Lunches?

bbrandi82 wrote: »

What are some easy yummy and filling lunches, don't want to exist on just salad lol

Anything that you think is Yummy and Filling.

I love pb&J on whole grain bread. banana, pb and whole wheat wrap. baked potato, shredded cheddar, and broccoli. veg cheese omelet. egg/chicken salad.

Protein, fiber and fat are filling. It's a different combination for everyone.

I pick a protein - tuna, hard boiled eggs, grilled chicken, shredded "taco" chicken, shredded pork, or cottage cheese. Then I work around that.

Low cal bread, pita, or wrap (Sara Lee 100% whole wheat is 60 calories) - make a sandwich, bring veggies & fruit sides.

Salads - Caesar, Harvest, Taco, or Asian. Different meats, dressings, add-ins for each. Google Mason Jar Salad....tons of ideas.

Cottage cheese with veggie & fruit sides. Maybe some wasa bread.

Soup - crockpots are great for this. White bean chicken chili, or Stuffed pepper soup are a couple favorites (skinnytaste.com). Fruit side.

Frozen dinner. Look for highest protein and bring an extra serving of veggies. These meals are often light on veggies. Fruit side.

Quinoa bowl! little quinoa and then top with veggies and lien proteins

I have salads occasionally, but if I want to get my veggies in without salad, I use cauliflower a lot. Mashed or riced cauliflower with lean meat (turkey meatballs, chicken breast, sausages). I make burrito bowls with cauliflower rice, salsa, cheese, etc. I'll use low carb tortillas to make deli wraps with meat, cheese, and some greens.

So, when I first started losing weight, this time a year ago, I had grilled chicken and squash from my building's cafeteria every day for lunch. It wasn't hard at first, but as time went on I started to get bored and resent it. Around January, I fell off the wagon and lunch was a huge part of it. About a month ago, I decided to start tracking my calories again, and I thought I could go back to the grilled chicken after a break, but it was worse. Every day, I was practically dreading having to force it down my throat. So I decided if this was going to work, I'd have to eat something I liked! I got on the meal prep wagon, and I haven't looked back! I now spend about an hour or so on Sunday night preparing my meals for the week: the same meal, divided into equal portions.

Week one was Pork Lettuce wraps: A modified version of this Blue Apron meal (not meatballs, just loose pork, with a Thai peanut sauce I bought at the store and no rice) https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/pork-meatballs-in-butter-lettuce-cups-with-soy-dipping-sauce-sticky-rice
Week two was Honey-Sriracha Meatballs over rice: http://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/honey-sriracha-glazed-meatballs/
Week three is going to be Turkey Taco Bowls: http://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/2017/01/turkey-taco-lunch-bowls-meal-prep.html

The lettuce wraps were pretty good, but the meatballs were FANTASTIC. Like I might do them again for week 4. Looking forward to the taco bowls--the calorie count looks like I might even be able to add a little cheese!

Anyway, this system has been working well for me! A little bit of forethought has made me feel so much more optimistic about my long-term success eating this way.

I know you said no salads, but I've been adding hot sauce to my ceaser dressing and it completely changes it. I also mix it up with using whatever I've had in the fridge for veggies (it changed weekly by what's on sale at the store).

Sandwiches were always as easy to go to. I haven't done it in a while, but I'd also prep chicken for a few days and use it differently each day depending if I could heat it up or not. Veggies, rice, quinoa, sandwiches, salads. Hummus and red peppers or carrots were a go to to add to any lunch.

Edited because somehow I wrote dessert dressing instead of ceaser.

I make avocado/tuna toast on whole grain bread
1/2 cup of quinoa, chicken and some veggies
Lentils
Chicken and sautees veggies
Boiled eggs and avocado on whole bread
Sweet potato and chicken with avocado