Office lunch ideas at 300 calories or less?

I make large batches of protein whenever I cook, cube or shred the leftovers and freeze in individual portions. At any one time, I usually have pork, steak, and chicken. Every couple of weeks, especially during the summer, I will do a huge batch of sauteed veggies spiced the way I like them, usually carrots and zucchini, but asparagus and other veggies are great too. It depends what is on sale.

Then for lunch I can grab one of each and one of the following: can of compatible soup; tortilla, lettuce, tomato or avocado, and sour cream; a cup of rice and a bit of sweet chili sauce; some refried beans etc.

I also keep bigger bags for last minute dinners.

I know that you said no frozen meals, but the smart ones lasagna florentine is quite nice and actually a decent size. It's the only "lean" meal I've found that fills me up. Not sure about sodium though.

Big batch things for sunday: Meatloaf muffins or mini quiches in your muffin tin freeze/thaw well and are preportioned and easy to take. Casseroles, soups, and chilis are inexpensive and filling.

Greek yogurt with cheesecake flavored pudding mix. Sandwiches. Lettuce wraps (turkey cheese and tomato sometimes ranch usually) and fruit are other things I like bringing.

It's just chicken, lots of salsa, and a packet of taco seasoning, cooked for 6 hours in the crockpot. We've omitted the seasoning before and it was still good!

I do this with a big bag of thighs or breasts and 1 jar of medium salsa. First day is burritos/tacos usually. Then I use the lovely broth (choose the heat of your salsa carefully for your taste!) for a soup by adding zucchini, pinto or black beans, kale, and carrots. Then you add back your leftover chicken at the last step to warm back up again after the veggies are cooked. You will probably need to thin it with a bit more broth (I use a qt of organic) or even water. It is seriously good soup.

have you tried a fruit and yoghourt parfait? 1 dannon light and fit (90cal) 1/4C natures path pumpkin flax granola (90cal) and add roughly 100cal of your favorite fruit.

I do not do salads too often either. So I understand!

How about a bunch of "snacks" eaten at once? For example...string cheese, fruit, veggies, nuts, hummus, chips, a boiled egg, tiny square of chocolate, small portion of yogurt...mix and match from the above snacks until you reach a calorie count you're happy with.

Bebimbop is really good and can be low cal if you don't use too much quinoa or rice ( depending on your preference).

I steam a whole bunch of different veggies and use raw carrots for a crunch. You can also add a lean protein if you'd like. Then top it with a little sriracha and you're good to go. Yum! And I can usually eat a BIG bowl for about 300cals.

I do love soups. There are many out here that don't have to be so high sodium.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/lunch-recipes.html

Me and my husband eat leftovers every day for lunch, so I am no help with what I eat...

But I pack my daughters lunch for school every day. She always gets some fruit/applesauce with raisins mixed in, or yogurt and a handful of something like pretzels, Bugles, chex mix, snap pea crisps, Goldfish crackers, etc. Sometimes I throw some baby carrots in too. Her main part of her meal varies:

-Wraps made with a small tortilla, small slab of mayo, a slice of cheese and lunch meat (turkey, roast beef, ham)
-Wraps made with pre-cooked grilled chicken strips, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, and a squirt of either ranch dressing or BBQ sauce
-Pita pocket sandwiches using mayo, cheese, and lunch meat
-Chicken nuggets (cooked the night before, yes...probably cold at lunch but kids will sometimes eat anything, lol)
-Chunky PB and Apple Butter sandwiches (sometimes on bread, sometimes on a bagel thin, a hot dog bun, or sandwich thins)
-PB, Banana slices, and a squirt of honey sandwiches
-Her absolute fave is ham cubes and a cut up cheese stick

That was an idea since you dont like salads. Most days I eat salads

Also...I eat some kind of fruit for my midmorning snack.

:bigsmile: just bumpin - some great ideas

Low fat or no fat Chobani yogurt of your choosing with 1/2 cup of Fiber One or other high fiber cereal in a bag to add to it. Also throw in a good size apple for an afternoon snack. All three of those foods rate very high on their hunger satiation ability in actual diet studies and you will still come in under 300 calories. That said, a strict 300 calorie limit for lunch would be pretty difficult to stick with for most people.

I do understand the no salads thing. I get really tired of salad in a hurry...unless it's southwest style/taco salad, with black beans or TVP and a few tortilla chips crumbled in it. Like others have said, eat what YOU like just less of it.

I am not a total veggie fiend but I like to round out my lunches with them since they are low calorie and very healthy. For example I will bring to work some hummus and/or a Laughing Cow wedge, and a piece of chocolate...but have baby carrots, cucumber slices, sugar snap peas, etc, to dip into the hummus or cheese. That is pretty common for me.

Making your own soup is a good way to control the sodium and other ingredients. There are lots of good recipes online. I find most of mine via Pinterest, but you do have to be careful because there are some bad/ridiculous recipes on there, too. One of my favorites involves lentils, kale, sweet potato, and tomatoes. You can add very little salt and have a delicious, nutritious meal for several days on one big pot of soup. I personally do not mind eating the same breakfast and/or lunch 3-4 days in a row during the work week as long as I switch it up ONE or two days by going out for a light lunch or changing up a meal here and there. If anything it gives me a break from planning when I know I have nutritious low calorie meals waiting for me.

Someone else suggested Morningstar Farms products and I like those too. Kind of along the lines of frozen/prepared packaged foods, you don't want to eat those daily for lunch (at least I don't...maybe others do) but they are yummy and fairly low calorie too. I love their chickpea burger on a Sandwich skinny spread with hummus.

I'd make a big stir fry up and freeze portions, then make rice and keep in the fridge for the week. Take a scoop each day to add to the stir fry.
Or try some chicken sausage (the brand I buy at Wegmans is 90 cal per link) with green beans or zucchini in tomato sauce, you could add some pasta or potatoes.
Make your own soup to avoid the sodium.

I eat salad everyday and never get sick of it. But I add a big variety of vegetables to it, change the protein daily (either chicken, almonds, walnuts, tuna or sunflower seeds) and keep 3 kinds of dressings at work...so it is really a different salad each day. And I have a different kind of fruit daily to go with it.

Also I think 300 calories is perfectly fine for lunch! Mine is less than that and I'm satisfied.