Work lunch ideas

cranberry feta salad or cranberry chicken salad with hummus on naan and cheese/almonds.

pinterest has come really good salad ideas!

I picked up a bento box from the grocery store (it has one large compartment, an ice thing, two small containers and one medium sized one). I fill it with a half cup of cottage cheese, about 100 calories worth of high protein yogurt, lots of veggies, and some lower calorie lunch meats (like natural selections turkey) or hardboiled eggs. I'll also have some crackers, and will substitute some protein powder if I'm hungry after that.

Alternately, I'll cook extra food at night and measure out an appropriate serving for my lunch the next day.

I usually try to have leftovers from dinner that I can bring for lunch. Sometimes I make a salad, or other days a just a sandwich. I've started bringing sides of frozen vegetables that I can warm up in in the microwave.

I bring breakfast too, usually cottage cheese & fruit, or plain Greek yogurt with berries, & a new addition to the rotation: peanut butter yogurt dip (2 oz yogurt + 1 tbsp PB, weighed so 16 grams of PB, actually) and a sliced apple.

For an afternoon snack I pack an oz of nuts, or an applesauce, today I have mango salsa & 1 oz of tortilla chips. All of these things could be incorporated into lunch.

Lately I stick with one thing for lunch and repeat throughout the week. I either do:

2 oz smoked salmon
half avocado
apple
low fat string cheese
baby carrots
hard boiled egg

OR

1 can tuna
non fat cottage cheese
raw spinach with cherry tomatoes and red onion
lemon juice/salt/pepper
hard boiled egg
apple

I eat a lot while I'm at work. Every time someone walks past my desk I hear 'are you eating again??'
I bring things like greek yogurt, hummus, quest bars, rice cakes with either almond butter or flavored lowfat cream cheese and for lunch I usually have chicken with sweet potato. I'm pretty routine which can be kind of boring for some people but it works for me

I make a variety of soup, stew, chili, stuffed peppers, meatballs, etc and freeze them in individual containers on weekends. If I don't pull out a freezer meal in the morning, I usually make a salad the night before. I plan ahead.

Leftovers are your friend. For instance, today I had a chicken thigh (roasted last night), black beans and some blue corn chips. I try to make at least one chicken a week and spread it out through my five lunches. You can keep soups handy too...and use that same chicken to make them. I love salads and always try to put some kind of protein on top.
If all else fails I usually keep mayo, tuna and relish at work just in case I need a quick tuna salad.

I recommend the tuna salad, but I would suggest swapping out the mayo for plain greek yogurt.

I don't have access to a fridge or microwave, so I bring a tin of John West Tuna Infusions, a pot of greek yoghurt, some fruit and a bag of Kelkin popcorn!

I usually bring whatever I had for dinner the night before. In cases where that's not possible, usually a salad is my go to.

Go to your local grocery store and browse the aisles. Have a good look at what's available.

One of my favourites is a 1-serve package of Uncle Ben's Brown Rice mixed with chicken canned in springwater and topped with an individual serving of steamed veggies (Heinz or Bird's Eye) - steam in the bag.

LaZuppa soups - in the bowls - are also pretty good. Really quite filling and very low cal. I usually mix one with some noodles and/or steamed veggies.



Uncle Ben's Single Serve Rice ... I like the brown rice, but the others aren't bad either.
http://unclebens.com.au/products/single-serve-rice/

Heinz Steamfresh Veggies ... my favourite is the broccoli, carrots, and snap peas, but if the others are on sale, I'll go for them.
http://www.heinz.com.au/Our-Products/Vegetables?b=336DE02A0F7847A6AE08F54403CF2C3D

LaZuppa's bowl soups ... my favourite is the Spiced Red Lentil but the others are nice as well.
http://www.lazuppa.com.au/our-soup/bowls/

My husband and I both alternate between quinoa salads and sandwiches. Usually the quinoa salad is quinoa, feta, cucumbers, red onion, slivered almonds or pine nuts, and he adds a little olive oil and vinegar. I just salt the cucumbers to make them juicy. Sandwiches are usually homemade bread with an ounce or two of meat and a slice of cheese with lettuce, onion, and a little mayo. Otherwise, I'll bring a lot of snacks like cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, hummus and snap peas, snacky-type vegetables, fruit, or maybe leftovers from dinner.

And always a little something for dessert - a fruit leather or Ghiradelli square - and a sparkling water.

I'm in the leftover camp, as well. For lunch, I might have leftover grilled chicken or salmon on top of spinach or lettuce, loads of other veggies added, with balsamic or Dijon dressing. My lunches rarely surpass 300 calories, and the salads are always filling and satisfying.