Desk eating

nikki_dw
nikki_dw Posts: 126 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm guilty of desk dining for lunch almost every day, but this week looks like it will be worse.

I'm a journalist and since our newspaper had some layoffs, I'm covering, well, everything. I've got a few days this week when I'll come in around 11 a.m. and stay through late meetings which puts me leaving anytime between 9 p.m. and midnight depending on how much the local elected folks want to talk. :laugh:

At least one night this week I'll actually be discreetly eating dinner in a city council meeting. (They meet from 5 p.m. until midnight!)

What kind of food do you take to work when you're stuck eating in the office? I'm usually fine eating a sandwich, yogurt and some veggies but I don't want to get bored with that since I've got to pack so many meals this week.

Replies

  • jaecobb86
    jaecobb86 Posts: 25 Member
    I pack things like popcorn, hummus, and my all time favorite is a pouch of tuna and some crackers. I too often have to stay late at work so a bag of steam fresh vegetables and a boca patty work wonders as well.

    Hope this helps!
  • JoeyBoy718
    JoeyBoy718 Posts: 5
    Hey. I'm new here. Pleased to meet you.

    I'm just beginning the healthy diet/lifestyle so I'm not yet an expert. Though I was in great shape before I started college. Anyway, I used to be a journalist too. I was a staff writer for an Air Force base newspaper. We had a kitchen right next to my cubicle with all you could eat free food. It was mainly sodas, bottled waters, candy bars, and microwaveable cups of Ramen. No bueno. Now I'm in grad school for computer programming so I know what it's like to be stuck at your desk all day.

    Have you tried green smoothies? That's what I'm doing now. I know you're supposed to drink them immediately after blending them, but when I know I won't be home for a few hours I'll bring one with me in a thermos. It keeps it nice and cold. I'm not sure if it loses nutrients after a while. I try to have it within 4 hours of blending it.
  • nikki_dw
    nikki_dw Posts: 126 Member
    Have you tried green smoothies? That's what I'm doing now. I know you're supposed to drink them immediately after blending them, but when I know I won't be home for a few hours I'll bring one with me in a thermos. It keeps it nice and cold. I'm not sure if it loses nutrients after a while. I try to have it within 4 hours of blending it.

    Always nice to talk to a fellow (former) journo!

    I've never taken smoothies with me to work because the only time I did, it separated and got nasty. Do you know how to prevent that?
  • JoeyBoy718
    JoeyBoy718 Posts: 5
    Have you tried green smoothies? That's what I'm doing now. I know you're supposed to drink them immediately after blending them, but when I know I won't be home for a few hours I'll bring one with me in a thermos. It keeps it nice and cold. I'm not sure if it loses nutrients after a while. I try to have it within 4 hours of blending it.

    Always nice to talk to a fellow (former) journo!

    I've never taken smoothies with me to work because the only time I did, it separated and got nasty. Do you know how to prevent that?

    Good question. You can stir it up or mix it up, but I haven't figured out how to keep it completely blended. I guess the faster you drink it after blending it the better. I don't let it sit more than 4 hours, then I give it a strong shake to mix it up a little.
  • sleepyotter
    sleepyotter Posts: 76 Member
    I work in the kind of setting where I get my own desk, but I'm kind of out there and open to frequent customer interaction. The snacks I keep need to be something I can sneak discreetly and stash away quickly. I've been doing dry cereal, lately. The Fiber One 80-calorie stuff is pretty good; I usually prefer the chocolate flavor. It's also pretty easy to manage portion control, if you weigh out a serving size in the morning and just keep it in a sandwich baggie to nibble on throughout the day.

    In the past I've done protein shakes, but they didn't last me very long. I had a habit of chugging them down in the morning and then having nothing to go on for the rest of the day.
  • Samthefrog
    Samthefrog Posts: 77 Member
    Try whipping up some tuna or chicken salad and some multigrain water crackers or melba toast or even celery (although then you get the crunch factor... not too discrete). Or some low fat cheese and crackers. Or maybe some diverse fillings in your sandwiches or bread. Like a whole wheat bolillo roll or sandwich thins with hummus, olives, romaine lettuce, tomato and provolone cheese?

    I used to be the editor-in-chief of my university paper after being in production and some writing. I remember having to go to those Student Senate meetings that were epically long. Of course this was many moons ago. I remember ever Sunday was an all-nighter to try to get our weekly paper to the printer by Monday morning before 6:00 am. I blame about 30 lbs or my extra weight to Sunday-night fast food runs for 4 years!!

    Good luck!
  • Brunette122
    Brunette122 Posts: 107 Member
    bananas, almonds, string cheese, apples, clementines...the list goes on and on :)
  • vicki9168
    vicki9168 Posts: 89 Member
    I usually desk eat at work too, by the time I have done what I need to the lunch room is full so why bother going up there.
    I normally take my lunch to work with me and have sandwiches, fruit, salads or left overs.
  • sami_83
    sami_83 Posts: 161
    I eat 'al desko' every day and have no issue with it. We have access to decent kitchens though, it really depends on what facilities you have on hand. Today I have my usual salad of baby spinach, tomato, avocado and mexi-beans (and a squeeze of lime). I always have the ingredients for that in the fridge here so I just assemble it at lunch time.
    Other times I'll cook up a big vegan lasagne at home, divvy it up and freeze it and then I have lunches for a week. Anything microwaveable works- curry, pasta, stirfry, soup, casserole, whatever floats your goat :wink: we have a pie warmer too which is great for leftover pizza. Sandwich press is good for toasties (and bacon, as one of the guys here has established!). Freezer is handy for keeping bread at work for toast/sandwiches.
    Basically if you have a fridge and a microwave, you can eat almost anything at work that you'd eat at home... good luck :flowerforyou:
  • cjwest312
    cjwest312 Posts: 9 Member
    I am also consistently guilty of desk eating. It's weird but eating noises kinda bother me. I used to sit next to a guy who was constantly crunching LOUD on carrots and apples. I love carrots and apples, and really anything crunchy, but due to sitting so close to a loud eater for years it has made me self conscious of crunching noises at work when I must "desk dine". Maybe I care too much about what other people think? Probably true.




    I've since been promoted and don't sit in the area anymore. Yet still - I eat sliced cucumbers, berries, and hard boiled eggs at my desk. I also always try to keep a box of protein bars at my desk also. This prevents me from having to visit the vending machine. There is nothing of quality in the vending machine. We have a starbucks that takes me 5 minutes to walk to. They have some OK choices, but it seems like they sell out of the good stuff fairly early in the day. :smile:
  • sami_83
    sami_83 Posts: 161
    Haha cjwest312 I had a giggle at your eating noises thing. Crunching don't bother me at all even though I am now hyper-aware of eating noises since sitting near my coworker who chews with his mouth wide open. It's like a full-on smacking sucking gross sound. It enrages me when he eats so I need to put in headphones as soon as I hear him rustling around for his food, or I leave my desk and hide somewhere until he is done. It is seriously disgusting. I have never heard anyone eat that loudly before. It's made worse by the fact that he is 'mr fitness' and eats/snacks all damn day. Ugh.
    Today he is away so I am relishing the peace and quiet.

    Anyway I am sure your crunching is very low on the scale of eating noises so there's probably no need to stress!
  • new_bella
    new_bella Posts: 199 Member
    I bring wraps and salads as they are easy to eat at my desk. For snacks, I bring Greek yogurt, almonds or walnuts, sliced cucumbers and/or bell peppers and hummus, grape tomatoes, sliced green apples or grapes.
  • micbea
    micbea Posts: 11 Member
    Quest bars are always a good choice. Cottage cheese and apples - Although you might want to cut them up so you don't "crunch!" too loud during the meetings. Lol. Ostrim and apple too. Hummus and ORANGE bell pepper is another favorite :)

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