the oh poop i forgot to make lunch lunch

kelseyjsnyder
kelseyjsnyder Posts: 219 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok so i need help figuring this out. I work somewhere where i can be "mandated" to work a double. Which makes the following day (which today is one of those following days) quite....well unhealthy. I woke up for work yesterday at 330 am at work at 5 am off work at 9 pm. I got home at 10 pm. went STRAIT TO BED so that i could get in time to leave for work this morning. So obviously i had no time to plan a breakfast or lunch. So pretty much what i brought today was a couple high calorie (nasty) tornados from the gas station and a sandwhich thing from the gas station. What are some good ideas of stuff i could just keep in my freezer and put in a bag to take to work and heat in the microwave? So [mostly] pre assembled breakfast and lunches.

Replies

  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    I don't have an idea at the moment but I want in to follow the ideas that DO come your way!
  • GoMizzou99
    GoMizzou99 Posts: 512 Member
    Lean Cuisine, Weight Watcher Smart Ones, and Atkins frozen meals are all stocked in my work freezer.

    Actually - Lean Cuisine Chicken Fajita Spring Rolls are freaking amazing. My whole office eats them now (healthy and unhealthy eaters alike)...3 rolls are only 200 calories.

    Also - there are some frozen egg rolls that are quite tasty and lower cal.

    Almonds - and these keep for a long time.
  • thickerella
    thickerella Posts: 154 Member
    Pacific Red Pepper and Creamy Tomato Soup. You don't need a bowl or spoon, just put it in a mug. It is nutritious and EXTREMELY DELICIOUS. Pair that with some whole wheat crackers and you have a meal.
  • kelseyjsnyder
    kelseyjsnyder Posts: 219 Member
    i much prefer stuff i can put together a bunch of ahead of time and freeze. i dont really like most premade frozen dinners.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    i much prefer stuff i can put together a bunch of ahead of time and freeze. i dont really like most premade frozen dinners.

    Do you have a crock pot or a stock pot? On your day off or the weekend or whenever you can, get a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and make a big batch of chicken soup. Freeze in pre-measured portions. Take to work. Voila :)

    edit: I only suggest rotisserie for the sake of time and ease of effort. If you have the time and don't mind the effort, getting a whole fryer is probably going to be cheaper and you can boil it and make your own stock and everything. I'll do it either way, usually it just depends on my time and budget restrictions!

    You can do the same with many types of soups too: chili, beef & barley, beef & vegetable, all come to mind
  • jeannettemancini
    jeannettemancini Posts: 58 Member
    I pre-cook chicken (marinaded in something like Italian dressing, or terriyaki sauce, etc) and I freeze the chicken breasts in ziplocks. I have a toaster at work, so I'll toast a 100 cal English muffin, and make a sandwich out of it. Or, I'll cook a bunch of rice for the week, and eat the chicken with some rice. I also cook up ground turkey, and freeze that in portions, and eat that over rice too. I basically plan/cook all my foods over the weekend, and have enough cooked/frozen for the week.

    For breakfast I eat hard boiled egg whites and oatmeal.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    I would suggest just making an extra portion of whatever you make for dinner regularly and freezing it.
  • kelseyjsnyder
    kelseyjsnyder Posts: 219 Member
    thats a good idea! I have to go buy a new crock pot, i lost the lid to the one i have(i know how the heck do you loose a lid to a crock pot, answer is i have no idea but i did lol)
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
    Spaghetti or red beans with sausage freezes well. When I make these dishes, I always freeze 2 containers for future use. I measure it out so I know how much I am eating. Also, my local grocery store has rotisserie turkey breast. I buy one and then measure out 3 oz servings to add to any meal for a quick protein. For me, planning is the key.
  • Lonestar5775
    Lonestar5775 Posts: 740 Member
    For lunch, canned tuna makes a low calorie, high protein meal. You can spread it on crackers or eat straight out of the can. It's probably not good for every day but in an emergency it could work. I like the almond idea too!
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    For lunch, canned tuna makes a low calorie, high protein meal. You can spread it on crackers or eat straight out of the can. It's probably not good for every day but in an emergency it could work. I like the almond idea too!

    This. Along with a can of soup.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    thats a good idea! I have to go buy a new crock pot, i lost the lid to the one i have(i know how the heck do you loose a lid to a crock pot, answer is i have no idea but i did lol)

    if you cover your pot tightly with aluminum foil and can resist the urge to peek, then that is a cheap (although temporary) solution to the no-crock pot lid- problem :)
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  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    For lunch, canned tuna makes a low calorie, high protein meal. You can spread it on crackers or eat straight out of the can. It's probably not good for every day but in an emergency it could work. I like the almond idea too!
    they make canned chicken also and it's really not bad.
    While these wouldn't be my first choice if I had more options...I keep a few cans of the chicken in the trunk of my car in a "food bin", along with nuts and granola and dried fruits, so that if I need food I have something that I know fits into my day.
  • _Tink_
    _Tink_ Posts: 3,845 Member
    I dice up a few ounces of protein (usually chicken or fish) and put it in a plastic container along with 2-3 cups of frozen veggies and 1/2 cup black beans. Top it with about a tablespoon of balsamic or other dressing, or sometimes nothing but a sprinkle of salt and pepper. The meals are easy to store in the fridge or freezer and reheat in the microwave, plus prep time is minimal.
  • EyesOnSize8
    EyesOnSize8 Posts: 15
    I keep unsweetened applesauce cups and mardarin orange cups at work to avoid the evil vending machine. This is not a meal idea, but a good side.
    I also chime in on the soup idea...you can freeze it in portion sizes. Engine 2 diet has a yummy BBQ veg meat loaf that you can pre-make and freeze to microwave later. (google Engine 2 BBQ LOL)
    Frozen veggies are great and simple too. I LOVE peas, you can buy individual microwave portion packs or just make these up yourself to grab and microwave.
  • coppertop_4
    coppertop_4 Posts: 258 Member
    I would suggest just making an extra portion of whatever you make for dinner regularly and freezing it.

    Yes this! It requires no extra prep except fill container, label, freeze.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
    thats a good idea! I have to go buy a new crock pot, i lost the lid to the one i have(i know how the heck do you loose a lid to a crock pot, answer is i have no idea but i did lol)

    Check Goodwill & Salvation Army stores. They have odd things in them like this, lids with no crockpots, lol.
  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
    Canned soup
    If you can cook at work you can buy a sandwich press or small foreman grill.
    Shredded chicken can be turned into all kinds of quick eating
    Making soups, stews and casseroles are great. I can make something in a big batch then portion it out into baggies or Tupperware so in the morning I just grab and go.
  • ggdebgg
    ggdebgg Posts: 2
    Leftovers.

    I sauté chicken in tomatoes & mushrooms for the week ahead, a sweet potato in a baggie can be nuked....every day I throw a few cups of fresh spinach in a tupperware, nuke 2 mins, top it w/some chicken & sweet potato, lunch.

    Make soup on the weekend, can eat it all week.

    Meatloaf Dinner = meatloaf & eggs breakfast, meatloaf sandwich lunches.

    You can also keep trail mix (nuts, chocolate bits, fruit, grain), eat a few handfuls of that to tide you over til dinner.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    Most things can be frozen. Last week, I pre-made a massive batch of chilli with rice, shepherds pie, and salmon fillets with new potatoes and veg, and froze them in individual portions. In the morning I just grab one out of the freezer and go.
  • lilred806
    lilred806 Posts: 195 Member
    English muffin with egg and cheese can be frozen. My mom has made homemade bean burritos that she freezes and pulls out when she needs something. There are a ton of ideas and blogs out there if you look around. I like 100daysofrealfood.com. She has great recipes for food but also post her children's lunches everyday. She encourages freezing things when it makes meals easier. She also has a few guest bloggers that have some neat ideas as well. A fun site to look around for ideas.
  • kelseyjsnyder
    kelseyjsnyder Posts: 219 Member
    Spaghetti and chili freeze well.

    Also, cooked chicken lasts for a few days in the fridge. Cook them on Sunday, at eat them all week.

    I don't really have this issue in my life, and I truly don't mean this the way it might sound, but why does making a sandwich or assembling something take so long? It's really quick.

    oh it totally doesnt except when in the middle of the night your dalmation decides to help himself to a loaf of bread. then when the closest store is 30 miles one way(in the opposite direction of work) it makes it impossible.
  • katorihanzo
    katorihanzo Posts: 234 Member
    I had one of these days today! And although I would always rather plan ahead and even though I do have all kinds of frozen portions of my favourite soups in the freezer, I've gotten pretty good at knowing what purchased meals will fit. Today at school I was super tempted by the fresh veggie pizza but ordered the apple and chicken salad sandwich instead, specifically because the calories were printed on the back - 320 calories. And I put the oregano and chili peppers and garlic for the pizzas all over it and it was delish!

    It's not ALWAYS necessary (although obviously cheaper and more convenient) to bring lunch, it is possible to get good at buying healthy meals. It's a good skill to hone. There will always be times you'll need to do it! I recommend always choosing something that lists nutrition info over things that don't, even if you think that thing may be better for you. This way you don't guess (which usually leads to underestimation.)

    No matter how well you plan, someday you'll have to grab something at a gas station and you'll feel better if you learn the healthy choices. Most gas stations sell cans of tuna and soup, for example.
  • chickenz
    chickenz Posts: 101 Member
    Lean Cuisine, Weight Watcher Smart Ones, and Atkins frozen meals are all stocked in my work freezer.

    Actually - Lean Cuisine Chicken Fajita Spring Rolls are freaking amazing. My whole office eats them now (healthy and unhealthy eaters alike)...3 rolls are only 200 calories.

    Also - there are some frozen egg rolls that are quite tasty and lower cal.

    Almonds - and these keep for a long time.


    Love, love, love the lean cuisine Thai sparing rolls and garlic spring rolls....omg so good.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I am fortunate I have a cafe down stairs but very little is appetizing to me- I'd rather GO get food than eat down there- but I'm fairly lazy and don't like walking 1/4 mile out and back and then driving to spend money when I just dropped the ball.

    Batch cooking is the way to go.

    I typically cook 10-12 eggs at time- and split them up into tupper wears- I will eat them cold (I don't like to but I will)
    I pre- chop all my veggies for snacks or for cooking- so if I'm cooking my eggs with veggies- I just throw those right in there after teh bacon- saute them up- and then add eggs- saves me a step- takes less than 10 minutes to cook eggs if I'm skipping the bacon.

    Hard boiled eggs- you can boil them or bake them in bulk. Easy go to snack.
    canned tuna- works in a pinch.
    Trail mix
    peanut butter and a spoon.

    easy things to get you through the rough patch till you can get more food.
  • 50racinggirl
    50racinggirl Posts: 96 Member
    Ok so i need help figuring this out. I work somewhere where i can be "mandated" to work a double. Which makes the following day (which today is one of those following days) quite....well unhealthy. I woke up for work yesterday at 330 am at work at 5 am off work at 9 pm. I got home at 10 pm. went STRAIT TO BED so that i could get in time to leave for work this morning. So obviously i had no time to plan a breakfast or lunch. So pretty much what i brought today was a couple high calorie (nasty) tornados from the gas station and a sandwhich thing from the gas station. What are some good ideas of stuff i could just keep in my freezer and put in a bag to take to work and heat in the microwave? So [mostly] pre assembled breakfast and lunches.

    So I started Atkins and that is the plan I am going with for the new year. With that being said I had to come up with some breakfast ideas. I went on all recipes.com and found an egg muffin with no muffin. I've modified the recipe for what I like: I take two eggs, 2 TBSP sausage (could use any breakfast meat), cheese, and a pinch of spinach. I scramble all the up in muffin tins and bake in the oven. They are easy to take and reheat and super nutritious. Today was my first day back to work and it worked like a charm. I put them in washable containers, microwave when I get to work and bring home the dishes. :love: Next week I am going to add some different ingredients like red pepper and mushrooms.
    You can also take hash browns and mix them with butter. Press those around the side of the muffin tin and bake. Once they're crispy you can add ingredients like I did and get the same result, but with hash browns for the "muffin".

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