Work lunch

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constancesimmons
constancesimmons Posts: 13 Member
in Recipes
anyone have any good ideas for healthy lunches that can be packed up and eaten at work. We have a microwave in the office and a fridge, but that's it. I'm trying to lose weight but this is my biggest struggle at the moment.

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  • marshizzle1
    marshizzle1 Posts: 4 Member
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    Mason jar salads are great, because the dressing is at the bottom and doesn't make the salad turn soggy. My go-to salad is mixed greens with spinach, pre-cooked Kirkland chicken strips, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and balsamic vinegar. There's lots of ideas for mason jar salads all over the internet. I also like to bring small snacks, like prepackaged string cheese, peanut butter, pretzels, apples, fiber one bars, etc. As long as you prepare the portioning the night before it shouldn't be hard not to overeat! Fruit bowls packed in tupperware containers are great, and if you want even more sweetness, I like to add honey and ground cinnamon.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Sandwich or wrap - veggies & a piece of fruit.

    Soup - veggie or side salad & a piece of fruit. Make a batch of broth based soup & freeze portions.

    Salad with protein. I grill chicken breast, portion it into ziplock snack bags (and freeze). Today was chicken Caesar. Taco chicken, Asian chicken, Harvest chicken, Spinach Strawberry.....just add various cheese, fruit, croutons, doritos, chow mein noodles or nuts. Pair with a light salad dressing or salsa.

    Cottage cheese & fruit. Veggie side.

    The veggies always give me more volume for a few calories. ZipLock Steam Fresh bags are great for work. I can pack up fresh green beans......they steam in 4 minutes!

    Even if you have to start with frozen meals...... add some veggies, and a piece of fruit (I save mine for an afternoon snack). This is a work in progress.
  • AndiVentry
    AndiVentry Posts: 50 Member
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    I started doing the mason jar salads this week and I am in LOVE! Not only do they look pretty, they taste amazing!

    The beginner one I did is:
    1. 2 tablespoons of low fat balsamic vinaigrette
    2. chopped carrots (1/4 cup)
    3. red, yellow, and orange bell peppers (3/4 cup)
    4. cherry tomatoes (1/4 cup)
    5. avocado chopped (1/2 avocado)
    6. lettuce

    When I am ready I shake it up so the dressing is even and then I add 2oz of fresh mozzarella cheese on top. The greatest part is the avocado doesn't even turn brown. Everyone in the office commented how pretty and good it looked!!!
  • jmac4263
    jmac4263 Posts: 245 Member
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    ^^^ Mason Jar Salads must be the new trend, I also made 5 of them last night!! Had one for lunch today and AMAZING!! there is an order to how you want to put it so that everything stays crunchy and fresh!!

    I also cook chicken or beef on Sundays or Wednesday and just portion them out for the next few days, have veggies steamed and ready to go, snacks ect.

    planning ahead always helps me
  • dargytaylor
    dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member
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    leftovers from the previous night ~ tonight I am having Thanksgiving Turkey Burgers and will be bringing one into work tomorrow! I have been craving these burgers since this morning!

    I also will grill/cook a batch of chicken on Sunday and bring a portion daily to work ~ pair with a salad, baked sweet potato, veggies, whatever you like :)
  • areallycoolstory
    areallycoolstory Posts: 1,680 Member
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    it goes in trends. at the moment it is a sunflowerseed butter sandwich and fruit. for a while it was smoked salmon sandwich. before that i was putting a half cup of brown rice in the bottom of a tupperware, i would top with a fresh veggie, and add chopped, sauteed chicken, pre-cooked shrimp, or sliced chicken sausage, then i would heat it up at lunch time.
  • SherryMontell
    SherryMontell Posts: 1 Member
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    I like to make a large meal in the crockpot and eat it that entire week for lunch. My fave is Slow Cooker Thai Chicken - it's a WW recipe and can be found online. I also do this with Chicken Cassoulet, which is a Tosca Reno recipe and can be found online.
  • Lexieberry
    Lexieberry Posts: 182 Member
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    I pack a salad everyday... Change it up with yummy ingredients like chicken, jalapeños, beans.... Nom
  • rigby619
    rigby619 Posts: 28 Member
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    I make salads and heat the chicken up, sometimes have sweet potato with cottage cheese and salad. Often have left overs from the night before! Today I have slimmingworld pasta bolognase!
  • catch_me_ifu_can
    catch_me_ifu_can Posts: 20 Member
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    I'm a big fan of doing a cook up on the weekend and freezing for week day lunches. Here are a few of my fav recipes which might help out you:

    http://www.tasteloveandnourish.com/2013/04/15/black-bean-and-lentil-chili/

    http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/

    https://www.thehealthychef.com/2012/04/chilli-con-carne/
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
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    I rotate through tuna and quinoa with a garden salad, eggwhite and vegie frittata and various homemade soups (carrot + ginger, minestrone etc). Occasionally leftovers or if it's the end of the week/the fridge situation is dire some baked beans on toast.
  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
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    Even if I haven't prepped anything the night before, I usually have a bag of pre-washed salad in the fridge and some cherry tomatoes. Throw some nuts or seeds on there for crunch, maybe some leftover meat or a can of fish and you've got yourself a hearty salad!

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