Planning Ahead What You are Going to Eat

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DeservingGirl
DeservingGirl Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, my name is Kelly. I have been having trouble planning ahead enough to grab quick and healthy meals and snacks from home for days I am going to be on the go.

Lunch is particularly hard for me. It always has been. I get tired of the salad kits and not a big fan of sandwiches. Any ideas that are healthy, on the go items for lunch?

What usually happens is I don't plan ahead enough and then end up getting fast food because what I had wasn't satisfying.

What I have found helpful is at the beginning of the day, log 300cal for each meal, so I know I have room for 3 decent meals. And then I can decide what to eat and when to eat my leftover calories.

Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • DarrenKH
    DarrenKH Posts: 21 Member
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    Planning ahead is a great idea, but I can't think of a full lunch with only 300 calories, maybe soups with lots of veggies could be a good bet? Tuna wrap with lots of celery, onions, and low-fat mayonnaise? For lunches (kids and adults) I pack carrots, green peppers, baby tomatoes, cucumber, celery, sometimes with a dip, plus grapes, apple pieces (few drops of lemon juice to stop browning), orange pieces. We usually have sandwiches. Will check back to see what other ideas come up.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    It sounds like you are trying to plan ahead each day. A better option might be to plan ahead for the week. On the day you do your grocery shopping, think about how many lunches you'll need to make and buy according to that. When you get home, you can pre-portion out most things. I usually eat yogurt or cottage cheese at lunch if I'm not taking leftovers. When I go to the grocery store I buy the right number of yogurts and when I get home I can divvy out the cottage cheese servings. Then I either cut up a bunch of veggies and put them in baggies or I do that in the evening after supper the night before I'll need them. In the morning I grab my veggies, fruit, yogurt, and add a granola bar and that's it.
  • LHaller57
    LHaller57 Posts: 4 Member
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    I'm having the same problems! I've been trying to make up my lunch the night before. I bag up grapes, light string cheese, yogurt, bananas, sweet mini peppers with hummus, ect. I have been eating a lot of veggie based soups. Some of the canned soups aren't too bad. They can get higher in sodium, but if you look for the ones marked low sodium it's a lot better! Do you do leftovers from dinner the night before? Maybe make extra for dinner, and put it in tupperwear to take to work? Then you can have all kinds of different selections.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    I plan ahead. What I usually do is make one breakfast to heat and eat all week (typically a crustless quiche). Dinners I plan with the family.

    Lunches are my favorite because I have so much variety. I cook a lot of one pot meals on weekends (soup, stew, curry, chili, stuffed peppers, etc) and freeze them in individual containers. My lunches are usually about 240-275 calories each, and the rule I have is that they need to be tasty and they need to be satisfying. In the morning I just pick one and throw it in my lunch bag. I like to freeze them so I'm not stuck eating the same thing over and over again. They last for months, so I just keep adding to my stash every weekend.

    Sometimes (like today) I have leftovers from a dinner. I made some sofrito chicken zucchini boats on Sunday morning and packed up two boats for a 275 calorie lunch.
  • Acidique
    Acidique Posts: 119 Member
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    I always plan ahead, but I get sick of salad too. I usually make it a habit to buy a bunch of fresh veggies on the weekends. Like zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc. Once a week I take the time to chop them all up into convenient sized pieces. I have a big tupperware container I use to keep them in the fridge. Sometimes if I'm really ambitious I'll divide them up into pre-weighed portions. In a tight spot I'll grab some veggies and sautee in a quick spray of olive oil, and throw in some frozen shrimp or a frozen chicken pattie for protein. It saves me quite often, and I eat more veggies because they're ready to go.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
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    Queenmunchy wrote: »
    I plan ahead. What I usually do is make one breakfast to heat and eat all week (typically a crustless quiche). Dinners I plan with the family.

    Lunches are my favorite because I have so much variety. I cook a lot of one pot meals on weekends (soup, stew, curry, chili, stuffed peppers, etc) and freeze them in individual containers. My lunches are usually about 240-275 calories each, and the rule I have is that they need to be tasty and they need to be satisfying. In the morning I just pick one and throw it in my lunch bag. I like to freeze them so I'm not stuck eating the same thing over and over again. They last for months, so I just keep adding to my stash every weekend.

    Sometimes (like today) I have leftovers from a dinner. I made some sofrito chicken zucchini boats on Sunday morning and packed up two boats for a 275 calorie lunch.

    THIS. Exactly.
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    i quick add 400 for dessert and plan the rest of my day after lol
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I plan my meals for the week at the beginning of the week and hit the grocery store for everything I am going to need. I cook dinner every night and eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. I also like to keep a stash of meals in the freezer for days when there are no leftovers, then I just grab a freezer meal for lunch. It is not hard once you get into the routine. I almost never eat out anymore because the meals I make at home are more satisfying and I like to have the leftovers!

    ETA: I really like the website skinnytaste.com because her recipes are usually easy and use fresh ingredients. At the beginning of each week she has been posting a meal plan for the entire week. You might want to have a look.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    I make wraps. They can be changed from day to day but always come out to 300-400 calories.
  • Steff46
    Steff46 Posts: 516 Member
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    I plan ahead too. Here lately I've been making this "warm" lunch. Cook ground turkey with taco seasoning and in four Tupperware bowls (I only eat lunch four days a week at work) add 2 oz. meat mixture, 1 oz. shredded taco cheese, 1 can of Rotel, 1 serving shredded carrots. I also take a baggie of sliced fresh bell peppers for the crunch factor and a piece of fruit. This is about 293 calories.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
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    An idea for freezing leftovers. You can freeze individual portions of each food, or you can make your own complete frozen meals. For example, if you have leftover chicken, put some frozen peas and some leftover pasta (maybe saved from a previous meal and frozen in individual portions) in the same container. That way when you're heading out for work in the morning, you just need to grab one container. (Label containers as you fill them - ie 3 oz chicken, 3 oz frozen peas, 3 oz rice, total ___ calories - so it's easy to log the meal when you eat it.)
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    Oh, I wanted to add that if you're "on the go" and not in an office, you can pack a pre-heated thermos and warm up a freezer meal in the morning. I do that with my daughter's school lunch and she has a hot meal in her backpack.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    DeservingGirl wrote: »
    Hi, my name is Kelly. I have been having trouble planning ahead enough to grab quick and healthy meals and snacks from home for days I am going to be on the go.

    Lunch is particularly hard for me. It always has been. I get tired of the salad kits and not a big fan of sandwiches. Any ideas that are healthy, on the go items for lunch?

    What usually happens is I don't plan ahead enough and then end up getting fast food because what I had wasn't satisfying.

    What I have found helpful is at the beginning of the day, log 300cal for each meal, so I know I have room for 3 decent meals. And then I can decide what to eat and when to eat my leftover calories.

    Thanks for your help!

    I find pre-logging my whole day helpful but not equally dividing calories between meals. I typically eat 200-300 calories for breakfast, 400-500 calories for lunch, 500-700 calories for dinner and 100-200 calories for snacks.
    I have a sandwich, salad or dinner leftovers for lunch usually. It is easy to pack dinner leftovers for lunches as I am putting the food away in the evening.


    Hard boiled eggs, pasta salad, spinach salad, fruit, yogurt, soup, dinner leftovers, wraps, sandwiches, oatmeal, muffins, omelets, raw vegetables, pre-cooked vegetables, hummus, burritos, Spanish rice, cooked meats, cheese.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
    edited December 2015
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    DeservingGirl wrote: »
    Hi, my name is Kelly. I have been having trouble planning ahead enough to grab quick and healthy meals and snacks from home for days I am going to be on the go.

    Lunch is particularly hard for me. It always has been. I get tired of the salad kits and not a big fan of sandwiches. Any ideas that are healthy, on the go items for lunch?
    Well, there are endless variations for sandwiches. I vary types of lunch meat, cheese, condiments, etc. But if sandwiches are completely off the list, what about dinner leftovers?

    What usually happens is I don't plan ahead enough and then end up getting fast food because what I had wasn't satisfying.
    How about planning the night before or on the weekend? It takes practice to get into a new routine, but you can do this :)
  • celinend
    celinend Posts: 30 Member
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    Try planning meals a week ahead, not just one day, but then log everything in the morning.

    It really helps to make larger dinners (recipes w/ 6+ servings) early in the week so you can bring leftovers for lunch, or even freeze individual servings for emergencies. I also keep spring mix, pre-cooked beets, nuts and cheese around if I get bored and want salad instead of leftovers for lunch. For breakfast, I make a batch of muffins on the weekend and freeze them, pop them in the microwave in the morning. Or a protein bar.
  • mellowadam
    mellowadam Posts: 114 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    I plan my meals for the week at the beginning of the week and hit the grocery store for everything I am going to need. I cook dinner every night and eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. I also like to keep a stash of meals in the freezer for days when there are no leftovers, then I just grab a freezer meal for lunch. It is not hard once you get into the routine. I almost never eat out anymore because the meals I make at home are more satisfying and I like to have the leftovers!

    This right here.

    It takes some getting use but you'll never go back once you see how easy it is and how much quicker you'll meet your goals. You will also save money by only buying stuff you need and it will be fresh and tasty. It takes me about two hours on Sundays to get ready for the week. I'm a nerd. It's my favorite activity of the week!

  • italysharon
    italysharon Posts: 195 Member
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    I also like to plan ahead for the week. I try to make one low calorie soup per week that will last almost the whole week. Skinny taste, as others have mentioned is great.
    Soup with:
    sushi
    a slice of pizza with salad on top
    a deitz and watson buffalo chicken sausage on a hot dog bun (240ish calories depending on the bun)

    I also have a lunch dessert of a nonnis biscotti (100calories).

    I eat about 550 calories for lunch because I work out in the morning and don't like to be hungry after lunch (or I will overeat at dinnertime, or snack before dinner).

    Also, I keep lean cuisine pizza in my freezer for when I just don't have time. It is not healthy, but it is better than fast food in terms of calories.

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