packed lunches

http://happyherbivore.com/

That site has some good, simple recipes. I like the "Tuna" Salad - very simple to make. Hawaiian Chickpea Teriyaki is also very good (can use hot sauce in place of szechuan). The chickpeas alone from the Hawaiian recipe are good if you don't want to do the entire recipe. She does low fat with her recipes, but that's easily tweaked if you need more calories or need to up your fat intake.

Scrambled tofu alone or as a burrito is easy. I add lots of veggie to mine. You can try adding black salt (it's actually pink and smells like sulfur) to make it a little egg-y tasting if you want.

KeepingFit4Me wrote: »

How about a chickpea salad - chickpeas with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, lettuce etc.. dressed in a tahini sauce, Humus and Falafel balls baked in the oven with 1cal spray oil? You would need to wrap the falafel separate to stop them going soggy but all this could be done the night before!

I've only been doing this for 14 days so not sure about the caloric value but it must be better than a cheese sandwich!

If you have a recipe for tahini, hummus, and falafel that is much lower in calories than a cheese sandwich, please share.

garden burgers? Pasta?

I work 10 hour days driving forklift in a printing company and rarely take breaks or lunch (in the sense that I go sit in a breakroom.... I mean, I sit for a living). Since the bariatric center recommended a low carb/high protein diet since I am Insulin Resistant and was 368# at 6' too I started packing lunches I can keep on my lift and just eat while I am working. I am also supposed to eat every 2 or so (supposed to be the optimum for the way the body cycles).

Within an hour of getting up I have breakfast that is typically either 2-3 ounces of lean ham or a 2/3 egg white omelette with varying stuff in it but always colby-jack cheese. Other times it is greek yogurt and piece of string cheese. I start work at 4am and my packed lunch/snacks look like the following:

6am Break - 1 piece of String Cheese

8am Break - 1 hard boiled egg (I make & peel them ahead of time so they're ready-to-eat - 2 per snack size bag)

10am Lunch - Occasionally I will take a single portion of leftovers from dinner but more typically it is either Fruity Greek Yogurt, 1 Hard Boiled Egg and 1 piece of string cheese or I will swap one of the Pure Protein bars in rather than the yogurt.

12pm Break - 1 piece of String Cheese.

It isn't exciting, but it is working. The hardest part is getting used to the idea of eating simply to keep my body working optimally rather than "OMG, someone brought donuts!!! EAT 1 and don't let anyone see you horde 2 more when everyone leaves!"

I have to admit though, that chickpea salad sounds good.

And as for weighing? I weigh myself every weekday morning on the same scale at work. I would weigh myself on it during the weekends but they are being evil and not letting me get any overtime. <grrrrrrrr>

Chickpea and spinach stew, rice and lentils with vegetables, whole grain pasta with vegetables and homemade sauce, hard boiled eggs, steamed edamame and vegetables, tofu scramble with veggies and kale, black bean and vegetable burrito with salsa and avocado,quinoa pancakes are some of my lunches. I'm a vegetarian, btw.

krithsai wrote: »

Chickpea and spinach stew, rice and lentils with vegetables, whole grain pasta with vegetables and homemade sauce, hard boiled eggs, steamed edamame and vegetables, tofu scramble with veggies and kale, black bean and vegetable burrito with salsa and avocado,quinoa pancakes are some of my lunches. I'm a vegetarian, btw.

Give me all of it! Sounds amazing...

Lately my go-to has been something I logged on MFP as "Lunch Sandwich." It's always about 500 calories. I supplement that with a simple salad of spring mix. The dressing varies depending on my calories that day: if I need a more substantial lunch I throw in some olives or cheese. But I have to be careful with the cheese: I spent 25 years not knowing what a reasonable serving size looks like!

One of my favorite quick lunches is to take a garlic/quinoa veggie burger and some of the steam in the bag rice with mixed veggies in it and throw it in a microwavable container.

I also like taking a slice of turkey and putting it between a lick slice of swiss. I use the swiss as the "bread". I am not low carb, but it reduces the calories and I don't have the urge to put mayo on it without the bread!

I take a fancy lettuce blend and then I add one of the Sargento Balanced Breaks snack packs to it for flavor and crunch. The dried fruit helps give it flavor so I don't need much, if any salad dressing.

I also try to have a serving of fruit, and a light cheese stick.

I do take the occasional left over and reheat it in the microwave.

Hello and congrats on your 3lb loss, a great result in a few days! In the UK too, trying to lose a few more pounds after a 2 stone weight loss followed by a small gain. I don't eat meat or dairy, my lunches could easily be packed up the night before if no time in the mornings. I have a wholemeal sandwich with either peanut butter, yeast extract, home-made lentil or lemon chickpea spread, then have a few of each of the following - dried apricots, almonds, walnut halves, prunes, pumpkin seeds (I have about 10g of these), a few slices of sweet pepper and celery and an apple or banana. Nuts and seeds are small but calorie-dense and a source of protein and unsaturated fats, fruits a source of fibre, vitamins and natural sugars. Could wrap things like these up in foil and leave in fridge overnight, could add a carton of natural fruit juice or a yoghurt too maybe?

beans and rice
vegetarian chili
tofu stir fry
greek yogurt with fruit
hummus with veggie strips or crackers
bean burrito
avocado and black bean taco
fish taco

I need to eat fast at work (I usually work over lunch) so I need my lunch no-mess and no-fuss. Here's what I usually eat:

Peanut butter wrap (I don't eat much meat)
Cheese stick (50 cal.)
Low-sugar yogurt
piece of fruit (apple, strawberry, pear, etc.)