What do you eat for lunch when working in an office?

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Replies

  • TheJourneyToFabulous
    TheJourneyToFabulous Posts: 381 Member
    Salad, wraps with maybe ham a wee bit of cheese and salad, tuna salad, chicken and some rice or couscous. Leftovers
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    edited March 2017
    It's so easy to grab something fast at lunch (and unhealthy). I could use some ideas on healthy lunches to pack. Any ideas out there?

    I have not eaten out at lunch for many many years, other than the rare birthday or celebratory lunch for a co-worker - but even those hardly ever occur anymore as most of us are too busy and/or health-conscience these days. I make a grilled chicken salad 2-4 times a week, or just plain grilled chicken. Chicken is really my main item for lunch. I never tire of it. If I am out of chicken, I usually try to have some Lean Pockets in my freezer that I can grab and take with me. Also I have some freezer-prepped meals from things like chicken pot pie or a pot roast. I portion them out and freeze so that I have something to take for lunch when I am out of everything else.
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    I'm usually not a big lunch person, but it's either left overs or a protein bar. Or I save room for big dinner.
  • rsipock
    rsipock Posts: 12 Member
    I have two jobs. In one "office" I load airplanes with a forklift, in the other I run a shipping department in a warehouse. I work 12.5 hour days and here's what I do: in my lunch pail I put a piece of meat (porterhouse steak, trout, 3 sausages from my charchuterie, chicken thighs) and 1 or 2 handfuls of vegetables (turnip greens, bell peppers, asparagus, kale). I don't refrigerate or use a microwave in the office. I just pull it out and eat it cold--or eat it warm in summertime.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    fruits/veggies, yogurt, and some turkey lately
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    I keep lunches light and save my calories for the evening. We have a great salad bar at a cafe in the building, but I keep a reserve of soups and tuna on standby for late meetings.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    Crockpot, leftovers, sandwiches, protein shake and fruit, can of soup with extra protein and veg....

    Every couple of weeks I'll make 20-30lbs of food. Chicken breast, ham/steak/or pork loin, and veggies. Season and cook until nearly done, chop, and place in 3-4oz (and a few 8oz for dinner) baggies. I can grab a veg and a protein and pair with salad, can of soup, a wrap, whatever. If you make and freeze soup...then all you can have is soup. This way, I get a lot more variation, and a bit more options in the calorie count (light, creamy etc flavor)

    Today I have Split pea w ham progresso, 3.4oz of ham, a grapefruit, and a slim jim snack stick for lunch and snacks.
  • wellthenwhat
    wellthenwhat Posts: 526 Member
    edited March 2017
    Today I'm having unsweetened oatmeal with raisins. one of my favorites is a big taco salad (I only use about half a cup of taco meat, plus lots of lettuce, a little cheese, a third of a tomato, and a little salsa. I also premake egg and sausage mini-burritos, and freeze them so I have a quick lunch when I want to. I also like to bring an orange or something for a snack. I like to have small lunches so I have calories to fund my love of evening snacking
  • minkatinka2017
    minkatinka2017 Posts: 21 Member
    Lentils with freshly chopped parsley and whatever vegetables I have in the fridge or freezer (tomatoes, grilled peppers...), feta or turkey/chicken slices.
  • Drueru
    Drueru Posts: 46 Member
    I prepare soup for the week or salads, put them in jars and bring them to work to stash in the workfridge. So simple this way.
  • murph155
    murph155 Posts: 116 Member
    Another food prepper here. I make big batches of stuff on the weekends that I can have for lunches or dinners during the week - grilled chicken breasts, pork cops, chili, etc. I also bake a bunch of either regular or sweet potatoes (or both) and always have salad ingredients in the fridge. So yesterday I had some turkey chili on half a sweet potato with a slice of cheese; today it's grilled chicken with a salad. I also stock up on Red's All Natural Burritos, usually chicken and sweet potato or chicken with cilantro and lime, in case I'm running late. I'm lucky we have a small fridge and a microwave in the office.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Check out recipes at skinny taste.com.
  • brittyn3
    brittyn3 Posts: 481 Member
    Lean cuisines usually with a small salad. Stock up once a week on lean cuisines, make the salad every morning
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    I found these great pre-packaged meals called Ready Chef Go at my local grocery store - they are chicken, vegetable (broccoli or asparagus) and a small pat of compressed butter with some kind of flavor (today's is garlic scampi) - cook for 6mins in the microwave and voila

    Wow! Those look good! I just looked at the website and can get some at a small grocery store nearby.

    Are the calories already on the package? What an awesome thing to have around for a quick meal!

    they aren't - I kind of guesstimate based on the bag and the overall weight - mine today is .66lb - so 10oz - about 3oz asparagus, 1oz butter, so that leaves about 6oz chicken...

    I believe you can buy the bags yourself, so you could make your own (which I may do in the future) - but for right now, I'm just buying ($2ish a serving)
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
    Apple, yogurt, Luna bar.
  • Blubberbuster1
    Blubberbuster1 Posts: 265 Member
    I buy ground turkey, ground beef, bags of chicken fillets, and sole. I separate it into 1 meal portions before I freeze it. I cook either a few days worth at once, or I cook the next days lunch while cooking dinner. I steam broccoli and keep enough in the fridge for few days, and I also make like 6 cups of rice and keep in fridge.
    My lunch and dinner is 1/2 cup rice, 1 cup broccoli and then I add 6ounces of either beef, chicken, turkey or sole.
  • crooked_left_hook
    crooked_left_hook Posts: 364 Member
    On Monday's and Wednesday's make some sort of chili/stew/casserole that makes six servings. My BF and I have that for dinner one night and lunch for the two days after. On Monday's I usually have Sunday leftovers or a sandwich.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    I meal prep on Saturday or Sunday for lunch or I too am guaranteed to make horrible choices (and Arby's/Jack in the Box are the two closest fast food places, ugh).

    4oz of chicken thighs (they freeze and heat up well), and a mix of vegetables with different spices to keep it interesting (I use silicone cupcake liners to keep them separate) totaling usually 2-3 servings (ie 1 serving cauliflower, 1/2 carrots, 1/2 green peas 1/2 black beans were my veggies today).
  • leahgoldgirl
    leahgoldgirl Posts: 61 Member
    I rely very heavily on rotisserie chickens, steam in packs of broccoli, chopped veggies, and other odds and ends that I pick up from the supermarket up the street from my office 1-2x per week. I also cook extra stuff at home that I can use the next day for lunch as meals. My typical week will look something like this:

    Monday - 4-6 ounces of Hot rotisserie chicken with steam in frozen broccoli bag tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper

    Tuesday - .5 - 1 serving of Rao's tomato basil sauce, mixed with a teaspoon of hot chili paste, tossed with 4-6 ounces of leftover rotisserie chicken, zucchini noodles and beet noodles (they sell them at the market)

    Wednesday - Make a thai peanut & coconut sauce in microwave (heat 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter, 1/4 cup coconut milk, ginger powder, garlic powder, a little chili paste, and cayenne in microwave for about 30 second, mix well) and toss with 4-6 ounce of rotisserie chicken tossed with the veggie noodles, sugar snap peas, and/ or steam in bag veggies

    Thursday- Tuna salad made with 1/2 avocado smashed, dill relish, 1 teaspoon spicy mustard, cayenne and red pepper flakes, 1 piece of tapioca flour toast, raw sugar snap peas, steam in bag veggies tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper

    Friday- Salad made at home from leftovers: Pan seared chicken breast tenderloins, over arugula, kale, shaved brussels sprouts, and grape tomatoes, tossed with avocado lime dressing (blend 1 avocado, juice from a lime, chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, a little olive oil, white vinegar, salt, pepper and cayenne). I'll top it with homemade baked plantain chips if I'm running at lunch, so that I have enough carbs.
  • queenofpuppies
    queenofpuppies Posts: 189 Member
    I got rid of the candy bowl on my desk and replaced it with a fruit basket...when I am feeling peckish, I go a clementine and it really helps...I also keep popcorn around, campbells soup in hand, raw nuts, and I started keeping lemon juice in the fridge so I can sip on lemon water. Oh, and I keep a granola bar in my purse at all time so that if I am on the run I have something and can avoid fast food or vending machines
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
    edited March 2017
    Great ideas! I do many of them, but wanted to pitch in and add:

    I make a sort of "antipasta" blend of cut-up artichoke hearts, hearts of palm (I seriously love hearts of palm), green olives, pickles, or whatever dilled/flavored veggies like that (the grocery olive bar has some good stuff). I try to either not use any that are marinated (due to amount of oil); they're flavored enough as is. I have that for snacks; they're quite low in calorie but filling. Tend to be high sodium, but I figure if drink my usual ton of water, I'm ok.

    At times I may add chunks of cheese and salami to make that a full meal, but other times they serve as a side or snack.

    I usually have a pre-cut-up apple for a snack. If I don't pre-cut my apple, it's very likely I won't eat it...

    Oh, and @leahgoldgirl your recipes sound amazing and brilliant. Esp the PB/coconut milk Thai sauce.
  • drabbits2
    drabbits2 Posts: 179 Member
    I have two fall backs that I make a TON--veggies and hummus and stuff in mason jars. This week I bought a big tub of precut veggies and a thing of hummus and am keeping it in the fridge at work so I don't have to think about it every day. The other thing I do is mason jar meals. I can make 5 on Sunday and grab one every morning OR bring all 5 and keep them in the fridge at work if there's room. On Pintrest there are a TON of yummy recipes for mason jar stuff. I have done Greek salads--put the dressing on the bottom, followed by chickpeas--they can marinate in the dressing, then layer cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta, olives, some romaine. Done. Or a Mexican one--salsa on the bottom, black beans, brown rice, olives, a teeny bit of cheese if you want, chopped green pepper, corn if you want--warm up the jar or eat cold. My other mason jar favorite is overnight oats. Yes, I am on that band wagon! I eat them for lunch all the time. My basic recipe is 1/2 cup oats (NOT quick cook, NOT steel cut--regular) and 1/2 cup plain unsweetened soy milk. I usually add either hemp seed or flaxseed or wheat germ, but not all three-like 1 tablespoon. Then whatever fruit you want. My favorite combos are dried cranberries and walnuts, blueberries and cashews, raspberries and pistachios. I only do a tablespoon of the nut in each jar-just enough for some crunch and good fat, but you don't have to. Shake the jars and stick in the fridge. Done.
  • Kay_180
    Kay_180 Posts: 38 Member
    I make a slow cooker soup, stew or chili in the weekend and portion and freeze it for lunches. Usually supplemented with dinner leftovers once or twice a week. A piece of fruit and Greek yoghurt for snacks, plus I keep a jar of roasted almonds in my drawer to top up if needed.
  • Legs_McGee23
    Legs_McGee23 Posts: 116 Member
    I usually bring in a salad. My standard is spinach, spring greens, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, chicken, almonds, bacon, and balsamic vinegar.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    I admire those who do "batch cooking" for the entire week. You folks must be very easygoing to tolerate reheated food.

    Somehow my wife doesn't mind cooking fresh everyday. She doesn't think it's work when hunger is her motivation.
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
    I tend to eat a light lunch and a big dinner. So here are some of my go-tos for lunch:

    - smoothie from the nearby juice bar. You could also bring a mini blender to work and make your own. (Keep a selection of frozen fruit in the freezer, if you have a work freezer.)

    - serving of homemade casserole or soup. I made a veggie lasanga a few weeks ago and it lasted me a week. (Freeze individual servings to avoid spoilage.)

    - energy bars / breakfast bars. I've brought in all kinds, from Nutrigrain Bars (which are probably not that healthy in terms of nutrients) to KIND bars to Fiber One bars (which I found a bit bland.)

    - carrots make a good snack before lunch.
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
    edited March 2017
    I make a black bean soup with onion, garlic, tomato, Serrano and Anaheim peppers, red wine vinegar, cumin, ancho chili powder, oregano, Louisiana hot sauce, a little cheese, and unflavored protein powder. It's delicious and low sodium.

    It's a little spicy, which I'm into, but obviously reducing or editing out the Serrano and hot sauce could take care of that if you're not into it. I use the protein powder because I don't eat much meat, but it could easily be omitted if you smash some of the beans to thicken the soup.

    The version I'm eating right now is about 260 kcal per cup because I sautéed my veg in some oil, but my next batch will omit that step and the oil. I've been playing with the recipe and eating it for lunch five days a week for two months. It's filling and easy and SO GOOD. And I don't get tired of it because of the textures and spices and heat.

    Every day for lunch I have a cup of that soup and half a cup of steamed white rice (~120 kcal), which I pack the night before in the same container. I nuke my rice and beans for two minutes in the break room microwave, and let me tell you. It's so good. I usually bring 2 ounces of grape tomatoes (19 kcal), and occasionally a little nice cheese (kcal varies).

    I credit most of my weight loss (about 25 pounds in two months) to replacing fast food with this meal at lunch.
  • MaddMaestro
    MaddMaestro Posts: 405 Member
    I make some kind of meat with some kind of veggie mix and sometimes brown rice
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Like many others, I cook,'portion and freeze.
  • Kay_180
    Kay_180 Posts: 38 Member
    You folks must be very easygoing to tolerate reheated food.

    What does this even mean??