    Normal bread has a lot of calories in it which can stop people from eating it, but healthy choice has different kinds of breads that are only 35 or 40 calories per slice which is awesome for bread. It is thinner but i does the trick and still tastes good. I have had both the wheat and the italian.
  • dec12rav
    dec12rav Posts: 6
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    Hi suezzzque

    I'm a 35 year old male, love my grub and my lunch most days is Mediterranean wrap, one small spread of relish, one slice of deli style crumbed ham, spread of light soft cheese, and packed with bell pepper slices, diced onion and cucumber slices. This is a very low cal lunch (about 300cal if you find the right wrap and light soft cheese), quite filling, and you can pack in as much peppers and cucumber as the wrap will hold. The soft cheese and relish makes it very tasty and satisfying.

    Best of luck to you both!!
  • cousint
    cousint Posts: 11
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    My husband packs his lunch every day and has been doing so for years. He is in a similar situation, so we have to get creative. Some of his favorites are ceviche (cooked shrimp, watermelon, veggies and cilantro), cold noodle salad (asian style with soy sauce, a little sesame oil, and lots of veggies). Also, try a 3 bean salad with kidney beans, navy beans and green beans. I get alot of recipes from allrecipes.com and just make adjustments to make it as healthy as possible. Today, I'm looking for a recipe for gazpacho to add a vegetable to our options that doesn't need dressing or a condiment. Good luck!
  • guesswho21122
    guesswho21122 Posts: 3
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    If I were you, I'd make pita pocket sandwiches. I make them all the time and they are filling and delicious. I take a pita pocket thats around 250 calories or less and i toast it in a toaster oven. Then I take regular water based tuna and make it with miracle whip or light mayo. Then i throw in some onions, (but you can do any type of vegetable because they really don't do anything to the sandwich.) and then i put in a little tiny bit of vinegar just because its what i usually eat in my tuna fish. Then just put your pita and your tuna fish together and thats all. I usually eat like a 100 calorie pack and a string cheese with it. But it really fills you up.
  • Precious_Nissa
    Precious_Nissa Posts: 416
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    I also agree that maybe he wants to change his style of bread....there's a 100 calorie thin bread by orowheat that taste awesome....there's also 12 grain wheat bread by natures own that has an awesome taste....

    now if he just absolutely wants no bread at all, then instead of just tuna fish etc.....do some turkey, hame slices etc.....get some of those 100 calorie snacks or baked chips.....add some fruits like grapes....watermelon.....cherries.....
  • jbwegner
    jbwegner Posts: 254 Member
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    What about leftovers from your dinner the night before? I know he can't heat it up, but I do this many days at work and never use a microwave. I only have 20 minutes for lunch (I'm a teacher) and the line for the microwave is always super long. I discovered that if I pack leftovers in tupperware or something similar and leave it at room temperature, it's fine to eat by noon. Just no salad dressings, mayo, etc. It all has to already be cooked.

    Other than that, does he like salads? Wraps and pitas are good alternatives to regular bread.
  • AHealthierSuzyQ
    AHealthierSuzyQ Posts: 702
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    He's never much cared for leftovers unless it is used to make something else. I can think of plenty of sandwich ideas, what I'm looking for is other options.
  • heidiberr
    heidiberr Posts: 643 Member
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    Hummus? It's tasty!
  • Finicky
    Finicky Posts: 1
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    I am liking the changes. So far I haven't even been hungry and opening my lunchbox has become an adventure. Now if we can just find something else sweet that doesn't include peanut butter. Surely someone has a tasty healthier chocolate chip cookie recipe they would share!

    I'll pass on the humus!
  • AHealthierSuzyQ
    AHealthierSuzyQ Posts: 702
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    I spent most of yesterday surfing the web looking for high fiber low cal lunch ideas. Then last night I made a grocery store run for ingredients. Today I packed him a sandwich made with multi-grain Sandwich Thins, thinly sliced ham, Laughing Cow Swiss, lettuce, dill relish, and thinly sliced cucumber. It literally cut his usual white bread bologna and cheese by half the calories and fat, not to mention bumping the fiber. :wink: Instead of what used to be his usual bag of cheetos, I made a healthier version of my potato salad made from freshly dug new potatoes from my garden and dressed with olive oil instead of salad dressing. Still looking for an alternative for Nutter-butter cookies. So far of all the store bought cookies they seem to be the healthiest.
  • jbwegner
    jbwegner Posts: 254 Member
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    So you need to appease the sweet tooth....what about a granola bar with PB or chocolate chips? Kashi, SouthBeach, and FiberOne make some yummy ones. Or how about trail mix with some chocolate chips or M&Ms, dried frut, coconut, mixed nuts? No fridge required!
  • glfprncs2
    glfprncs2 Posts: 625 Member
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    I found the GREATEST whole grain tortillas that are 71 calories, 5 carbs, 8 protein, and 12 fiber...Ole XTreme Wellness Low Carb/High Fiber. LOVE THEM! Shove them full of all kinds of goodies...

    Fage yogurt mixed with honey and a half of a handful of nuts?

    I also make my own Protein bars that I find quite tasty (and the picky hubs likes them as well). Message me if you'd like the recipe.
  • tn2010
    tn2010 Posts: 228 Member
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    I second the FAGE Total Greek Yogurt with honey or fresh fruit. And I like dark chocolate covered almonds for a sweet treat that is on the healthier side.
  • anthemfamily
    anthemfamily Posts: 24 Member
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    Would he like cold pasta? I make a whole wheat rotini with tomatoes basil and chicken breast. I keep a cold pack in my lunch and it's ready to go at lunch. Wal mart even carries the whole wheat pasta now. Low calorie and low cost, can't beat that!!:happy:
  • jeweljade
    jeweljade Posts: 93
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    Would he like cold pasta? I make a whole wheat rotini with tomatoes basil and chicken breast. I keep a cold pack in my lunch and it's ready to go at lunch. Wal mart even carries the whole wheat pasta now. Low calorie and low cost, can't beat that!!:happy:

    I love whole wheat pasta. I like to make a salad with the whole wheat penne, sliced olives, turkey sandwich meat that has been cut into tiny strips, cherry tomatoes and light Italian dressing. I also like to make grilled whole wheat sandwiches. I usually put turkey, lettuce, a slice of cheese, and tomato and grill it without any sauce. The cheese makes it flavorful without having to add any high calorie sauces.
  • melissaptx
    melissaptx Posts: 15
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    What about getting a small cooler and keeping cold things in there?

    A huge salad with avocado, nuts, turkey, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc...
    Hard-boiled eggs
    Yogurt and berries
    cottage cheese


    There's also a bunch of things that you could stick in baggies:

    almonds, homemade trail mix, popcorn, etc
  • AHealthierSuzyQ
    AHealthierSuzyQ Posts: 702
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    What about getting a small cooler and keeping cold things in there?

    Thanks for all the suggestions. He carries two coolers this time of year a large one for drinks and a small one for food. My challenge is he has always been a beef and potatoes kind of guy so he's not going to try anything whole grain or new if it doesn't look and smell really good.

    I found a low carb chocolate chip cookie recipe online I plan to tweak. If it passes the hubby test this weekend I'll share it here.
  • hayleydeller
    hayleydeller Posts: 1
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    Im starting a new outdoor job tomorrow and im having same problem. Pasta seems quite high in calories so I think im going to try a brown rice dish, any nice recipe's? Failing that I might try a butternut salad
  • harmar21
    harmar21 Posts: 215 Member
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    taco salad
    chicken buffalo wraps
    ham
    lasagna
    stuffed mushrooms with goat cheese
    chicken parmesan
    chicken stir fried rice
    chicken alfredo

    These were a lot of my staples before going low carb. I actually generally prefer to eat food room temperature, so I would just keep my lunch on my desk until lunch time, and just eat it like that without fridge/microwave.

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