Lunch for Work?

I'm so boring - I usually just have a can of campbells or progresso soup. I'm totally stealing some of these ideas, though. YUM!

1 portion of dried fruit
1 packet of crisps
1 brown whole meal roll/sub

in my college we don't have a fridge so all thing like couscous or boiled egg might be all right for you but it just won't keep for me in a stuffy locker... well maybe in winter but it is the hot summer right now in the UK.

crisps for the fat + non saturated or trans
dried fruit for my sugar buzz
brown roll/sub to add more fibre, protein and slow energy releasing carbohydrates + keep me full up.

I find myself eating relatively the same things frequently. I am a big fan of Chicken Tenderloins for a couple of reasons.

1. You can get a huge bag of frozen CT's from Costco for pretty cheap (about 15 bux or so).
2. They defrost quickly (about 5 minutes under running water).
3. They cook quickly (4 or 5 minutes per side should do the trick).
4. Pretty easy to portion... I typically figure 2 tenderloins for a 4 ounce serving (you can use a scale for accuracy... I do!)

I will typically cook up a big batch of CT's and Brown Rice (enough for 4 or 5 days) and pre-portion out my meals for the week. I usually aim for small meals (around 300 or 400 calories) comprised of the chicken, rice, and a green vegetable (I like broccoli, peas, and Kale). I will eat usually two of these meals per day at work. On a side note, I switch up seasonings/marinades on the chicken frequently to avoid my taste buds getting bored!

Aside from that, I usually grub on some oatmeal for breakfast with a good quality turkey sausage for extra protein, as well as some snacks (10 almonds, protein bar, apple, banana etc...)

Skinny Low-Yolk Egg Salad
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 1/2 of salad • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 81.2 • Fat: 4.4 g • Protein: 9.3 g • Carb: 1.2 g • Fiber: 0.2 g • Sugar: 0.1 g

Ingredients:

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
4 tsp Hellman's light mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped green scallions or chives
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

Separate the yolks from the egg whites and discard 3 of the yolks. Chop eggs and combine with mayonnaise, dijon mustard, scallions, salt and pepper.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/skinny-low-yolk-egg-salad.html

I used 2 40 calories slices of Natures Own Low Calorie Wheat Bread. It tastes JUST like "regular" egg salad!

My afternoon snack is the same every day, so I always bring my Dannon Light & Fit flavored Greek yogurt cup, a light string cheese, and a hard-boiled egg with me to work. I boil all of the eggs on Sunday and take one to work each day.

As for lunches, I like to switch it up week to week, but I typically eat the same lunch Monday-Friday before switching the next week. If my lunch for the week involves prep/cooking, I do that on Sunday so it's convenient in the mornings. Here are some of my lunches:

- Shrimp Caesar Salad (romaine lettuce, grilled shrimp, shaved Parmesan, light Caesar dressing, fat-free croutons
- Tuna with plain Greek yogurt and 24 Special K Multigrain Crackers
- Homemade chicken fried rice (brown rice, frozen peas, low-sodium soy sauce, egg whites, garlic and onion powder, and chicken breast
- Roast beef, shaved Parmesan, arugula, and pepper on a sandwich
- English muffin with Canadian bacon, egg whites, and white cheddar cheese with some grapes or strawberries
- 2 corn tortillas with shredded chicken, avocado, and refried beans

This week I tried something new - 1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 2 T raisins, cinnamon, and apple pie spice all mixed together. Pretty tasty and I'm surprisingly full. I'll definitely make it to my 3:00 snack without feeling hungry.

Day 2: Kimchi Pulled Chicken (rinse the cole slaw, add some vinegar and pickling seasonings to use them both up)

I love kimchi, but not the outrageous sodium content! Can you be more specific about how you make it? Which spices...just the generic "pickling spices"? And any certain kind of vinegar?

Yes! Love Wendy's salads!

Today I took brown rice, chana masala, mixed nuts and an apple. It worked very well!

Lunch entree:

-Salad with Bolthouse Ranch yogurt dressing and a half turkey sandwick with a slice of pepperjack
-1 egg and 2 egg white scrambled with 50g of extra lean ground turkey that's ben seasoned with cumin, black beans, corn and salsa. I also sometimes add avocado or cheese depending on the rest of my meal plan for the day
-Spring Green salad with cranberries and almonds and a balsamic vinaigrette
-Microwave a potato and add extra lean ground turkey taco meat, salsa, greek yogurt, and some shredded cheese

Snacks:
small yogurt cup with fruit and granola
Apple, orange
lentil snaps (love the sun dried tomato and basil)
Crunchy rice rollers
Protein shake (bring magic bullet to work and let my frozen fruit defrost for a bit)

I have been doing this with slight variations since August with great success.

Every Sunday, I make 5 lunches for the week.

I cook between 3-4 pounds of chopped up chicken thigh or breast, between 3-4 pounds of broccoli, and add spices / low calorie sauces. I divide this into 5 servings. Usually this is the "main" portion of my lunch, and is very protein heavy, light on carbs, and very filling. Between 500 to 700 calories for a big ol' lunch.

I bring string cheese and a banana for snacks. 200 calories there or so.

Add in some eggs / turkey bacon for breakfast, and you have had a filling day of great healthy food with some calories to spare for dinner - I usually just snack around for dinner to fill in my last 400 calories.

Adjust the food per your calorie needs. This routine works wonders for me. A regular and predictable lunch and breakfast prepared and ready for the whole week makes tracking calories 1000000 times easier.