Quick and easy lunch ideas

Looking for quick easy healthy lunch ideas, something the can be taken to work and reheated in a microwave..lunch is always a struggle unless I am able to plan well and have dinner leftovers, it that doesn't always work out. Thanks

Replies

  • blushingmama
    blushingmama Posts: 111 Member
    For my family it takes planning. I'll grill a few pounds of chicken/pork to make wraps and salads. Or I'll roast a whole chicken and make soup and chicken salad. I depend on dinner leftovers a lot too. But I feed a lot of hungry people
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I typically make a casserole, stew, or crock pot dish on the weekend and then weigh and portion in a silicon muffin pan and freeze. The "pucks" pop right out of the muffin pan, and go into a freezer bag. Dinner leftovers freeze the same way, so I've always got at least 4-5 varieties of "lunch pucks" in the freezer.

    Prepping lunch in the morning consists of popping a freezer puck into a microwave - safe container and sometimes dumping in some fresh or frozen spinach or green beans into the same container. I don't even need to refrigerate it at work. The "puck" will usually still be half frozen by lunchtime, but about 2 to 2.5 minutes in the micro and I've got a delicious hot meal much better and cheaper than any prepared frozen meal!
  • mlclark86
    mlclark86 Posts: 33 Member
    I try to stick to what is easy for lunch....tuna, turkey, chicken sandwich with lots of fresh fruits and veggies on the side is one. Another is a giant salad. I try to keep baked chicken (or even sometimes a bit of lean steak) in the fridge and I take a bunch of romaine and spinach, a couple of cut up strawberries, half a cut up apple, shredded carrots, and raspberry vinegrette (kept separate until lunchtime). I also do a lot of "snack" lunches where all I have is a variety of different veggies (green peppers, celery, carrots, cucumbers are my favs) then a fruit (usually an apple) a few triscuts, and either cheese or peanut butter. I rarely do a hot lunch because time doesn't allow me to cook during the day and usually left overs are scarce.
  • MalkinMagic71
    MalkinMagic71 Posts: 1,433 Member
    My go to lunch during the work week is..

    3 slices Baked Ham from the deli on two pieces of white bread(about 220 calories total)
    1-2 cups of lightly salted popcorn(its like 37 calories per cup)
    greek yogurt cherry or strawberry -- 80 calories with 12g protein
    Fiber one cookie bar thing that is 90 calories(if I dont eat it at lunch I eat for an afternoon snack)

    Ends up only being about 360 calories if I don't eat the fiber one cookie thing or a bit over 400 if I do, and it seems to fill me up until I eat dinner after I get home.
  • sianlr87
    sianlr87 Posts: 72 Member
    I tend to make batches of soup on the weekend and portion it, bake a potato and reheat in work, or plan my meals so that I have enough leftovers for my boyfriend and I to take to work each day, but it does require a good hour each week where I sit down and plan what we're having!
  • Jetamu96
    Jetamu96 Posts: 963 Member
    Pita bread sandwich with tuna, little bit of ketchup and loads of fresh leaves is my favourite!
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
    i like to keep canned wild alaskan salmon in the house, i'll throw that on top of a salad and have a quick protein source...roll ups with turkey cheese apple and pickles...
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    I had a co-worker that had soup every day. I think progresso light or healthy choice.
  • sandsofarabia
    sandsofarabia Posts: 95 Member
    Soups can be easy. You can always get some sort of frozen meal. I sometimes get those frozen Chinese foods or taquitos or pizza rolls and nuke them in the microwave at lunch. I know they're not good for you but I've still lost weight with them, you can just make sure to pair it with something more nutritious like salad/fruits/veggies.

    I also love making healthy pizzas so you could always cook a pizza and freeze the slices. Then just take a slice or two to lunch and either eat it cold or microwave that.

    I strive for fast/easy so that's why I love just browsing the frozen isles at the grocery store and grabbing a few things.
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    I like making rice bowls. I'll add some kind of protein, some veggies, and some sort of sauce...if I want it mexican, I'll add salsa and a little guac. If I want it asian I'll add ginger, soy sauce, and sriracha. another great topper is lemon, tahini, garlic dressing. Really, the possibilities are endless and it's easy to make ahead. Make a big thing of rice and veggies for the week and you've got 90% of the work done.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    Pita bread sandwich with hummus and canned chicken. Plus either a piece of fruit if I want more carbs or some beef jerky for additional protein.