Work Lunches - What do you take?

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  • mrsshazbat
    mrsshazbat Posts: 28
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    I'm returning to my age-old routine of fat-free natural cottage cheese, 2 x ryvita (any variety - except fruit crunch, obviously) and a pack or punnet of cherry tomatoes, plus a bag of random crisps. Have to have crisps.
  • hyper_stitch
    hyper_stitch Posts: 180 Member
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    I get in work early most days so I tend to eat breakfast there too. I can't just take 'lunch', it simply doesn't work for me I normally eat it all way too early .... ooooops!

    I am now in the habit of taking a range of light snacks so that I can effectively graze all day, not all of my choices are healthy but within my cal range so for now I'll keep with it. Usually there's some fruit, maybe a yoghurt, some crackers or weight watchers bread, cottage cheese with tomatoes/red onion, Babybel Light, some Quorn, a salad and recently a Cup a Soup Light to take the edge off :)
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
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    Lately it's been salad:
    tuna or chicken or boiled egg or legumes
    baby romaine, green onions, zucchini and 1/4 avocado + dressing
    +
    Greek yogurt and berries for Snack 1
    +
    boiled egg + hummus + baby carrots + unsweetened applesauce for Snack 2

    Sometimes I'll bring Wasa crispbreads and light laughing cows and tomato as well.
  • feliciapeters
    feliciapeters Posts: 525
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    I make 12 chix breasts once or twice a week (6 breasts cut lenghthwise so each is about 5oz)

    i bring 1/2 of then in a tupperware to keep in the office fridge
    i also leave at the office, a bag of salad mix & veggies ( this week is streamed asparagus, chopped tomatoes & sliced cucumbers in seperate containers)
    I also bring some homemade sauteed mushrooms & onions (or mushrooms onions & spinach)
    and a pack of flour tortillas

    When I'm hungry at work I make myself a wrap, using whatever i feel like, if i dont want a wrap i just do chix & mushrooms & onions in the microwave.

    I also bring some of those 100 calorie sandwich rounds & keep them in the fridge and yogurt as well. I eat evey 2-3 hours so it's quite common to see me doing data entry with one hand and noshing on a chicken breast with the other lol

    I prep it all on Sunday tupperware it and put it in a bag in the fridge. On my way to work I grab the bag & go.

    I also leave some lean cuisine, smart ones or healthy choices (whatevers on sale) in the freezer, for change & I can always add some salad to it. The smart ones mini pepperonni pizzas are tasty with a salad. I usually replenish on Wed or Thursday.

    I have the exact same thing in the fridge at home, so I dont eat everything in the house while Im cooking dinner.

    My kids have starting eating better that way, "Hey Mom, can I have some of your chicken & tomatoes?" LOL
  • cartern1
    cartern1 Posts: 270 Member
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    Turkey with Chili Mayo(light mayo) Sandwich - 172 Calories
    Salad Box with Green Leaf Lettuce, Pepper, Cucumber, Celery, Cherry Tomatoes and Beetroot - 120 Calories

    This week, since I've started cycling to work regularly again (hurray for better weather) I'm changing the bread I use for the sandwich so that Sandwich will be around 270 Calories just to give me that little extra.
  • TBirdGirl
    TBirdGirl Posts: 96 Member
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    I bring lots of leftovers from our dinners. I know what the calorie count is going to be and can easily adjust my portions. Or I bring a lean cuisine. Or sometimes I just grab a combo of 'snacks' (ie yogurt, hummus, pretzels, veggies, fruit, crackers, string cheese, etc) and eat whatever sounds good and adds up to appropriate amount of calories for lunch that day. I love the variety. Even though it's leftovers I don't eat the same thing everyday. For me that works.
  • quishajuice
    quishajuice Posts: 106 Member
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    I hate frozen meals, you never get enough.

    I totally agree. And they really aren't worth the ridiculous sodium intake. some sort of turkey sandwich with veggies or fresh fruit is always a nice meal and you can usually come in around 300 cal for that depending on what bread you use.
  • Alanismans0n
    Alanismans0n Posts: 24 Member
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    I have two 15 minute breaks so I generally bring an apple, carrots, yogurt, string cheese, welch's yogurt covered fruit snacks, fruit leather, that kind of thing. Lots of little low calorie things that I can eat quickly but still feel I've eaten. :tongue:
  • joeylu
    joeylu Posts: 208 Member
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    I bring a lowfat frozen meal, soup, or sandwich. Also buy lower calorie bread like ww bread or now they make 100 calorie pitas
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    I work on a busy psych ward so I do my own sandwiches, lean pockets, trail mix, Extend or Luna bars....some time I barely have time to get water!
  • EricInArlington
    EricInArlington Posts: 557 Member
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    breakfast- orange, apple or banana

    lunch- Weight Watchers Smart Ones $1.80 :) or $5 footlong (ham on cheese) eat half

    snack- same as breakfast or the other half of my Subway sub

    drinks- water and one coke Zero
  • pandafoo
    pandafoo Posts: 367 Member
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    i've been cooking a lot lately, so i bring in leftovers. tmrw's lunch will be slices of salmon, tuna, and yellowtail sashimi with ponzu sauce, served with rice and roasted seaweed strips. and a side salad with japanese carrot ginger dressing. yum!!!!!!!

    otherwise, i will bring stuff like japanese curry and rice, or some chinese dishes. i love eating a hot meal, esp. asian food! also, the bento box set that i bring to work keeps the portions just right. :)
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    When I leave the house in the morning I have the following (basically) to last me until 5:30 PM Dinner. So this list includes mid morning snack, lunch, pre-workout snack and post workout nutrition.

    2 Giant Carrots
    2 Apples
    24 Almonds (1 serving, raw, no salt, non roasted)
    Red Seedless Grapes (maybe 15 grapes?)
    Energy Ball (pre-workout, recipe & nutritional stats on my blog http://geoffpoitras.com)
    EAS Advantage Carb Control Protein Shake
    Sandwich (4 oz deli meat, bread, mustard)
    24oz water

    A few notes:

    My goals currently are weight loss while preserving as much lean tissue as possible. I simply cannot go into dinner with anything less than 800 calories or I get worried. So I shave calories in areas where I feel comfortable. I go with no cheese as it's almost always high calories that I don't feel I benefit nutritionally from.

    Bread is another one, there are some good whole grain breads out there but they are high calorie. I go for the Sara Lee Delightful bread at 45 calories per slice without the diet bread taste.

    Sodium has been a big challenge for me so I always go for Boars head low sodium deli meat. Currently I'm using the Deluxe Low Sodium Roast Beef. I think it has the least sodium out of all Boars Head products.

    Your sandwich would be high calorie for me, try it without the cheese, or half the cheese and spread it out some. Maybe go halves on a slice of your current bread with a slice of the Sara Lee?

    My lunches at work are pretty boring. Maybe one day per week I'll grab a 6" subway on wheat, again with no cheese but all the fresh veggies that will fit on it.
  • omgitsgarry
    omgitsgarry Posts: 138
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    I take a salad. It's portable and I don't have to really think about what I am buying anymore. I also save a lot of money. I still do buy out once a week.
  • tiddlyjinx
    tiddlyjinx Posts: 181 Member
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    Usually every sunday, I bake 2 chicken breasts, and then make a chicken soup, with low sodium chicken broth, frozen corn, can of diced tomatoes (with spicy red peppers) green beans, and sometimes add a 1/2 cup of brown rice.

    2 cups of soup, normally ranges between 150 and 180 calories. I add an apple and a silhouette yogurt. My lunches are usually less than 300 calories
  • BettyBeth14
    BettyBeth14 Posts: 171 Member
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    I take the same thing every day :-)

    Ham salad sandwich, on wholewheat bread, with a packet of walkers baked crisps. Its slightly boring, but I dont have to try and think of new exciting things all the tiem which just hurts my head lol!!

    The only time I go creative is my evening meal, though thats not very often cos cooking for one is difficult to do...well for me anyway! xx
  • sarah_bid
    sarah_bid Posts: 16 Member
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    Hi, I take a garlic tortilla wrap with extra light mayo 2 slices of ham or chicken, lettuce tomato and spring onion also I take a fat free yogurt or banana which comes out less than 400 cals. Hope this helps x
  • jenjowu
    jenjowu Posts: 11
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    The honey wheat rounds for 100 calories are my FAVORITE!!!
  • achojnacki
    achojnacki Posts: 66 Member
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    Today I brought a 100 cal low fat cottage cheese single, about a cup and a half of fruit salad, half a slice up cucumber and a cup of baby carrots, also 3 eggs, .5 cup of raw baby spinach, and an ounce or so of swiss cheese.

    For lunch I will be making an omelet with 2 whole eggs and one white, adding some cheese. I found a microwave omelet cooker at wegmans, so i will be beating my eggs, zapping for a minute then adding cheese and spinach and zapping for another minute.
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I love the microwave. Since I cook for one I usually have tons of leftovers. Today was left over pork steak and brown rice. If I have recipe for one serving I'll make 2 and have it for lunch the next day.

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