Easy lunch ideas to take to work that don't have bread?

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  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
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    I just bought stuff and containers for this very thing! What I bought was:

    Variety pack of ultra thin, low sodium deli meats for lettuce wraps or ham rolls
    Low sodium Turkey pepperoni sticks (50 cals for one stick)
    Large block of marble cheddar that I cut into cubes
    Baby carrots and celery sticks
    100 calorie hummus packs (Garden Fresh brand from costco)
    Wildroots 100% Natural Coastal Berry trail mix


    Weigh and portion everything, put it in the fridge and you've got lunches for a whole week you can grab and go. Very high protein and low carb. If you don't want the fat from the trail mix, just substitute with more veggies or a piece of fruit.
  • Bounce4
    Bounce4 Posts: 288 Member
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    I take a variety of fruits and veggies, salads with spinach, and for the other part of lunch I take one of the following on non-bread days, tuna salad, deli meats and cheese, baked chicken, boiled eggs, black bean salsa with extra black beans, nuts and/or seeds. I try to keep my lunches at 400 or lower but i think they'd work for 300 and lower - just smaller portions. I like quantity so eat large amounts, haha.
  • markja
    markja Posts: 270 Member
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    I get tired of sandwiches for lunch too and I've done some experimenting in this area. Besides, bread can sometime be a "waste" of calories.

    One of my faves for lunch at work is a bag of microwavable vegetables and some left over meat, tuna or any kind of lunch meat. Broccoli and cauliflower with some tuna or chicken is good, mixed veg is good with most anything. You can throw in a little low fat margarine and some seasonings.

    Try this: Nuke a bag of green beans, then add some real bacon bits and onion salt. close the bag up and let it sit for a minute. It's very good, not quite southern style but quite good none-the-less.

    If you not trying to avoid starches and can eat a 500 cal lunch: Nuke mixed veg than add to ramen soup, which you can also nuke.

    I sometimes buy fresh vegetables in the nuke bag in the produce department. Broccoli is particularly good when it's cooked from fresh rather than frozen.

    Starches: Oatmeal is very good when made savory instead of sweet and also easy to make in a microwave. you can use oatmeal or rolled oats, depending on your preference for texture. Note: Use a bigger bowl because it's prone to boil-overs! Instant cereals such as oatmeal, cream-o-wheat and grits are good in the same way. Use salt and pepper or seasoned salt to start then, if you like the way it tastes, you can get really adventurous. My Indian friends make this stuff with curry!

    Ball Park makes these turkey hot dogs that are very high in protein, 45 calories and 98% fat free. They are also a good thing to have with vegetables.

    I don't mean to prattle on and I hope this helps you.
  • waramara
    waramara Posts: 9 Member
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    Low carb wraps or lettuce slices are what I use to replace bread when I'm craving a sandwich. We also keep Sarah Lee 45 calorie a slice bread in the house for my fiance. Watching the carbs aren't as big of a deal for him and it's a nice treat for me. I also like to make mini sandwiches with strips of zucchini or summer squash when it is in season. I've been on a chicken breast and cheese kick lately. I just chunk it up and put it in a big container together.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    Looking at your diary. 700 calories is never a good ideal. Eat. The. Bread.
  • TwirleySlims
    TwirleySlims Posts: 112
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    Why cut it out? Bread can be eaten just fine! and if you like there are lower calorie versions too. or have half a sarnie!
  • techgal128
    techgal128 Posts: 719 Member
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    I like to make tuna or chicken salad and instead of eating on bread, I use carrots, celery, and/or cucumber to scoop it up. Very yummy and extra veggies is always good!

    I do the same thing but with egg salad.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    You might consider swapping standard bread for whole-wheat flatouts or the "thinwich" type bread (where the sandwich is about 1/3 the amount of dough). You can also do the "make it a salad" option where you just omit the bread and pack the fixings into a container.

    Not liking soup reduces your options a lot for hot stuff but you might consider taking your George Foreman grill if you have one. You can heat up a frozen fish filet (I love tilapia for this) along with a bit of lemon juice and some spice..really nutritious and low-cal hot meal. Just add some veggies and a piece of fruit on the side and you're hitting a lot of your food groups.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    Looking at your diary. 700 calories is never a good ideal. Eat. The. Bread.
    EDITED TO CORRECT:
    I looked at the OP's diary as well. It looks like her usual allotment is 1200 calories and she tends to eat them so I don't want to get overharsh on this one day.

    That being said, if the calories are remaining...particularly if you pre-plan the whole day and you know you have some extra calories still,....EAT THE BREAD :wink:
  • greytniki
    greytniki Posts: 51 Member
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    What kind of "appliances" do you have access to? In our "break room" we have a microwave, toaster oven and a hotdog toaster. One of the things I do a lot is pre grill steaks and season them and slice them up and I will "re grill" them in the toaster oven. I bake b/s chicken breasts in a variety of styles all at one time in a large pan seperating the types by tin foil and then I freeze them individually. I thaw them the day before I'm going to eat them and again cook them in the toaster oven. I will cook lean beef hotdogs in the toaster oven and eat them with no bun. You could do the same with lean pork as I do with the chicken or steak. The key is really pre preperation at home and then heating it up at work.
  • Romyarts2014
    Romyarts2014 Posts: 201 Member
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    replace the bread with a rice cake! my fav and only 30cals
    or a lettuce wrap.... get some meat and wrap it in some lettuce
    make a fruit salad....
    make a stir fry the night before.
    chicken, bean sprouts, tomatoe etc... healthy and low cal
    make a batch of sugar free jello to snack on
  • ActuarialChef
    ActuarialChef Posts: 1,413 Member
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    I allllways make extra of whatever I make for dinner and have leftovers for lunch. But I stagger it so I'm not eating the same food 2 days in a row:

    Sat dinner --> Mon lunch
    Sun dinner --> Tues lunch
    Mon dinner --> Wed lunch
    Tues dinner --> Thurs lunch
    Wed dinner --> Fri lunch
    Thurs dinner --> Sat lunch

    I do this for myself and my boyfriend. I also always have individual (homemade) pieces of lasagna, black bean quesadillas, etc. in the freezer in case we decide not to cook for dinner one night or something comes up.

    Edited to add: I see that your calorie goal is set to 1200. Please remember that this is a GOAL, meaning you are encouraged to meet this goal (and because others will probably say so I will add that at 1200 calories you should probably be exceeding this goal, but that is advice for another post).
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
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    Why cut it out? Bread can be eaten just fine! and if you like there are lower calorie versions too. or have half a sarnie!

    I agree, I eat the Sara Lee delightful wheat bread. Only 45 calories a slice.
  • CaitlinW19
    CaitlinW19 Posts: 431 Member
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    I've been making mason jar salads for all my work lunches for a few months now. I never was much of a salad person, but crave them now. I make a batch on Sunday, sometimes enough for the whole week.

    Incase you haven't seen this idea:
    - Dressing is the first thing to go in the jar, at the bottom.
    - Next is bean, meat, quinoa, pasta, cucumbers, carrot...any thing that will hold up to soaking in dressing for days
    - Then softer veg or fruit (berries, tomato, etc.) as the next layer
    - Cheese and/or nuts
    - Final layer is leafy greens up to the mouth of the jar, packed in pretty well.
    - Put the lid on and refridgerate.
    -When ready to eat, shake it all up and eat out of the jar or pour out on a plate.

    I make different kinds every week to mix it up and usually have two types each week.
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
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    I'm loving acorn squash right now. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, and cook the squash until it's almost finished (5 minutes or so left). Add some salt and pepper or other seasoning. Take the squash to work and reheat it in the microwave for lunch where it will also finish cooking.

    You can fill the squash with all kinds of things so you don't get bored--cubed baked apple, a quinoa salad, a tablespoon of no-sugar added fruit spread, etc. Add a container of Greek yogurt on the side for protein.

    Just make sure to buy a small acorn squash so you have easy portion control for the amount of squash and the amount of filling that you can add.
  • HollyDee14
    HollyDee14 Posts: 21 Member
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    I don't know if this would be enough for you, but I have an apple and 3T of chunky almond butter for lunch a few days a week. It's delicious, easy, and the almond butter feels decadent. Plus, I just throw a bag of apples in the fridge and keep an apple cutter at my desk. Voila! :) Best of luck!
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
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    The mason jar salad is an adorable idea. Thanks for the tip!
  • kierakath
    kierakath Posts: 2 Member
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    Today's lunch logged in at 300. I had a bag of carrots with hummus, a little bit of chicken breast, and two yogurt cups. Some days I have some lunch meat instead, or a salad instead of the carrots.
  • danaberge
    danaberge Posts: 117 Member
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    Thanks for this thread! I got some awesome ideas from you all!

    I love the idea of egg casserole. Easy!!

    Thanks!!
  • starkrystyl
    starkrystyl Posts: 2
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    I also make something the night before and pack my lunch. I make Zuccini Stick Pizza's last night, (zuccini cut in half with a little bit of olive oil and seasonings, with low-fat cheese and half of a pepporini). I also like to cook a bunch of chicken breast at the beginning of the week and using those through out the week. I pack a lot of salads.

    Search for recipes that are Dukan Diet friendly, no carbs.

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