Work lunch help: I hate lunchmeat!

caitlynah12
caitlynah12 Posts: 34
in Food and Nutrition
I've been in the working world for a year now, and I really struggle with lunch. In college, I'd skip lunch and eat a big breakfast and snack (on unhealthy food like cookies) allllllllll day. Or if I did eat lunch, I'd get chicken fingers, ha. I'm obviously trying to eat healthier but 9-5 is hard. I never had to think about what to bring or prep my meals before. I'd just eat as I go or go to the cafeteria when I was hungry. I used to just bring salads everyday, but I'm so, so sick of them. I'm a pretty picky eater [if you hadn't guessed yet! ha] and I don't like lunchmeat. Our stove is also broken, we don't have a grill, and my cooking skills are limited (slowly improving) so I'm stuck with just an oven.

What are some of your favorite ideas for wraps/or sandwiches that don't have lunchmeat? I know there's probably a great combo out there (i love hummus, feta) but I can't seem to stumble on the right combo. I've brought PB (better 'n' peanut butter from TJs) and granola, mixed in tupperware with bananas, apples, strawberries and grapes before, I might start doing that again.

Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • HacheraTsarine
    HacheraTsarine Posts: 278 Member
    I eat at least twice a week that wrap

    1 small whole wheat tortilla
    1 tablespoon hummus
    1 tablespoon garlic and herbs cream cheese
    ¼-½ a bell pepper
    some baby leaves spinach

    when I buy bigger tortillas, I double everything else.
    It's creamy and fresh.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Here's a typical lunch
    hard boiled egg
    Banana
    carrots
    Cucumbers
    cheese stick
    1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
    apple
    baggie of seasonal fruit(Cherries, strawberries, blueberries)
    Cup of greek yogurt

    No sandwich, no lunch meat. Very filling.
  • Elainejk21
    Elainejk21 Posts: 121 Member
    Sandwich/wrap with hummus, tomato, red onion or maybe this recipe http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/09/greek-salad-sandwich.html

    Most of my lunches come from slow cooker leftovers.. soups, stews, etc. that I made a night or two prior for dinner. No stove required! Just a microwave at work..

    Have you tried baking chicken breasts in the oven (in foil packets to seal in moisture) to use in sandwiches instead of lunchmeat?
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    bacon & tomato wrap.

    hummus & kale wrap.

    avocado & tomato or jalapeno wrap.

    fluffernutter sandwich.

    peanut butter banana sandwich. open and put in banana at mealtime.

    pasta in thermos jar.

    rice in thermos jar.

    beans in thermos jar.

    soup in thermos jar.

    hard boiled eggs and olives and cheese.

    Holy my gawd the list is endless. Is this really a question?
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
    Mediterranean Chicken Wrap (serves 2 - one for lunch, one for dinner!)

    1 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (you can use rotisserie)
    1/8 cup each minced celery, onion and radish
    1/8 cup chopped artichoke hearts
    1/8 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
    1 tablespoons pitted kalamata olives, chopped
    1/2 tablespoon capers, drained
    1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1/2 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar
    salt and pepper to taste
    leaf lettuce
    2 whole-grain wrap breads (8 inch dia.)

    Combine , combine chicken, celery, onion, radish, artichoke hearts, capers and flat-leaf parsley in a large bowl.

    In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and balsamic; add salt and pepper to taste.

    Combine dressing with chicken mixture and toss to coat; taste again and adjust salt and pepper, if necessary.

    Place wrap bread on a flat surface. Top with lettuce first and then chicken mixture. (Lettuce will act as a barrier so that the wrap doesn't get too soggy before you eat it) Roll-up, burrito-style, enjoy!
  • kcusnem
    kcusnem Posts: 15 Member
    I literally have no time in the morning and will throw a bunch of raw stuff in my lunch box and cook it in the micro at work.

    Potatoes, wrap in a wet towel and nuke. Add salt, pepper, light sour cream (you can keep in your work fridge if you have one), salsa, whatever you want.

    Ears of corn, same deal. Wrap and nuke about 2 minutes. If it's good corn, you won't even need butter. I use a dash of garlic salt. It's a fine salt so it sticks better to the corn.

    Apples, eat raw or slice em up and nuke them too. Splenda and cinnamon with a pinch of salt if your in to that.

    Tomatoes, eat raw or with a bucket of cottage cheese :)

    Frozen veggies work well too and cans of soup. Progresso and easy fix soups.

    The Faux Bigmac. Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, pickles, ketchup/mayo or ketchup/mustard. Put that all on a 60 cal bun. No meat, but it'll tastes like a burger and it's only like 80 cal.!
  • noon1200
    noon1200 Posts: 35 Member
    Chicken Salad / Tuna Salad

    1 can tuna or 1/2 cup of chopped or pulled chicken
    1T mayo
    1/2T mustard
    pinch of ground ginger (for tuna) or curry powder (for chicken)
    chopped celery and/or peppers

    mix it up, salt and pepper to taste, and bam, sandwich filling.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I love meat loaf sandwiches. Make your meatloaf with lots of veggies and lean meat.
  • sumeetg37
    sumeetg37 Posts: 108 Member
    I take chicken salad. I cheat by using the rotisserie chicken breast from the supermarket, but make up for it by using mustard and yogurt instead of mayo. It keeps really well, 2 breasts last me 3 lunches, I mix in some toasted nuts for texture, and some reduced sugar craisins on top! Usually served on toast.
  • db34fit69
    db34fit69 Posts: 189 Member
    Oatmeal and an egg in the microwave. Add nuts, fruits, etc.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Invest in a small George Foreman grill and make your own "grilled chicken" ...... sure you can buy packages of the stuff, but it's sooooo expensive.

    Anyway, buy some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and put them in a ziplock bag. Add some marinade to the ziplock bag. Store in the fridge for several hours (you can turn the bag over at midpoint to coat everything). Heat your Foreman grill and cook chicken. Cool chicken & slice. You're recipe ready.

    Grilled chicken is great for wraps, salads, casseroles, etc. I usually portion it out and freeze it.

    **Marinade can be home made, bottled, or even salad dressing. Just experiment...... start with half lemon juice & half olive oil ..... then add spices.
  • k_lips
    k_lips Posts: 22
    bump! always looking for some new lunch ideas
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,965 Member
    I restrict grains because I'm diabetic. My packed lunch is usually microwaved frozen veg and left over meat from the night before. If there isn't any leftover protein from the night before I might take a boiled egg or some beef jerky.

    Raw veg (beans, mangetouts, or carrot sticks) dipped in hummous makes a pretty good, filling lunch with a piece of fruit. Add an egg or some jerky if you need to up the protein.

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