Lunch ideas??

There's lots of things you can store at work. Whole wheat bread and low fat peanut butter. I think starkist makes a tuna lunch pack that doesn't need to be refrigerated either. If you work in a cubicle I highly recommend investing in a small fridge, it's been a huge help for me.

Get an insulated lunch box/bag with an iceblock. That works for the school kids on 40 degree days so that takes care of the lack of fridge until lunch time. I use a soft bag that is big enough for a 6 pack of beer with a freezer block.

My lunches consist of various salads such as:
coucous with dried fruits, parsley and pinenuts,
beans with egg, tomato, tuna, potato and baby spinach
steamed chicken with lettuce bean shoots basil capsicum and cherry tomatoes


other options include:
a sandwich or roll (don't add tomato until you are about to eat it so that it doesn't go soggy)
Wraps full of last night's leftovers
pasta with a tuna or meat sauce (I eat it cold so do the kids)
an antipasto box
rissotto is also nice cold. (pumpkin and pea, chicken and mushroom etc)


look up lunchbox ideas in Australia. 90% of kids take a cut lunch to school and there are heaps of websites with lunchbox ideas as health is one of the hot topics here.

First thing you need to do, is invest in a thermal insulated lunch bag. I bring refrigerated items in my bag, and when I go to eat lunch, they're still fresh and cold. I bought mine at Target.... it was about $12.

Now, on what to eat. I go once a week to the grocery store and buy the "Ready Pack" salads (reg price $3.99, on sale for $2.99 at my local store -- 7 or 8 varieties). I get a great Chicken Caeser salad that's only 260 calories. To get extra protein for my gym visits, I eat hard boiled egg whites (I don't like the yolks -- and all the cals and cholesterol is in the yolk). I hard boil 10 at a time, and take 2 per day to work. I also pack some carrots and raw sugar snap peas, followed by a peach or a pear for dessert. The carrots and sugar snap peas come in ready to eat bags. I just weigh them out on my handy-dandy food scale and pop them into zip lock baggies.

It takes me less than 5 mins to pack my breakfast and lunch every morning. Breakfast is greek yogurt and a serving of dry cereal -- I keep the measuring scoop in the cereal bag. One scoop into a baggie and then pop it into the lunch sack.

The only real trick is to plan ahead. You can't hardboil an egg that morning, you have to do it in advance. Salads don't get into the fridge by osmosis... you have to pick them up the day before. Same for the veggies and fruit.... plan it out in advance. Do you want bell pepper strips? Slice them the night before and store them in a container with water.

Just plan ahead and take the 5 minutes to throw stuff together for your day.

In my experience, protein and fiber tends to curb hunger cravings. Oatmeal and boiled eggs area great and are sometimes overlooked for lunch.

How about one of these meals (add a salad or whatever veg/fruit combos you like):

-I banana in a large w/w wrap covered with 2 spoonfuls of NATURAL peanut butter (heck, if you're really hungry you could have two!)
-1 can of tuna mixed w/ hummus + 1 slice of multi-grain toast

I usually end up eating leftovers from the night before. Things like chicken, turkey and even salmon are delish in a whole wheat wrap with spinach, chickpeas - whatever you like!

My favorite packed lunches are salads with some protein and fat. Like a spinach salad with cranberries, walnuts, and a bit of feta cheese. Or taco salad with a bit of crumbled tortilla chips, a little scoop of seasoned beef, and a tiny bit of sour cream. I love salad anyways, but adding the proteins and fats helps me avoid temptations like snacking on office snacks, grabbing a "treat" with coffee, etc.

if you cook a ready made pizza at the begining of the week divide it up in to slices the box will say what the calories are . freeze the extras and take them out of the freezer each morning they will be defrosted by lunch time. it is ok to eat what you like so long as its in moderation

I also can't heat stuff up, but if you invest in a decent thermos food flask you can take hot food with you. I usually take some soup - so you can get your proteing with lentil or whatever in the soup. Takes 5 min max in a morining to warm the flask with boiling water whilst the food heats up, and it keeps warm for 6 hours.

Also a gree with pp re a decent insulate lunch bag and an ice pack. I pack my daughter's lunch for school and this ice pack will still be half frozen at home time, so it definitely keeps your food chilled. Cous cous with some roast veg or diced chickn would be a good balanced mael for you to prep the night before and take in.

You'll save money preparing your own food too.