lunch ideas

Options
ersoper3118
ersoper3118 Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am just starting out and want to be sure Im doing this the right way and eating healthybfoods and staying under my calorie intake. I normally bring my lunch to work and to get me started Ive just been getting healthy choice or smart ones, etc. Does anyone have any good tips for fairly easy lunches that can all be prepared in advance and are fit for a low calorie intake (300 or less) and are designed for moderately picky eaters. I know I need to expand my food horizons, but I want to stick with what Im comfortable with now and then try a new vegetable maybe once a week or once every two weeks.
Any meats, sides, veggies, sauces....any tips are incredibly helpful so I can lay out a meal plan.
Any support or advice is greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    Options
    I generally eat leftovers or salad with grilled/roasted chicken.
  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    Options
    PB & honey sandwich. It will depend upon your bread & pb choices but mine are around 360 cal.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    Options
    You can view my diary and get some ideas.
  • ersoper3118
    ersoper3118 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    Thanks for the tip. Id love to do that, unfortunately peanut butter and I haven't gotten along since I had my gall bladder out in 2011.
  • domgibson88
    domgibson88 Posts: 78 Member
    Options
    I make a homemade hummus (lots of good recipes online) spread it on a whole wheat tortilla and add spinach, sweet peppers (the small sweet ones are really good) avocado and feta cheese and make a wrap, you can add chicken but a fresh chicken breast takes an hour to cook so I leave it out for a quick easy meal. My hummus is simple, chickpeas, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and roasted garlic pepper seasoning, it tastes great!!!
  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
    Options
    I buy the boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets in the frozen bag and cook them all on Sunday. I divide the meat into ~3 ounce servings and put one in the fridge and freeze the rest for the week. In the morning, I grab one, some carrot slices, a piece of Laughing Cow light Swish Cheese, and maybe a dill pickle or some pickled banana peppers. That's a pretty good meal that comes to ~300 calories.
    Make sure to choose the cooked chicken thighs from the food log, though. A 4-ounce serving of raw chicken is 140 (?) calories, but 4 ounces of cooked chicken is a good bit more. (This is why I use 3 ounces of cooked chicken instead of four.)

    Soups and stews are awesome to cook and freeze. Record the amounts of every ingredient you throw into the pot, add the cooked stew into your serving containers, and divide the total calories of the whole pot by the number of individual containers you filled. That way you know how many calories are in each container.

    I like the Thomas brand Bagel Thins. 110 calories each and they are good if you have a toaster at work. I make chicken salad to put on it, but a little cheese, turkey, tomato and lettuce is good, too. (Keep in mind, a slice of white bread is 110 calories.)

    Fruits are easy to grab and go. Many cheeses come in individual packages. Even carrot slices. Raisin packets. Granola bars. I was weighing out pita chips and hummus, but you won't get much for 300 calories.

    Anyway, I'll stop rambling!
  • domgibson88
    domgibson88 Posts: 78 Member
    Options
    also bringing boiled eggs to work is great. I love yolk and there are lots of nutrition in the yolk so I wouldn't worry about taking the yolk out, sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt and pepper on it when you put it in the container. perfect snack
  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
    Options
    Gah, yes! I forgot about boiling eggs. I boil a dozen on Sundays.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    Options
    Have you tried PB2 or a similar powdered peanut butter? It really has a great peanut flavor without all the fat (it cuts out like 90% of the fat). That is one option for you on the peanut butter front.

    Yup boiled eggs are great. I am a big fan of the 0% fat greek yogurt as a snack. Lunches are portions of leftover dinner the nights before so can't help you there. But it really is convenient to eat leftovers if you don't want to "make" anything else, and it is super easy.
  • ersoper3118
    ersoper3118 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    Thanks for all the tips!

Categories