High Protein, low calorie lunch ideas?

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GothyFaery
GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm getting sick of my usual salmon and brussles sprouts lunch and would like to find something new. I'm looking for at least 25g protein (30 would be better) for around 300 or less calories. I work in an office where I have access to a refrigerator and a microwave but that's it. I also like to prep my lunches on Sunday to make it easier during the week.

Any ideas??

This week I threw together a box of Zatarain's Jambalaya mix and some shrimp. It's not horrible but I ended up adding way more shrimp than the mix was made for in order to get the protein up so it came out very watered down (and not to mention expensive!). Probably not going to be a regular thing for me.

Replies

  • vinerie
    vinerie Posts: 234 Member
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    I've been adding edamame to salads and other hot dishes for protein. Soy nuts are good on a salad, too, and they have quite a bit of protein ( and nice crunch!) but maybe not as low cal as you are looking for. Shrimp is such a good idea, if you can swing the cost. Tofu is good, but I think it requires some cooking/prep/thought to make it taste good!
  • spoonyspork
    spoonyspork Posts: 238 Member
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    Still Salmon, but great on lots of micros/macros:

    Egg Whites (3 tbs) = 75 cal/15 protein
    Smoked Salmon (2oz) = 70 cal/13 protein
    Steam-in-bag Veggies (6 oz raw/usually 1/2 bag) = (broccoli) 50 cal/6 protein, (green beans) = 50 cal/3 protein
    Butter (Kerry Gold 1/2 serving) = 50 cal

    245 cal / 31-34 protein, with wiggle room to add other things you may like, like raw mushrooms & onions

    Cook the egg whites in a microwave egg poacher, steam the veggies, add butter to veggies, put eggs on a plate and pile everything on top!
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
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    You could add extra chicken to the cooked jambalaya instead of extra shrimp. Adding pre-cooked diced chicken would make up the protein and probably help absorb some of the extra water, and it's cheaper.

    Really easy - 4 oz raw weight chicken is approx. 120 calories and 25 g protein. This leaves you 180 calories to add whatever you want, or about 150 if you have 150 calories of chicken for about 30 g protein. Steam some veggies, make a general tso's or kung pao sauce and toss everything together. Throw in a little brown rice if you have the calories.

    Any salad with chicken + 2 T regular salad dressing or a low fat dressing + a little extra fat - I like taco salads made with chicken and a dressing made from greek yogurt (extra protein), salsa and Hidden Valley fiesta ranch dressing mix (found packaged in the salad dressing area).

    I've found that pre-cooking a big batch of chicken on Sunday makes it easy to change up my days based on my taste preferences. Yesterday I had Olive Garden dressing on chicken and veggies in a pita and also had a Southwestern chicken salad. Today it's buffalo chicken. Tomorrow I plan on having general tso's.

  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
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    The salmon and eggs idea sounds really good. I'm going to have to try that for breakfast sometime! I haven't played too much with chicken because it's so bland and dries out really quick. I'll have to look into different ways to prepare it and try that too.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    seafood in general.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Chicken Salad is my go-to for lunches. I make a giant bowl of it on Sunday night and eat it all week. I use recipes that call for greek yogurt instead of the mayo, or vinegar-based chicken salads.

    One of my absolute favorites is Chicken Salad with Apple and Basil from Real Simple magazine.

  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    Fritatas are my go-to make-ahead meal for high protein lunches. I bake them up in individual serving pyrex, and reheat them in the nuker at lunch time. Endless variation and high protein. Yum!
  • happysquidmuffin
    happysquidmuffin Posts: 651 Member
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    Chicken doesn't have to be bland! I never cook a whole chicken breast in one piece... I cut it into lots of small pieces so that it cooks faster, and it's easier to tell when it's done - just use your spatula to chop the biggest pieces in half, and if they cut easily and there's no pink, it's done! Chicken plus lemon pepper seasoning and fresh lemon juice is so juicy and good! The biggest problem with bland chicken is overcooking and underseasoning.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    I like soup, stew, chili, stuffed peppers, curries, veggie/meatballs, etc. I just make up an entire dish, split it into the correct portions, and freeze it for lunch. I keep so many things on hand that I can just grab whatever I'm in the mood for that morning.
  • lil_swolemite
    lil_swolemite Posts: 25 Member
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    It's pretty bodybuilder basic, but I've been digging chicken breast and broccoli. I top with marinara and sriracha; it keeps me happy. I prep all my chicken on Sunday and toss it together with the broccoli and sauce in the morning before work (I prep and bring breakfast, lunch, and snacks to work).
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I am right now enjoying a spinach salad with tofu and beans (and artichoke hearts and raisins and sunflower seeds and cucumber and jicama and sprouts and bell peppers).

    I am also a hater of chicken breast, but I do like dark meat chicken. It's a lot more moist and flavorful than white meat and has negligible extra calories. Try cooking with thighs next time and see if you like it better.

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