Cheap lunch ideas?

k80wrd
k80wrd Posts: 1
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All,
Im really struggling to come up with low calorie lunches that are cheap that i can prep at work.

I have a Tesco and Lidl close by and my office had a kettle and microwave!

Im really not a fan of tones of salad and i dont really have the option to prep at home! :-)

any ideas?

Katie

Replies

  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,014 Member
    Turkey sandwich, slice of cheese on whole wheat bread and an apple? Does not get any easier then that...

    I like to use hummus in place of mayo also...
  • colortheworld
    colortheworld Posts: 374 Member
    I make extra when I cook dinners and heat them up in the microwave for lunch. Or have soup. Tons of recipes online and they're cheap, healthy, and fillng, depending what you make.
  • bubblyandblonde
    bubblyandblonde Posts: 25 Member
    Hi

    How about:
    Low-fat houmous, you can get them in little pots all ready measured out if you go to Morrisons, with raw carrots/cucumbers and pitta pocket. I love having this for dinner!

    Or making a soup? Soups you can freeze so if you do a big batch you can save some money there :) I like home made vegetable soups.

    What about Spanish meats, with raw peppers and feta cheese?

    x
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    yeah I second the Leftovers idea. I try to always cook enough at dinner that I have enough for lunch the next day (which is sometimes difficult since I have a husband who will mindlessly pick at stuff until there's suddenly not enough there for a lunch anymore. I try to put the lunch portion aside straight from the cooking pots before it even gets to the table, it helps)
  • Yram29
    Yram29 Posts: 10
    Microwave a sweet potato and have it with houmous, or a little tin of baked beans. And look out for offers on Innocent Veg Pots / other healthy ready meal pots, that can be zapped in the microwave
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    Low-fat houmous, you can get them in little pots all ready measured out if you go to Morrisons
    Typically, anything that comes in pre-portioned servings is going to be more expensive than the same product packaged all together. I do find it easier sure, but, the costs add up.
  • dynamodi
    dynamodi Posts: 56 Member
    I normally do left overs heated up or I make a sandwich with nible bread as it's lower calories and stuff it full of tomato and cucumber and some cheese or meat. Costs about 50p a portion I'd estimate? :)
  • dynamodi
    dynamodi Posts: 56 Member
    This is a fountain of inspiration for me btw http://agirlcalledjack.com/category/recipes-food-etc/

    So many cheap recipies that you can cook for dinner and then take an extra portion to work with you to heat up :)
  • bubblyandblonde
    bubblyandblonde Posts: 25 Member
    Low-fat houmous, you can get them in little pots all ready measured out if you go to Morrisons
    Typically, anything that comes in pre-portioned servings is going to be more expensive than the same product packaged all together. I do find it easier sure, but, the costs add up.

    No really, the ones I get from Morrisons you get 3 portioned sized tubs for £1.20. So that will last 3 days. Where as one tub is normally £1.40 or more... x
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
    Hi All,
    Im really struggling to come up with low calorie lunches that are cheap that i can prep at work.

    I have a Tesco and Lidl close by and my office had a kettle and microwave!

    Im really not a fan of tones of salad and i dont really have the option to prep at home! :-)

    any ideas?

    Katie

    Sorry, can't help, I usually eat salad for lunch.

    Tomorrow's salad is green lettuce, roast beef, avocado, feta, mix of seeds and a bit of pesto on top.
    Nom nom nom
  • bubblyandblonde
    bubblyandblonde Posts: 25 Member
    Sorry, can't help, I usually eat salad for lunch.

    Tomorrow's salad is green lettuce, roast beef, avocado, feta, mix of seeds and a bit of pesto on top.
    Nom nom nom
    [/quote]

    That sounds lush!
    I'm having a salad omelette for lunch x
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
    Hop on that Ramen + Tuna :wink: serious
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Sunflower seeds/almonds
    Banana
    Apple
    carrots
    cucumbers
    yogurt
    tuna

    Mix & match as needed.
  • fourfiftythree
    fourfiftythree Posts: 203 Member
    Every single day I eat some combination of tortilla/meat/cheese, with veggies, fruit and a yogurt. I guess I don't need a whole lot of variety. Sometimes I'll get ambitious and make a tuna or chicken salad for said "meat" portion.
  • misschoppo
    misschoppo Posts: 463 Member
    You say you have no option to prep your food at home, why is that? Is it a time issue? Or a lack of facilities to cook? I am guessing it is more likely to be a time issue in which case I would try and make time. It would be much easier for you to eat a variety of cost effective meals for lunch if you were able to take the time to prepare food at home and them just take a portion for lunch. Soup is awesome & any based on mostly vegetables are going to be cheap, just buy what is on offer or what is seasonal or do what others have suggested and when you prepare dinner, make extra so you have a portion for your lunch the next day. Or just google for "cheap eats" or "cheap meals" & you will find thousands of recipes that are budget friendly. The goodtoknow and bbcgoodfood sites are both good UK sites & would give you plenty of options for eating on a budget.

    If you only have a microwave at work then unless you take pre-made food or leftovers with you to just heat up, then really all you are left with are cold lunches like salads/sandwiches etc or you opt for supermarket pre-prepared meals which are 1) not that cheap 2) not that tasty and 3) typically not that nutritious unless you go for the "healthy" ranges which are usually more expensive.
  • louiseshaw88
    louiseshaw88 Posts: 132 Member
    What about cold cooked meats/fish and cous cous with veg ?

    Cous cous you can make in a mug by pouring the correct amount of boiling water in and covering the mug with cling film or a plate ect and those steam fresh veg packs are great to shot in the microwave for 3 mins

    If you like quorn you can microwave their burgers and chicken style pieces so maybe use thses to lower the cost of the meal (big bags of quorn on offer in tesco for £1.50 each at the mo!)

    Could swap the cous cous for a microwaved sweet poato too :)

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