Stuck in a Lunch Rut

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Soon2Bfitmamaof3
Soon2Bfitmamaof3 Posts: 1,911 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am so tired of having a salad or sandwhich for lunch. Anyone have any low-cal lunch ideas? I try to keep it under 400, no seafood. Any help would be great because I am getting so bored with my usual.
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Replies

  • Learning2LoveMe
    Learning2LoveMe Posts: 1,430 Member
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    I usually do Lean Cuisine... they have some yummy foods and most of the ones I've seen are all under 400 calories, though the sodium on some of them can be pretty high.

    Or you could always do leftovers from whatever you cooked the night before. I love bringing mine in and heating it up and making everyone jealous cuz they smell it. :laugh: :laugh:

    Wraps are pretty good too!
  • blh_1010
    blh_1010 Posts: 284 Member
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    I have been mixing up the sandwhich reutine with a lean pocket or a smart choices meal once in awhile. They are good, fill you up, and there is just something about eating a hot meal that makes me feel good. Or make soup at home that is low cal, or a simple pasta that is low cal and have that. Good Luck!
  • thenebean9
    thenebean9 Posts: 216
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    what about soups? minestrone or italian wedding made with turkey meatballs? just a thought :)

    edit: you can also make gyros - use a whole wheat pita bread, some grilled chicken sliced thin, a smear of tzatziki sauce, some onions and tomatoes, and enjoy! :)
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    What I've been having lately is some rice dishes. I steam a bunch of rice and keep it in the fridge so that I just have to add whatever I want to it. If I am in a hurry I will throw in a piece of bologna and cheese with 2 cups of cooked rice and this is 241 calories. Sometimes for a meal I will cut up a bell pepper, some onion, and 2 pieces of chicken breast added to 3 cups of uncooked rice(under 200 calories per serving I believe). A favorite of my wife's is cook 3 cups of rice with a can of coconut milk and a cup of water.When it is done add a small can of pineapple and a cup of coconut flakes to it. We like to add a cup of small cooked shrimp to this for a total of 267 calories, or you could add some other meat for some protein. Enjoy!
  • gcgrl788
    gcgrl788 Posts: 30
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    What I do is a mixture of stuff. Like today I had a Turkey hot dog (with no roll, leftovers), 10 green beans (leftovers), a few slices of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, a few strawberries cut up, 14 wheat thin chips (multigrain), and some hummus.. it all equaled only 297 calories. Other days if we have left over chicken I'll reheat it and cut it up but I always have some kind of cracker and cheese and fruit. I like it because it feels like you are eating a lot but you really aren't and there is a lot of variety which is nice. Hope this helps :happy:
  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
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    I usually do leftovers from that week (pretty much every evening I make extra for that purpose). Sometimes I have PB&J on whole wheat bread, natural pb and polander all fruit with fiber. I also do soup sometimes since it's so low cal, but watch the sodium! I don't eat the fozen stuff any more b/c of the preservitives (sodium) and the cost. Leftovers are so much cheaper and much more delish!! Good luck!
  • lalouli
    lalouli Posts: 41
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    Whole wheat pasta with sauce from a jar is low cal. You can add parm and still be under 400.
  • udallmom101
    udallmom101 Posts: 564 Member
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    Green Giant has a wonderful thing out in the freezer section. Simply Steamers. They have a delicious one called Garden Vegetable, and then the Pearled Barley and vegetable is delicious. I find if I have that with about 4 ozs of grilled chicken and a serving of 1 % MilkFat cottage cheese it is very satisfying. Maybe you could try that. There are different selections in bigger bags, but the individual ones are so easy to haul off to work or wherever.
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    What they said ^....Soups,stir fries,noodles and chicken and veg, leftovers, and pasta salad. For lunch pasta salad I have a small amount of pasta with pesto,vegetables,a little feta, and some olives. Comes in at around 350 calories,and is VERY filling :)
  • Sumatra
    Sumatra Posts: 181
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    I've been having a sort of "taco salad" a couple times a week. I use whatever salad stuff I have, add 1/2 - 1 cup of pinto beans, a little cheese and some homemade salsa. I LOVE it and it is so filling. Sometimes I have a few tortilla chips and sometimes I'll add a little taco meat. I also really love using salsa, it has so much flavor and really adds a lot of satisfaction for me. I much prefer it to salad dressing.

    I also really like making wraps. I use tortillas (I make my own so I can control what's in them) and add some chicken, or turkey, or sometimes ham, sometimes a little cheese, and lots of veggies. I sometimes make a sauce with plain fat-free yogurt and some Sambal Oelek (chili paste) in a 3/2 ratio...this stuff is AWESOME!!! I also use this sauce on sandwiches, as dip for pretty much anything.

    Good luck!
  • ♥jewelchristian♥
    ♥jewelchristian♥ Posts: 3,666 Member
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    What I've been having lately is some rice dishes. I steam a bunch of rice and keep it in the fridge so that I just have to add whatever I want to it. If I am in a hurry I will throw in a piece of bologna and cheese with 2 cups of cooked rice and this is 241 calories. Sometimes for a meal I will cut up a bell pepper, some onion, and 2 pieces of chicken breast added to 3 cups of uncooked rice(under 200 calories per serving I believe). A favorite of my wife's is cook 3 cups of rice with a can of coconut milk and a cup of water.When it is done add a small can of pineapple and a cup of coconut flakes to it. We like to add a cup of small cooked shrimp to this for a total of 267 calories, or you could add some other meat for some protein. Enjoy!

    Holy crap! The coconut and pineapple one sounds fabulous!!
  • JillieHobbs
    JillieHobbs Posts: 20
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    Try a steamer bag of veggies (any kind), a morningstar veggie/black bean burger (any flavor) and a plain Greek yogurt w/ a tablespoon of honey... Yummy.
  • emay45
    emay45 Posts: 32 Member
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    For a light lunch I just stuff a Telera roll from Walmart with a couple of slices of cheese like cheddar and provolone.
  • jsthangnarnd
    jsthangnarnd Posts: 2
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    If you brown bag it, fruit will spice up anything. However, if you are going out for Lunch, I don't know where you live, but Panera's Bread is a national chain, and they have awesome food!! Plus, they list the calories of everything they sell right on the menu. My favorite is the black bean soup! You can also get what they call a Pick 2, with 1/2 of any sandwich matched with smaller portions of any salad or soup, or soup and salad and no sandwich. You get the idea.

    Anyways, good luck and keep the faith!
  • FunkBunny
    FunkBunny Posts: 417 Member
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    Take wheat pasta and make your own pasta salad, chuck it full of veggies, use balsamic vinegar and a dash of olive oil for the dressing, go nuts with the herbs and you've got a delish dish that packs a punch! you can even toss in cooked grilled chicken and some paremesean cheese, heat it up a little to just warm it some and you'll be set with something nice and warm in your belly.
  • suzyanne
    suzyanne Posts: 50
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    I like to take a baggie of veggies (8 baby carrots & 10 sugar snap peas), have an apple and an orange (or 2 servings of any type of fruit), a low fat yogurt, and a couple slices of cheese. I cut my fruit up and sometimes even dip it in my yogurt...yumm! I find it quite satisfying because it's a bunch of snack food, it takes a long time to eat, and I feel like I'm eating alot, but it only measures up to about 300 calories. This is definitely my preferred lunch!:smile:
  • DancingDreamer
    DancingDreamer Posts: 520
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    if you have the time i say make bento (if you dont know what that is its a japanese boxed lunch but it DOESNT have to be japanese food! i suggest looking it up online for some AMAZING pictures and inspiration) that way even if it IS the same old boring lunch it doesnt feel like it is because you'll go "oh hey! look! my lunch is cute and fun i love eating this! :happy: " and not think about "oh hey. bleh. i have a sandwich all over again. :grumble: " also you can incorporate all the wonderful ideas people have given you into it.

    ANOTHER PERK! if you make it the day before hand its WAY easy to put everything down on your calorie counter and you have your calories already written out for lunch!

    (and YES you CAN make a salad or a sandwich cute. my salad for tomorrow is vegetarian and ADORABLE. its bunny themed (the whole lunch is!) hope this helps!)
  • Soon2Bfitmamaof3
    Soon2Bfitmamaof3 Posts: 1,911 Member
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    Thanks for all of the delicious ideas, that is why I love this site. Everyone is there to help, lots of support. Thanks everyone!
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
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    i like wraps...i know not much different thansandwiches, but you can make tons of different stuff! Use a pita wrap and try these:

    Turkey
    light cheese
    cpl slices avacado
    tbs hummus
    cucumder or any veggie

    or hot:
    chicken or turkey
    bbq sauce
    light cheese
    hot peppers, or green peppers

    I used to work at a deli lol...message me.. Ive got TONS of ideas!!
  • HeatherCanDoIt
    HeatherCanDoIt Posts: 165 Member
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    My favorite lunch right now is a pizza made on a whole wheat wrap ( the ones I buy are 80 cal), pizza sauce, veggies, light cheese. I have that with a salad and I am happy!

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