Low carb lunches - help

Hi

I've been low carbing for a while and now winter is coming I am just bored of salad, cheese and cold meat for lunch!
Does anyone have any suggestions of satisfying low-carb lunches that don't involve too much prep/cooking (I eat lunch at my desk)? soups or prepared meals, etc. I live in London so any UK supermarket suggestions would be appreciated!
I'm not intending to eat a processed ready meal for lunch every day but it would be nice to have a couple of options under the 15g net carb mark :smiley:

Thanks
Laura x

Replies

  • kirstyk05
    kirstyk05 Posts: 78 Member
    Hi

    I've been low carbing for a while and now winter is coming I am just bored of salad, cheese and cold meat for lunch!
    Does anyone have any suggestions of satisfying low-carb lunches that don't involve too much prep/cooking (I eat lunch at my desk)? soups or prepared meals, etc. I live in London so any UK supermarket suggestions would be appreciated!
    I'm not intending to eat a processed ready meal for lunch every day but it would be nice to have a couple of options under the 15g net carb mark :smiley:

    Thanks
    Laura x

    I make a chicken stir fry with rice noodles, takes about 20 mins to make and is enough for 4 meals. I bring a little container into work heat it up :smile: keeps me on track

    xx
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    A big ol' hunk of chicken breast.

    Eat it with your hands, too!
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    It helps if you like salad, as you can almost always find a salad that is low in carbs, perhaps with requiring a minor substitution or two at most.
  • I take mini peppers cut them in half and stuff them with shredded chicken and those laughing cow cheese wedges

    or I will make omelettes or some other type of egg the night before and then just nuke it for lunch the next day

    or sometimes I make these muffin egg things, you take a muffin pan and put an egg or egg beaters into each spot and then add whatever toppings you like, i usually do peppers cheese and some sort of meat like sausage or ham, and then bake them, these are nice because they are portable and I can make a bunch for lunch all week and just grab a few and heat them up at lunch time. Plus the topping combinations are endless, I've made buffalo chicken ones before and pizza ones before and they have all been very good.
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    Leftovers would be your best bet.

    Roasted veggies and chicken, ground beef with cheese on lettuce with sour cream (I suppose that's more like a taco salad), or pizza toppings. (I have made oven pizzas in our pizza oven at work in the past in a pinch and just scraped off the toppings. Now I just buy a squeeze bottle of pizza sauce, pepperoni, canned mushrooms, and mozz cheese in a bowl and heat it up).
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
    I try to make lots of extra food at dinner and freeze it in single serve containers. For example, in my freezer I have chili, unstuffed cabbage rolls, shrimp and sausage soup. Today for lunch I brought my left over steak from the other night and some shrimp and a bit of tabbouleh. Usually I just open up the freezer, grab a container and go. I eat most of my lunches at my desk too, but I have access to a microwave in the lunch room.
  • MissLakeTime
    MissLakeTime Posts: 59 Member
    There are tons of recipes on pinterest.com that you could make and have left overs. I would also suggest beef jerky or turkey jerky, pepperoni's cheese sticks, almonds, protein shakes etc. to have on hand for snacks.
    Other Salad ideas:
    Buffalo Chicken
    Chicken Taco
    Beef Taco
    Chicken Salad on bed of lettuce
    Tuna Salad on bed of lettuce
    Egg Salad
    Just for one brand: Broccoli with cheese (not sure if you would have this in UK)
    Chicken breast tender with provolone cheese & bacon on top
    On Facebook the low carb and losing it... group posts recipes.
    There was a chip beef cheese ball bites recipe the other day that would be a good lunch.
    Shrimp
    Leftover fried chicken, rotisserie chicken, steak, chicken or steak fajitas without tortilla, low carb broccoli/cheese soup, low carb taco soup, low carb where's the crust pizza or something similar, ham, cheese, pepperonis with a little pasta sauce warmed up, BLT in a lettuce wrap or another combination

    Feel Free to Add me as a Friend. My diary is open to friends.

  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    The only things I can think of is left over dinners, bring them in and heat them up.

    Chicken/ salmon + veg in a Tupperware, chilli's, jacket potato... Mmm I love jackets in the winter with chilli or baked beans on top!!

    Stews are yummy - Can make a pot and bring some in, freeze the rest

    I love all the covent garden soups in the cartons - So many different flavours!! Skinny soups, cuppa soups, noodle soups, noodle pots add water - A nice wholemeal seeded soft roll!!!

    Also the super markets do them little ready meals ie, pasta ones you can heat up in the microwave

  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
    Don't know if this has been said, but I love making lettuce wraps. Marinate and broil some chicken breasts for the week. Slice em up in a big romaine lettuce leaf, add toppings of your choice (green onions, bell peppers, salsa, thai peanut sauce, etc), and chow down like they're tacos. Super good.
  • ljashley1952
    ljashley1952 Posts: 275 Member
    Make wraps using thin sliced deli meat, shredded cheese, mustard and the really thin whole wheat tortillas. I also make a tuna salad from half a small can of tuna, diced cabbage, diced apple and celery. Mix with lowfat mayo. Also, on a day off, make a big pot of vegetable soup. Really load it full of things, corn, green beans, carrots, baby red potatoes, celery, onions, sweet potatoes, peas, turnups, winter squash, zuchini or yellow squash...etc. Use most anything you have. Add a small can of tomato paste. Add a few cans of beef broth or use the powdered kind. It makes enough to freeze some and have soup for lunch all week, if you want.
  • harmar21
    harmar21 Posts: 215 Member
    What I do is every monday night I make a huge amount of something that will give me lunches for the rest of the week. Now some people don't like eating same thing every day for lunch so that's fine.. just freeze it and once you build up enough stock level you can just rotate.

    For example, last week I made bacon explosion and had that every day for lunch. This week I made chicken cordon bleu casserole and am having it every day for lunch. Next week I will probably make a lasagne (using zucchini instead of noodles).
    I also make extra grilled chicken breasts, pork chops, etc for variation.
    Tacos using lettuce wraps is also a favorite.
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    throoper wrote: »
    Don't know if this has been said, but I love making lettuce wraps. Marinate and broil some chicken breasts for the week. Slice em up in a big romaine lettuce leaf, add toppings of your choice (green onions, bell peppers, salsa, thai peanut sauce, etc), and chow down like they're tacos. Super good.

    This, except I use nori sheets (sushi seaweed). Heaps of fresh veggies and avocado topped with wasabi soy sauce!
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    throoper wrote: »
    Don't know if this has been said, but I love making lettuce wraps. Marinate and broil some chicken breasts for the week. Slice em up in a big romaine lettuce leaf, add toppings of your choice (green onions, bell peppers, salsa, thai peanut sauce, etc), and chow down like they're tacos. Super good.

    This, except I use nori sheets (sushi seaweed). Heaps of fresh veggies and avocado topped with wasabi soy sauce!

    cnlh5tl50r17.jpg
    :D
  • shai74
    shai74 Posts: 512 Member
    Last night I put 12 slices of bacon (250g), and 12 eggs, with 120g of grated cheese in a 12 muffin pan and cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. Protein lunches for the next few days, easy. 150cals each.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    shai74 wrote: »
    Last night I put 12 slices of bacon (250g), and 12 eggs, with 120g of grated cheese in a 12 muffin pan and cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. Protein lunches for the next few days, easy. 150cals each.


    That sounds good.. what oven temp, did you just crack the eggs into each pan or mix everything first like a mini omelet muffin? Because I love omelets!
  • I'm constantly checking out new paleo recipes and find ways to modify my favorites. Spaghetti w/ spaghetti squash (vs. pasta), beef stroganoff meatballs with a side of steamed veggies, beef stir-fry using using any low-sugar fry sauce/ spice mix etc.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Bacon.
  • shai74
    shai74 Posts: 512 Member
    edited October 2014
    ana3067 wrote: »
    shai74 wrote: »
    Last night I put 12 slices of bacon (250g), and 12 eggs, with 120g of grated cheese in a 12 muffin pan and cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. Protein lunches for the next few days, easy. 150cals each.


    That sounds good.. what oven temp, did you just crack the eggs into each pan or mix everything first like a mini omelet muffin? Because I love omelets!

    Oven was on about 180 C

    I just put a slice of bacon in each muffin pan, crack an egg into it, and sprinkle cheese on top. Takes no time at all. You could add mushroom or zuchinni or anything really depending on your taste, but I keep it real simple.

    You can do the omlette thing too, I have.
  • Miffylou
    Miffylou Posts: 307 Member
    shai74 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    shai74 wrote: »
    Last night I put 12 slices of bacon (250g), and 12 eggs, with 120g of grated cheese in a 12 muffin pan and cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. Protein lunches for the next few days, easy. 150cals each.


    That sounds good.. what oven temp, did you just crack the eggs into each pan or mix everything first like a mini omelet muffin? Because I love omelets!

    Oven was on about 180 C

    I just put a slice of bacon in each muffin pan, crack an egg into it, and sprinkle cheese on top. Takes no time at all. You could add mushroom or zuchinni or anything really depending on your taste, but I keep it real simple.

    You can do the omlette thing too, I have.

    Will be trying this one too. Thanks
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    shai74 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    shai74 wrote: »
    Last night I put 12 slices of bacon (250g), and 12 eggs, with 120g of grated cheese in a 12 muffin pan and cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. Protein lunches for the next few days, easy. 150cals each.


    That sounds good.. what oven temp, did you just crack the eggs into each pan or mix everything first like a mini omelet muffin? Because I love omelets!

    Oven was on about 180 C

    I just put a slice of bacon in each muffin pan, crack an egg into it, and sprinkle cheese on top. Takes no time at all. You could add mushroom or zuchinni or anything really depending on your taste, but I keep it real simple.

    You can do the omlette thing too, I have.

    We have no bacon, ugh! This sounds like something I will try out over the weekend though. Thanks for sharing!
  • hatethegame
    hatethegame Posts: 267 Member
    bump
  • cindytw
    cindytw Posts: 1,027 Member
    For fall and winter, I have one great habit I do. I look up soup recipes and I make a different one every weekend. Then I freeze the majority for lunches. Pair with a salad or some veggies, lunch is done! For instance right now in my freezer I still have remains from the spring. Kale and sausage soup, Cabbage meatball, and Paleo Spinach artichoke.

    I also use a lot of dinner leftovers, I intentionally make more than I need. If you need inspiration Pinterest is the place to be!
  • VCopple
    VCopple Posts: 56 Member
    I made this for dinner tonight, and it was fabulous. It was simple, and the crock pot did all the work for me. http://myfavoritethings-miranda.blogspot.com/2012/04/easy-slow-cooker-split-pea-and-ham-soup.html?m=1. I added extra celery and carrots.

    It is also full of veggies and ham, so low carb and super filling. 1 cup is about 200 calories. I am taking it for lunch tomorrow.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    ~shrimp and avocado salad
    ~grilled chicken with mango
    ~cheese burger with no bun
    ~turkey and hummus lettuce wraps
    ~meat balls
  • jules92761
    jules92761 Posts: 55 Member
    I like to mix up one of the Starkist tuna creations tuna pouches (I like garlic & herb) with some broccoli florets or asparagus and nuke it for a few minutes (I just use the "reheat" selection on my microwave.) It's super yummy!! If you use the low carb wraps those are great filled with turkey, cheese and veggies.
  • jules92761
    jules92761 Posts: 55 Member
    Those that like omelets check out the south beach veggie quiche cups to go recipe. I make those and freeze them and they are great. I use Southwest flavor egg beaters, green pepper, onion and fresh baby spinach and some mexican cheese and bake it in muffin tins.
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