Low cost, preprepped, under 300 calorie lunch

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successgal1
successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
edited November 2014 in Food and Nutrition
Just thought I'd post about my lunch. The past few months I've started making my own frozen lunches. I make enough in one batch to have 21 lunches. I just finished this one! I buy bulk chicken breast, pan simmer in spices and broth, sweet potato, corn, green beans, gravy. The whole thing is less than 300 calories and $2.50 per meal.

Chicken breast, 2 big packages at 1.99lb, $20
Green Beans 2 bags $4
Frozen Corn 1 bag $2.50
Heinz Homestyle Turkey Gravy 3 large jars about $7.50
Sweet Potatoes around 10lbs at $1.00 per $10
College Inn low sodium, low fat chicken broth $2

I'm guestimating but I'm not far off on what I paid. Extras not listed are what I keep on hand, olive oil, Herbs de Provence, rosemary, turmeric, onion powder, salt and pepper.

I use 2 big teflon frying pans with lids. Cube the chicken then cook, covered most of the time, in olive oil, some broth and spices. Potatoes were scrubbed and baking before I made dinner for tonight, I cooked the chicken and assembled all after dinner. I portioned out my chicken into each container, then sweet potatoes, added 1/4 cup corn, still frozen, and 1 cupish green beans still frozen. Press them all in good. Poured more broth in each, a few tablespoons (the moisture will come in handy when I nuke these at work), then a measured 1/4 cup gravy over all. Lid and pop in the freezer. Chicken prep, cooking and assemblage took around an hour and a half. I cook the chicken (simmer really) around 20 minutes, until you can break it apart with a fork.


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  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    edited November 2014
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    It works out like this calories:

    Sweet potato 3/4c, 135.
    2 oz chicken, 50
    1/4 c corn, 35
    Green beans, 1c 25
    Gravy 1/4c, 25
    Broth, 1 calorie
    Olive oil, 10

    Its roughly $44 for the ingredients in my area, that works out to $2.50 per lunch.

    Anywho, just thought I'd post this for those looking for healthy hot lunches, under 300 calories and on a budget. A little forethought can go a long way! Of course I'm not the type that gets bored with the same food over and over, as long as its delicious. :-) I'm a finicky eater!
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    wxca1w0c2jnn.jpg
  • RCfleebo
    RCfleebo Posts: 5
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    This is great! Thank you!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Just eyeballing that, no way it's 2oz chicken.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
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    That looks delicious, and so simple. Personally, I'd leave out the corn, and put at least 4oz of chicken.


    And if you switch up the veggies or spices, you can get lots of variety.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    Just eyeballing that, no way it's 2oz chicken.

    Yes,. Cubed, weighed cooked. Its a bit yellow, I used turmeric.

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Fantastic idea! Personally, I couldn't handle the packaged gravy part. Could use your chicken juices to make your own, with a little milk, salt, pepper and cornstarch. Absolutely doable.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    ponycyndi wrote: »
    That looks delicious, and so simple. Personally, I'd leave out the corn, and put at least 4oz of chicken.


    And if you switch up the veggies or spices, you can get lots of variety.

    Protein needs do vary. I tend to snack on yogurts and other high protein snacks so I get a steady supply. Plus it gets pricey! 2 more oz of chicken would add another 20 to the bill, and I don't want to cook it all lol. Corn, I just love corn. I did limit it to a quarter cup of deliciously sweet kernals.

    Last months concoction was lime garlic chicken, brown rice, green beans, with a 1/4 pace picante.

  • heidistubbs
    heidistubbs Posts: 20 Member
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    amazing! I'm doing cold lunches at the moment so I'll have to use this in colder months! Thank you for posting!
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    Well its jarred gravy. Probably could make you're own. Just adds more to my workload to do so, but have at it!
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Fantastic idea! Personally, I couldn't handle the packaged gravy part. Could use your chicken juices to make your own, with a little milk, salt, pepper and cornstarch. Absolutely doable.

  • keishakylejohnson
    keishakylejohnson Posts: 42 Member
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    Bumping this for later. Awesome job!
  • ljashley1952
    ljashley1952 Posts: 273 Member
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    Oh wow! I'd have to make some room in my freezer, but I could do this twice a month and freeze enough for two weeks. Great idea!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    Those look cool, organized and yummy warmed up.

    Have you seen salad in a jar? you might like that idea too based on this you did. google it.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    If I had a microwave, something like that would be good to have.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    If I had a microwave, something like that would be good to have.

    Well I do have a microwave, but really, these are for my work lunches. We have a microwave in the breakroom. It keeps me away from Starbucks (a mere 20 feet away), and every other fast food place imaginable.

    It's rare that I eat these at home. At home I have a variety of things I can make for lunch on my days off, these are my "to go" lunches. :-)

    You have no idea how less stressful the rush to get out the door is when all you have to grab is one of these, an apple and a yogurt or cottage cheese cup. (I actually keep multiples of yogurt and cottage cheese at work in the fridge, my co-workers fear my wrath so no one touches them). LOL
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    celestlyn wrote: »
    Oh wow! I'd have to make some room in my freezer, but I could do this twice a month and freeze enough for two weeks. Great idea!

    Yep thats the biggest challenge. We are fortunate to have a small fridge in the garage for important things like beer, hard cider, backup bottles of juice, etc. Also my Thanksgiving turkey is out there. Is 23lbs enough for 2 people? :-)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    successgal1 wrote: »
    You have no idea how less stressful the rush to get out the door is when all you have to grab is one of these, an apple and a yogurt or cottage cheese cup. (I actually keep multiples of yogurt and cottage cheese at work in the fridge, my co-workers fear my wrath so no one touches them). LOL
    Absolutely. I work from home, so I can only imagine. Back when I did work from an office, the company would cater.

    LOL, I do remember the thieving coworkers, in fact, I even have one of those these days. Has 4 legs, may end up dinner one day. lol.

    I've been trying to do something like this with 6oz chicken, 200g sweet potato, and then "vegetable", be it brussels sprouts, etc.

    Works well.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    successgal1 wrote: »
    You have no idea how less stressful the rush to get out the door is when all you have to grab is one of these, an apple and a yogurt or cottage cheese cup. (I actually keep multiples of yogurt and cottage cheese at work in the fridge, my co-workers fear my wrath so no one touches them). LOL

    I've been trying to remember to cook extra portions of dinner and then pack them immediately, as that's the only way I can get myself to take lunch, but doing several in advance would be a great plan.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited November 2014
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    successgal1 wrote: »
    2 oz chicken, 50

    Not a huge thing, but I post about logging chicken all the time, it seems, so can't resist.

    The entries I use, from the USDA, have 2 oz cooked chicken breast, no skin, as 94 calories, with 2 oz of raw chicken breast at 62 calories. If you weigh chicken (or any meat) cooked you have to be careful to use the cooked entry because it shrinks as it cooked, at least when you use dry heat. Lots of people undercount the calories in their meat for this reason.

    Anyway, I like to eat more protein with my meals (I don't usually snack much, so my meals also have more calories), so 2 oz (or 4 oz) cooked would be worth the extra calories for me.
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
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    bump for later

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